PUBLISHED UNDER SHELL FIRE.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16209, 11 May 1918, Page 13

PUBLISHED UNDER SHELL FIRE.

THE STORY OF THE "WIPERS

TIMES."

A REMARKABLE NEWSPAPER

(moit orn i.okdon literary CORRESPONDENT.)

Hero is a book published whicli is a facsimile reproduction, of the most rcmarkablo country newspaper ever "printed, and probably the only one ever published, as any country editor will tell you, on Mondays.

Liko. most country newspapers, too, it has had its ups and downs, although no mortgages plaster its plant, and it has never lost (because it never had) the county printing. In fact, county politics have not mattered as much to it as a last winter's advertising cut. What has frequently bothered it (as any of that ancient tribe will understand who have undertaken, to set up a Free and Independent Press in the wilderness with a bucket of type and a pail of sorghum), is an occasional, premature emptiness of tho "o" and "y" boxes. Also, there has been some disturbance at times due to tho fact there was some war or other going on a few yards up the street. It is easy to believe the editor when ho remarks modestly that tho snappiness, even tho hilarity, of the "AVipers' Times" was sometimes "moro hysterical than natural."

So far as I know, that editor has no name, for no names flutter from his editorial masthead. In fact, soldiers who disappear into tho fog of this war are never heard of again in public—except at investitures and in casualty lists. There arc, however, certain proprietors' lines on his back pages:

"Printed and published by Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd., Ypres and Hooge."

"Printed and published by Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd."

"'Printed and published by Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd., Somewhere in

France."

"Printed and published by Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd., 8.E.F."

It may bo remarked, as a possible clue to "Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd.," that there is a battalion of tho Sherwood Forester Regiment in tho

Division, of tho British Expeditionary Force. And regiments in tho British Expeditionary Force aro aptf to be nomadic.

At any rate, the only name which occurs in tho "Wipers' Times" (and its four successors) is that of Gilbert Frankau, a son o| "Frank Danby" (Mrs Julia Frankau), and a poet of established reputation, who wrote a good deal of verse for it ahout the coral lips of Leicester Square and other things that soldiers think about when they're away at the wars.

"It was founded February 12th, 1916. It published fifteen numbers under five different names. And it was temporarily suspended through the war and tho locality on April 10th, 1917. 'It may bo a long timo before we can produce another number,' the editor wroto in his valedictory. It has aiready been too long a time, but is now once again in full swing, and number 20 is in preparation."

How it waa founded, tho editor-only can tell: . -

"Our paper was started as the result of the discovery of an old printing house just off the Square at Wipers. Somo printing house and some Square! There were parts of the building remaining; the rest was on top of tho press. The type was all over tho countryside ; in fact, the most perfect picture of the effect of Kultur as interpreted by 5.9's ever seen.

"One of our sergeants, by nature ifn optimist and in a previous existence a printer, said he could make the press print if he had a Brace of light-duty men to help him. He got them, and was as good as his word, as, within three or four days,' he brought me a specimen of his handiwork.

'.Paper was there, ink in plenty, everything in fact but 'copy.' As none of us were writing men, we just wrote down any old tiling that came into oui*. heads. .• Little incidents* of daily life in the salient were turned into advertisements or small paragraphs.

"To get an idea of the birth of the paper one has to try to visualise Wipers in those early days of 1910. We lived in rat-infested, water-logged cellars by day and at Hooge by night. As an it had little to recommend' it. The editorial den was in a casemate under the old ramparts built by Vauban—heaven alone knows when 1 though why the dear old bird built a •wall fifty feet thick to keep out grape-shot—or whatever the Hun of the day threw around—is hard to say. However, God rest his soul! He gave us the only moments of security we

had for three lon<j months, and often we drank to his shadow. "Our casemate will always be vividly remembered by those who knew it. "U'e had a piano—loot from a neighbouring cellar where it had been propping up tbe 'remnants of a house —a gramophone, a printing press, and a lot of subalterns. Can anyone wonder that we are but shadows of our former selves? "When Fritz|s lovetokens arrived with greater frequeney and precision than wo altogether relished we would turn our whole outfit on together. Tho effect of 'Pantomime Hits' on the piano, 'Dance "With Me' on Uie gramophone, a number of subalterns, and 5.9's and 4.2's on the roof, has to be heard to be realised.

