SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

New Zealand Tablet, 22 July 1915, Page 17

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

GENERAL. Over 133 Birmingham Catholics have keen killed during the war, and of this--number 33 hail from St. Chad's parish, which alone has recruited 500 men. The Vatican has placed at the disposal of the military authorities for use as hospitals several ecclesiastical buildings, including the German College. In the Vatican Hospital of Santa Maria 200 beds have been handed over to the Italian Red Cross.

It is significant (says a Paris correspondent) that ' the orders of the day,'" of one day alone, mention the names of nine cures, vicaires and abbes, who form a large part of all those appearing on the roll of honor. Private Edward Dwyer, Ist Battalion the East Surrey Regiment, has received the Victoria Cross for most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty at Hill 60 on the 29th April. When his trench was heavily attacked by German grenade throwers, he climbed on to the parapet, and, although subjected to a hail of bombs at close quarters, succeeded in dispersing the enemy by the effective use of his hand grenades. Tho following Catholic officers have appeared in lists of wounded:—Lieutenant. M. J. A. O'Connell, 2nd Royal Fusiliers Second Lieutenant 11. Moore, Royal Irish Fusiliers: and Lieutenant W. Kelly, 7th Lancashire Fusiliers. Amongst the killed in action have appeared the names of Second Lieutenant A. W. Bourke, 3rd Irish Fusiliers; Second Lieutenant D. W. Ryan, 2nd Northampton Regiment; and Captain A. M. Sullivan, Royal Irish Rifles. Portable soup kettles that are in effect enormous vacuum bottles are one of the interesting features in the commissary equipment of the Russian army. After Tithe soup has been prepared at a field kitchen in the rear of the army, it is put into these kettles, transported to the front, and served hot to the men in the trenches, the kettles • being so thoroughly insulated against the escape of the heat that the soup will keep hot for hours. Each kettle holds rations sufficient for . about 1500 men.

.C'V. ~ v :;'/j RECORD recruiter. /; '■-,./.';; Provost-Color-Sergeant J. E.Slattery, whose home is at Bury, having left the recruiting staff at Salford, has rejoined his old regiment, the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Returning to the recruiting staff the day war was declared, he in six months enlisted nearly 5000 recruits for the -regular army, probably a record for one recruiter. Born in the army in Malta, he is now 46 years of age. At the age of 14 years he enlisted in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, and completed his 21 years in that regiment and on the. staff of the Lancashire Fusiliers. He was in the. South African war with the latter regiment. He holds the South African medal with four ' bars, and the regular army long-service medal. '•>;> - ABSOLUTION UNDER FIRE. A priest-soldier of the diocese of Gap, writing home to thank friends for their promise of prayers, says :— : " All my men have seen your letter, and were much touched by it, for they now know the sublime devotedness which religion has evoked during this war. I remember a night of awful fighting when I saw a chaplain in a surplice come with the doctors and stretcher-bearers to the middle of the field of horror to go the round of the dying giving absolution whilst the shells and bullets fell all around. In his desire not to allow any man to die without the help of religion, this chaplain certainly did more for the return to Christian ideas than six months of sermons in peace time. I am glad to be able to add that he has been decorated with the Cross of the Legion of Honor. This happy return to our religious ideas is inevitable : here with death before their eyes every man is forced to think, and I know many who have changed their views.

ITALY'S ARMY AND NAVY.. Statistics of Italy's Army and Navy are interesting. The strength of Italy's field army (twelve army corps and independent cavalry) is about 400,000. The nominal strength of the mobile Militia is 326,000, and the complementary troops are sufficient to maintain the strength of the first line and the mobile Militia. The infantry is armed with the Manlicher-Carsano magazine rifle, and the field artillery has the fine De

3?ort gun of the 1912 model. In addition, to these £eace footing troops, Italy ought to be able to arm and gradually put in the field another million men, and as during recent years , our new Ally has taken France rather than Germany as her military model, great things may be expected from her forces, the backbone of which have already seen service in Tripoli. f The fleet of Italy in the current year is returned as Dreadnoughts, 6 ; 8; armoured cruisers, 9; protected cruisers, 16 torpedo gunboats, 10; destroyers, 46; torpedo-boats, 86; submarines, 25. The figures of torpedo-boats and submarines were those of last year, and it is not known how much they have since been increased.

