Sidelights on the War

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 211, 4 September 1915, Page 15

Sidelights on the War

Soldiers are forl Idden by international Ijvt to pre:m:d to be dea.i or wounded with tie ob.ie.-: cf takic; the enemy a; a disadvantage. "They call :ac:i who have gone to the Dardanelles heroes: 1 call them mu'derers." I f o r this Chares Jarkson, of Brisbane, re- | cejved a eentcii.e of three mouths. for wearinp a captain's uniform without antbority v. m.n ivae fined £30 a; St. Ives, Cornwall. He i-.iid wheu arrested that he jvore it for "swank." j. German resident of St. Catherine's, Ontario, has been interned at Niagara falls. He had in his possession a complete tiet of ;he factories in tie Niagara district Tlici art- making shells for the Allies. ■TOMMY'S LATEST FAVOURITE The latest marching song, that has quite sapplan:ed "Tipperary." runs:— Mary hid a 11-tie lamb, its fleece wa s white a? enow. And everywhere that ilary went the lamb was sure -o go. Hnrrah tor Mary! Hurrah for the lamb . Hurrah .for the toacher who didn't care a— KAISER POSES AS MESSIAH! The "Jewisj World" says: "An extraordinary report has gained currency in Basi?ia that the Kaiser, during a visit to Lodz, entered the Synagogue, and, raising a Scroll of the Law. told the congregation that he was the Messiah whom they were aivaians, anc that he had been sent by God :o save them." THE TERRIBLE " TERRIERS." Here, from a wounded Territorial, is a sidelight oc the .magnificent lighting! qualities of that force:—"A: Neuve Chapelle one regular battalion In a captured German trench found i: far too hot to go ahead :o try t.. take the second and further treneaes. But the Territorial regiment in support came up through the fire. through the::- Regular comrades in front. and. charging, stormed the second and third German !iue f . As they went through the Regulars stc "1 up aud cheered." AN OBLIGING MAGISTRATE. ■If anyone is punished I wi;i gladly take It myself rather than he should be punished." said the Wniesden magistrate irh*n a soldier, who had returned wounded from Franc for a few days, applied at the court for a permit for an extension of leave, as his mother had died and he wanted to ;ittend the funeral. He could co: set Int . touch with his commanding officer. The magistrate told him to stay for :ao funeral, and said he would write to the commanding officer. CLEVER, IF TRUE. Some surprise isays the San Francisco ''Arjonau"l has been expressed at the safety with which the British armies have been ferried across- the Channel, not a single life having, so far. been lost in the process. The immunity from submarine attack :s said to be due to the fact that the British authorities have sunk a double line of steel netting all the way from Dover to Calais. Twenty miles, and that so far no submarine has been able to pafe it. The transports', unescorted, traverse this channel every night, carrying th? drafts that are necessary to keep tbe forces st the requisite strength. THE BRITISH FIGHTING RACE. A heart;-- welcome W3s given ia London Tecently to the Canadian Prime 'Minister at a luncheon ir his honour. Sir Rober* Borden had something to say about the "fantastic picture" of the Empire which Fnssian militarism made for itself before war came—"lr pictured Canada. Australia and New Zealand standing aloof and indifferent cr seeking an opportunity to cut themselves alonf fron: this Empire. What is the a-::ujl picture to-day! They are bound to the Empire b.v stronger ties than ever before, and art- prepared to fight to th» death for the maintenance of "i: 5 integrity ar.,-1 for tie preservation of our t-ommon civilisation throughout the world." Sir Rober: Burden sain that the Canadians are no: a military nation. "Thank God, if fe are nit a military nation. «c are 2 nation that can tight." said Mr Balfour fie tie chair, - T h» world has got to discover tiat a nation which is net a military nation is a nation whi-.-h cm tight, and that i≤ a truth which i> only ju.~t begiolng to dawn U pr. ] oUr c j,i v . antagonist. '■ THE IMPORTANCE OF KIEV. Nothing is more likely to are the Russians with fresb determination to resist th ■ Germans to tbe end tLan tbe Order in which General Ma kensen threatens Kiev. The oldest an I the most revered of Russian cities lc a magnet that draws pilgrims from al! ove- Bus«la, and the thought of it* famous churches ar.d e.kous being destroyed or denied by a German invader wo'ulcl move ail Russians to a degree that Is Incapable of realisation. The town Is saw to have been founded in the Dictli century, and it was in the water.- of the river Dnieper, opposite the town, that ITince Vladimir, th,. first saint or the Russia,, church, caused his P er> r : e to be baptist » IS-?, a-A Kiev became the scat of the school, ari of the first library in Kussla. Kiev to-<ljy is oae of the most beautiful cities in Hu.'sia. famous for j; s cathedral aad for i . g.eat monastery that is 1.-itoi Terv vr ,:■ by afc.jtit _'.j> ~fl<>i pilgrim-. It * a!-., ~.,-.m f,, r its educational and sUect.fiv inM.rutioiu, which rank nvxt to of -be t-.vo capitals. As tbe principal <*n. r p for the sugar Industry ~f Russia ana for «.... general trade of the district j t is an iiDjortani commercial town. A riAKLESS FRENCH GIRL. Xot Uiiny ; ,,-.nr...._,. 1( -iM,t Army Contractors mi munition makers—have maile w<7 '-Jt ,[ ihv war. Mile. Mario Lccou,uc v uta of :he exception* Wben Hostilities bciin she and hrr mother iivel iv the wllajc o S t. Apoauf. about a mile Mid a .;:art-T f om Apremout, which h.ib ngu.-eij promiLcatv lD tnc rece ut fighting. Mine. Lecombcs n s killed l>y a German •fcell. arl then the H uns took possession of the villas. Bin lac rieurli chased them oit asoi.i. H!::u ttlcn . gOU )e seven mouths a?o, st A?na 3 la , h( . pn con . tlnumisy bf.tnbarded by ij e Germans, and for saf-'tys .->ake the iohi-ij [ants were ordered to evacuate the nia o j3 ut Marie pleaJed with mc I'ren-. connnanrjfng; officer to bo alioived to j Q [> ac villngn where she had been born on ,i brough- up. and her request w, gran terl. She his sirup made a livin? .. sellini: milk and farm produce, eisa ett__ an ,j newspapers to the French troops, n( j sne ha 3 dene sc well that she now inak, uer rounds In .1 little donkey cart. She , gan business with *H and now is reporte v tc have .-aved something lite £30. "Are . v not a .Tall of the shells?" Marie w. asked the othor day. "No." replied th* ■brave girl. "It's only the first shot tha connt?. When the Germans bombard thi place we take refuge In the cellars, am Srait until they're finished."

