LIFE AT THE FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 December 1916, Page 7

LIFE AT THE FRONT.

'AXZAC OFFICER'S EXPERIENCES. London, Oct. 0. ?'he following are extracts from the klter of a New Zealand officer at the front to a frieml in England. It is dated September 29: "Since I last wrote you we've been trekking about all over the district. Eight moves since August 31. This spot we are now in is the most wonderfully and weirdly interesting it is possible, to imagine. I find it out of my power to describe the vastness of tt?o happenings, and some of the sights Ivc seen are too awful to describe. I expect you can easily guess where we arc when I tell you that there isn't one single moment of the day or,night vhieli doesn't contain an explosion of greater or lesser degree. As I write tl-'.s on the pillow of my bed in my tiT.t and only a few thousan.l yards from the line, there is one incessant thunder of artillery,' punctuated here and there by the deafening blast of the r.earer guns.

"Since we came int: this section a foitnight or so ago we've had plenty to do. As an instance, in fifteen hours vo handled hundred? of tons of shell for our artillery. H rather gives an idea of the jmmenseness of the operations when one comes to think that tl» re are perhaps a dozen other columns doing the same thing in this vicinity. -Puring the opening of this second offensive, for three nights I never had my clothes off, and the longest rest I had was five hours. lam in charge of twenty-five men (ten for day and fifteen fu night shift), and, by Jove, tliey work like Trojans. One evening last week we hac a convoy of lorries with shell on boaid to unload; each man had to handle fritecn tons, and in as short time as possible. Each box weighs over 1001b and tckes a bit of lifting. "One cannot imagine, until one sees, the prodigious amount of tralfie that gnef up and down the country day and night. To-day we traversed t main lvad, and there was one unending stream of vehicles of every description except the private or civilian brand: simply made one's eyes ache. to watch them. Until we left this main artery of traffic, which extended for five or six miles, there was one endless line of motor and horse-drawn vehicles, all intent on some eirand and all puffing and snorting and pulling mostly'towards'the line. , APPEARANCES DECEPTIVE.

"I have seen some hundreds of Hun prisoners and am struck, not that I'm unduly prejudiced, wijth the condition and lotfks of the great majority. To me they appeared the most criminallooking, underfed creatures, a great number tallish, very thin and hollowchested. Of course, there are some rather finer looking ones amongst the younger men, and some of., these mere i>c.ys.

"1 vent up to near the rear of the line about a' week ago, and the scenes of desolation and, destruction simply baffle description, and as the wily Hun was plastering the neighboring country with shell it wasn't a particularly healthy spot to linger in. At lea6t I saw some of the awfulnes of the results of these tremendous bombardments, which go on without cessation, and what I did see would not bear description here. It was ghastly and too hideous fur words.

"After tha attack the saw some of the wounded passing through the dressing station r.oar by. They were torn and tattered ar:l bloody, hut still smiling and banging on like prim death to their souvenirs of. the fight. What strikes one out hero under all circumstances is the cheerfulness of the troops; they are always whistling and .singing and cracking jokes. I get a vast amount of quiet amusement out of those I have under me and come in eutaet with."