MARVELS OF RAILWAY TRANSPORT. A railroad feat that is probably without parallel in the whole history of railroading was accomplished in the transportation of England's fine Expeditionary Force to the coast at the outbreak of the war, according to a report that has just been published. Four days after the war began, the Government requisitioned 350 trains of thirty cars each to be ready within sixty hours, but the railroads met the situation so promptly that the trains were all ready within forty-eight hours. During the departure of the Expeditionary Force, seventy-three trains were handled daily for a period of three weeks within the space of fourteen hours a day. Almost without exception the trains came in on time, and landed the troops with their ammunition, guns, and horses at the boat's side without a hitch. ITALY AT WAR. Italy is well prepared for the struggle on which she has entered (writes the Rome correspondent of the Catholic Times, under date May 20). For eight months she has been organising her forces and making ready for every eventuality. Ten days ago each of her soldiers carried about net only the little case of medicine which he is supposed when on active service to have on his person, but also the tag hung around his neck bearing his name, the name of his regiment, and his number. Without much bustle the Italian soldiers have been massing from every part of the country. Already the numbers of priests, secular and regular, and seminarists, who have joined their regiments number some thousands. ' It is arranged, I understand, that the work of chaplains shall be confided exclusively,, or almost exclusively, to parish priests and their assistants. Ecclesiastics in the army who belong to the regular

clergy will be given employment in hospitals, etc. To the credit of the Italian Government, be it said, a good deal of consideration is shown to priests and students during their terms of military training. As far as is possible they are employed in offices suitable to men of education and to their peaceful calling. A FAIRLIE MAN'S EXPERIENCE. When the war broke out, Mr. D. B. O'Connor, a Fairlie boy, whose parents still reside in the Mackenzie Country capital, was in France, making a world tour. He took ship at once for Canada, and on arrival in the big Dominion joined the First Canadian Contingent. Since then he has taken part in the bitter fighting in the Western theatre. His friends have received a letter, dated May 16, from somewhere in France,' in which he relates some interesting experiences, and they have kindly enabled the Timaru Post to publish the following extract from the letter:—- ' Your letter containing the information re the carnival and Fairlie's Queen to hand. The people of New Zealand show a very fine spirit in endeavoring to alleviate the suffering of the. Belgians. They have had a hard time, but now the winter is over things are improving. ' As you will see from the papers, the Germans have been attacking vigorously since April 21, or thereabouts, but have been held by the stubbornness and gallantry of the Allies. " They tried us out about April 24, and used for the first time what experts believe to be chlorine gas. It came over like a mist on the breeze, and lots of our poor fellows took the dose and died at their posts. Others crawled out and went to sleep in the open, never to wake again. Luckily my company got only a slight amount, which made the tears flow copiously, though we were able to do our work. 'On April 24, owing to the retirement of the French support our left wing was in the air, and the Germans came through in hundreds at about 3.30 in the morning. We were ordered down to reinforce the Bth Battery, nearly half of whom were wounded or down with the gas. We had about 880 yards to advance, through the most terrific shell and rifle fire this war has known. I have not much time to describe the rush we made, leaving dead and wounded all the way. The pfficers had shown the entrance in a general way and led bravely, till most of them were shot, and we were left to our own resources. Once I bolted to just about 50 yards from the Germans' scouts without knowing it. How they missed me I cannot understand. The tall turnip tops were alive with them, and they kept sniping all the time. I thought it was time for a little work on the hands and knees along a drain of sloppy mud, and I finally got into the trench, which, with the Bth, we held till relieved next day, though attacked from three directions. ' I might add out of 106 in our company we lost 83 that day, but it helped us, Sir John French said, to save the situation. All the British and Indian troops think we are marvels. The officers in the Regulars admit that under the circumstances they should have retired. Our total losses were about 7000, but the Germans must have lost many more owing to the manner in which they attack, and the accuracy of our shooting and bomb-throwing. ' In one place they filed across on our left at about 400 yards, and we had the sweetest bit of sniping you could wish for. When using the rifle vigorously and with obvious results all fear vanishes, and you enjoy it. During the night they made a rush. We sent up a star light, and the din of machine gun and rifle fire and exploding bombs was something one could never forget. They soon stopped, but I doubt if any got back. 'We are now using respirators to stop the effect of the gas. I think the Germans are all in and are making a final kick. They can't do much: we are too strong for them. Both sides are losing many men all the time. It's scientific murder.'