Eight companies of cyclists can carry -06.000 rounds of ammunition, as against '-■000 carried by a whole cavalry division of nearly 2000 men. An officer acting as regimental censor 1 came across this gem , sajs the . Worl(r) in a Tommy's letter apropos of the lightness of trench beer: -Tell Uncle Ned that beer here costs a penny a g i ass , and it would cost him a sovereign to get drunk on It:" By a curious coincidence, the 15th Hussars, quartered round au old chateau In Hinders, have tethered their Horses to stout iron rings use d lor the same purpose by the loth Hussars a hundred years ago —after Waterloo. HtJNS AS FARM WORKERS. "If there Is a serious shortage of farm labour to be faced, why (asks an English writer) should we not utilise some of toe thousands of German prisoners who aro now eating their heads off In enforced idleness? They would, I Imagine, welcome a spell of work in the fields as a change from the inevitable boredom of their situation; so no one could accuse us of ciuelty In offering them the Job, especially If they were allowed to earn a little pocket-money In the process. We should have no difficulty in finding enough German prisoners to jump at the offer of a few weeks' work." A WAR COINCIDENCE. A Belgian officer who Is recovering at Brighton has had a curious war experience with the figure nine. "Some weeks ago," he said, "I was In a email affair in Belgium, and captured a German officer. He turned out to be an old acquaintance, and I mentioned to him that that was the ninth time I had Tjeen In the fighting-line after being lv hospital with slight wounds. 'I, too, have had a funny experience with nines. , he replied, 'for I have been five times in battle on the Eastern Front, and this makes the fourth—and last—on the Western. Moreover, in this last engagement I got two small wounds, which makes my ninth hur: in the war.' " GERMAN WAR PREPARATIONS. An interesting confirmation of the German preparations for war Is afforded (says the "Dally Telegraph") by an official publication of the Italian Minister of Public (be Bayern, which sailed In the fourtn week of July from Hamburg for East Africa, and was interned at Naples ou the outbreak of war. The Bayern , s cargo, now unloaded, has been found to include 10,0OU rifles. 500.000 military revolvers, 200.U00 boxes of ammunition, four biplanes, two aeroplane hangars, 1000 bombs for aeroplanee, fourteen field guns, with a divlsupply column, two wireless stations, complete with dynamos, masts, and apparatus, and a great amount of barbed wire and iron posts. Hidden in the cargo were many documents of an important military character. •OH, LUCKY JIM." Toe following bit of verse, published In the July "Cartoons Magazine," was written by a British soldier In the trenches. In its grim humour it illustrates how Tommy Atkins sees the comic side of the great tragedy, and is keeping up hie courage:— We were wounded on the self-same day; Jim end got a blsruit-box to sit on, 1 iv several feet of water layOn. Lucky Jim. how I envy him; Oh. lucky Jim, how 1 envy him. A lump 0* shrapnel hit mc in the shoulder; Deep the doctors probed—found nothing there. Jim was lucky—bullet in the ankle— Now he wears It as a "souvenir." Ob, lucky Jim. etc. Now we're ranvaleseiug at the base. boys. Jiui finds pretty girl* with "torn to roam; S.iys bex g"lng to chouse a French fiancee. ;. of "-nurse, have got a wife at home. Ob. lucky Jim, etc. NEW PERISCOPIC RIFLE. The ciever invention of a periscope rifle by a youns: Australian soldier lv tbe by the Governor-t'Jeneral of Australia from General Birdwood. General Blrdwood partly attributes tbe "complete moral superiority" of bis fore? over the Turks to this uew Invention. The letter "Our complete moral superiority over the Turk is partly due to the very clever Invention of a man named Beaeb, who pro■Jurerl 3 periscope rifle. When we go( here! we denuded the while of our transports of their looking-glasses, and made up sorae ] _WiO periscopes on our little beach. This' man then made a very simple device. Tbi , result is tbe Turk ouly sees the muzzle of a rifle coming over the parapet without the head aud shoulders of the marksman following It. We understand from prisoners that he dislikes this intensely." In connection with the foregoing, tbe following extract from the Army Corps orders is of geueral interest;—" The Armyl Corps commander wishes to record his ap-1 preclation of the clever invention of a perlscope attachment for rifle, the work of! Lance-Corporal W. C. B. Beach. 2nd Battalion. Australian Imperial Force. As so far as is known this invention has not been tried in France, the. lieutenantzenernl commanding lias the idea to Lord Kitchener for consideration." CHIEF RABBI AT THE FRONT. After a fortnight's tour of the war zone. Dr. Hertz, tbe Chief Rabbi, has returned .0 London. It may not be generally known that 12.000 Jewish soldiers are iv the rank unfl flle. while the Jewish oflicers number {MA aud the object of the Chief Rabbi was to visit and address where possible tlio:?e who are already at tbe front. "This was not my first experience of war,' , said Dr. Hertz, relaxing his rule against granting interviews, iv conversation with a representative of the "Pally Chronicle." 'Fifteen years ago I went to my brethren are vastly different. I travelled practically the whole length of the British front. It was necessary in order to fulfil my purpose, throughout the different units, and although frequently in the reserve line. I also was at Ypi-es. ampngst other places. One of the most remarkable devotional gatherings I hnvc ever held." he pursued, "took place at a spot a little more than a mile away from a position which the enemy was bombarding. Men were present who had i-ome upwards of forty miles. We could sre the shells falling, and with every vow and then the thud of an explosion to btruzsle for life in which the British Empire was engaged, and of the calamity to the whole human rate which would ensue were it to be beaten. At all the services held in the war zone the intensest devotional aud religious manner characterises the men. Indeed, the spirit of the soldiers is wonderful, and the most cheerful fellows 1 have met are those vtno had 1 Hist been ten dajs in the trenches. The c is excellent, and everyone is Inspired d w >i determination to do whatever may be - "

