STRANGE WAR ROMANCE

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 210, 5 September 1925, Page 18

STRANGE WAR ROMANCE

EX-ENEMIES NOW FRIENDS, j KAMERADS ON HOLIDAY. BRITON AND GERMAN HE TRIED TO KTLL. One of the strangest of war romances is being worked out at St. Annes, the Lancashire coast resort. The principals in the story are a German ex-officer and an English ex-soldier, who a few years ago were charging at each other over "No Man's Land." j Last month they were walking arm- ' in-arm on the promenade and gaily recounting memories of the Great War. The German and his wife are the guests of the Briton and his wife, and there is not a more happy quartet in the whole i of St. Amies. ' The first meeting of the two men took \ place at Arras in early 191G, when a ] certain Highland battalion, following a < gas attack, went "over the top." Bava- j rians came out to meet them, and a! fierce fight took place at dawn outside i the German barbed wire. j Face to Face with Death. In the fearful struggle which ensued, and in a spot by themselves, a German officer and his British opponent found themselves facing each other, a few i strands of barbed wire between them. Both shot, and missed—the range was too close or the teusion too high—and at ! that second a wrongly-directed British ; shell fell a couple of yards away and | exploded with a terrible crash.

Both men fell. The Englishman was found, suffering from concussion, by his stretcher-bearers, and the German, who was wounded, crawled into his own lines.

These two fighters are the two peaceful, contented civilians walking on the promenade together last month.

How they met again after their preliminary skirmish was a remarkable coincidence. Both men recovered, and fought throughout the Somme battle, with their respective battalions. Nearly two years passed, and, with greater things on hand, the Arras episode was nearly forgotten.

The Englishman was captured towards the end of 1917, and endured many weary months of captivity. One day lie was engaged in his usual work ac a prisoner when a tall German civilian passed him, turned back, and began to talk. They spoke of Ypres, Cambrai, the Somme, and Arras, and suddenly the German, who said he was an officer invalided out of the army, asked in English: "Were you near Arras in early 1910?"

"Yee, we made a gas attack there in April," was the reply.

"And did you take part in the raid early that morning?" went on the German.

Kamerads. "I did," said the Englishman; "we got badly knocked about, and I myself nearly got bung up on your barbed wire. I'd just missed one of yonr fellows, and was wondering what to do when a shell . . ." The Englishman stopped and stared hard at his questioner. At the same instant recognition came to both of them! "It's lucky for mc you were a bad shot," laughed the German. "My rovoj-, vcr was empty when I met you that morning." They shook hands, forgave each other on the 'spot, and thereafter the English prisoner had a good friend during his captivity. Many were the kindnesses he received from his former enemy. After the war they wrote to each other, and this year they strengthened the friendship by spending their holiday together. !

That is the story as outlined by the Englishman, while his ex-enemy clung to his arm. "But for goodness sake," he concluded, "don't put in your paper that I was such a rotten shot!"

Then he laughed. "Still, I'm glad T missed, aren't I, my old kamerad?" lie added.

The German smiled, and off they went ft)r a game of tennis.