A SAFETY CURTAIN. Otj the safety curtains at several theatres lv Edinburgh the other week there ap- ! reared the following announcement: — | "Thlo U the safety curtain of this theatre | The men of Britain are the safety curtain that shields our country from ruin au<l our women and children from death. Are you .part of that khaki safety curtain? Ir not. support tb'.se who are flghtlug your tames and Join the new battalion of the 4th Koyal Sccte. Queen's Edinburgh." A MICROBE WAR. The Paris "Journal" in a leading article recalls the fact that German troope have recently been Inoculated against cholera, and that the Italians discovered large supplies of typhue bacilli in an Austrian village. It bints at tbe likelihood of the enemy.waging a microbe war against the Allies, and exhorts the Goverqment to CDcourege French scientists to devote their energies to combating all possible developments of German warfare. BULGARIA LACKS RIFLES. The "Novoie Vremia" reproduces from tbe Serbian seml-offlela; organ "Folitlkn" an article which is, according to the "Novoie Vremia.'• much commented on id Russian diplomatic circles, "rolltika" sa;s that Bulgaria cannot at the present moment participate In war. as she lacks bread and rifles. Phe sold great quantities of coru from the last harvest to German; and 200.000 out of 300,000 rifles to Turkey. A PROMPT TASMANIAN. The circumstances In which some of tne Antipodean contingent came over to the front make cheerful reading (says "London Opinion"). Take jouug Russen. a Xasmanian lad. He did not like to leave us father in bad health, so he stuck to the Uussen biscuit factory till the "governor" a well-known figure In Launceston —died. He went to his father's funeral on a Sunday. But his hands were still not free. He was engaged to be married. The girl, however, was willing; so, the day after the funeral, youug Russen had a quiet wedding. The next day was Wednesday, and that day Eussen started for the front. A SUSPICIOUS DOCUMENT. A humorous true story comes from Brussels, via "La Metropole." A squad or Prussian soldiers recently Invaded a wellknown chemist's shop in the city, their oQicer explaining that the chemist was suspected of possessing compromising documents. After n valu search suspicion fell on the proprietor's son, who was m in bed. lie was searched, and tbe officer was soon bearing off in triumph a paper, with printed English characters on It, which he had found sticking to the young man's chest. A translator was speedily requisitioned, aqd it was then, revealed that tbe ••document" was none other than one of AUcoclc'i fimoui plasters 1

A humorous true story comes from Brussels, via "La Metropole." A squad or Prussian soldiers recently Invaded a wellknown chemist's shop in the city, their officer explaining that the chemist was suspected of possessing compromising documents. After n valu search suspicion fell on the proprietor's son, who was m in bed. lie was searched, and tbe officer was soon bearing off in triumph a paper, with printed English characters on It, which he had found sticking to the young man's chest. A translator was speedily requisitioned, aqd it was then, revealed that tbe ••document" was none other than one of AUcoclc'i fimoui plasters 1

TENNYSON IN FLANDERS Cases to rlcut of them, I (;aM-s to left of them, (insos In from of them. I'beiulc'ly tßnndcrH. ' Nli on the shot nnd shell, ! War has n newer hell — Into an .mid imih, 1 Into n tiolsnn smel!, node the six hundred. A FIGHT TO A FINISH. A stirring speech by M. RiaDOUfhlnsUy. one cf the leaders of Russian industry, at the Congress of Trades and Industries, reported in the "Rusakoie SIovo." was concluded as follows:—"This congress should recognise the absolute necessity of Russia fighting the war to the bitter end. We must crush this hydra-headed German serpent, which has bound Russia hand and foot, poiponing it Internally as well as externally." MensblkoJ lv "Novole Vrenila," speaking on the same subject, cays: day It becomes more apparent that a speedy peace with Germany is Impossible. We must fight to a unlsh. Even If Gerninny, like the "Seven-headed Beast , In Revelation, should be able to continue for . forty and two month*'.' humanity, fighting , for Its most cberlphecl Ideals, must face , the three and a half years' Bg&t. The war . must be prosecuted until Germany is crushed." ! ATTACK ON COAST WATCHER. At St. Austell. Bertram Chester, aged alwit SO, residing at Tregoniesey, near St. Auetell, and said to be of independent : tbe Realm Act with obstructing a coast • watcher. The coast watcher, named Jen--1 kin, was on duty with a boy scout at ' Crlnnld. when they saw the accused. They ' challenged him as to whether he was a ; British subject, and he replied, "What difference does that make to you." Jenkln ■ told him what his authority was. The 1 accused said, "Oo you take mc for a sns- • piclous looking person?" The coast watcher ' replied, "I take you to be a German spy." ' Chester then struck Jectkln on the face ' Tvith a stick. A struggle followed on the top of the cliffs, and then Chester ran away, taking Jenkln's stick with nim. Three days later a police sergeant went to Chester's house, where he found Jenkins , stick with a label ou It bearing the follow- [ ing:—"Trophy; seized from a member of . the gallant (?) baud who guard the British ■ shores- June 10, 1035." When Chester was i arrested he went Into his house for what - appeared to be a waJking-stlck. which at 1 the pollco station was found to be of Iron . with a solid brass handle. The defence was 1 that the accused did not know Jenkin had 1 any authority, and wheu he was accused of I being a German spy he lost bis temper. . The Jieavy Iron and brass etlck he bad , used for 20 years, having at one time kept • wild anlmajs. The Bench fined nlm £21, ' with mc alternative of 01 dt»y«' Imprison- . neat. •- < - - - ■ •