'•At dusk, donning 'boots, gum, thigh,' we would set off to Hooge to work- till dawn in feet of liquid mud composed of various things better leftunsaid, trying to make a little cover for the lads who were holding on to the remnants of Belgium in the teeth of'every disadvantage, discomfort, and peril. ... "Xumbers I and 2of the 'Wipers' Times' will always be our own particular pets because of tho circumstances under which they were done. They were produced on tho original press up by tho Cloth Hall, in tho dav3 when' the air was generally full of shells. One page only could be done at a time, and wo had no 'v's and 'e's to spare when one page was in the 'chase.' So that wnen the page was put up in our casemate tho sergeant and his 'devils' would go to the door and look at the atmosphere. If all was moderately quiet they would make a dash for the 'works' and stay* till Fritz got too near to be pleasant. Also, those were days of wild alarums Mid excursions, and often one had to stop writing an article in .order to 'stand to.'

"So Number 1 of the 'Wipers' Times' was at last. produced, and 100 copies printed and' issued among our immediate circle. Had wo only known then what was going to happen .ve d havo printed 300. (1 was offered £10 for a copy of Number 1 about a month ago; but none was forthcoming). Numbers 2, 3, and <1 wero produced in Wipers, and of theso 200 were printed as demands for them were fired at us from all sides.

"It will bo noted that Number 2, 3, and 4of the 'Wipers' Times' haa 'dud' prices. The reason for this is that after the issuo of Number 1 tho barrage became so intense that wo were forced to savo our paper by elevating our alleged price. Several of the more ardent spirits took these prices seriously and weighed in with tho necessary. After putting up the alleged price to 200 francs, in despair we reduced the price t0.60 centimes, and gavo up the endeavour to cope with the demaud.

"Ail the numbers wero printed in tbo district of the namo they bear, and the last five are called "Tho B.E.F. Times," for -reasons not unconnected with tho censor.

". . . The paper has never yet been printed out of the front area, and once our works were within 700 yards of the front line and above ground.

"After number 2 was published, tho Hun found our works with a 5.9. This was the most fortunate thing that could have happened, as wo were put on to a lovelv little hand-jigger and a lot more type up near Hell-Fire Corner. Wo salved the lot, or at least tho sergeant and his 'devils' did, and we have tho outfit still. At present it is marooned in the car of an amiable town major at a dorp not far behind the lino. There it must stay until we can commandeer a tank as a travelliug printing works, as the rod-hats are most unsympathetic at present and awfully keen on fighting. "Whether we shall have a chance to print again before the fast-approaching finale is on tho knees of the gods. . . From tho first, the "Wipers' %imes" displayed all the symptoms of a live country newspaper. It found in Ypres such a need for civic improvement, so many projects to fight for, as no other country newspaper ever found or probably ever will find again. There was the crack in the Cathedral spire, which needed immediate attending to. There was "tho disgraceful state of the streets." There was the street lighting.

But tho "Wipers' Times" was not pessimistic. It maintained tho healthy optimism of tone which all good country newspapers owe their communities. Business was always good in Ypres, according to the "Times." "Property continues to rise."

But its optimism did not blind it to actual conditions. It deplored the apparent decline of its city as a health resort. And it didn't forget to set a good example in charity to its readers by promoting flag days for the purchase of Warm Woollens for War-Worn Walloons, and for the benefit of the Society for Providing Blue Body-Belts for Bucolic Belgians.

It was a busy little newspaper, tho "Wipers' Times." But after four issues (February 12th, 1916, prico 20 francs; February 26th, price 100 francs; March 6th, price 200 francs; March 20th, price 50 centimes), "Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd.," handed the Padre its gross profits of 225 francs for his charities, and moved away from Ypres.

And on April 17th, 1916, at Neuvo Chapclle, appeared "The New Church Times, with which is incorporated the Wipers' Times," price 5 francs, printed and published by "Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd."

Tho new publication issued four more numbers, including a Grand Double Easter Number (May Ist, prico 10 francs) and a Grand Double Summer Number (May 29th). Then it. too, went defunct. Messrs Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd., had moved again.' And on Monday, July 3rd, appeared

"The Kemmel Times, "with which axe incorporated the "Wipers' Times and the New Church Times." Its first was its last issue. And on July olst, appeared '"The Somme Times, which are incorporated the "\Y ipers Times, the New Church Times, and the Kemmel Times." Its first issue also, was its last. Messrs Sherwood, forester and Co., Ltd., were being kept on the jump. Then ensued a long silence, and on December Ist, appeared '"The ■ Times, with which are Incorporated tlie Wipers' Times, the New Church Times, tho Kemmel Times, and the _ Somme Times." still printed and published by tho flitting Messrs Sherwood,' Forester and Co., Ltd.

The "B.E.F. Times" took on some appearance of permanence by issuing five numbers, among them a Grand Double Christmas Number, on December 25th; containing a Christmas editorial which, I think, is absolutely unique among the Christmas rhapsodies of country newspapers. It was to the broad, general effect that "between ourselves, tho less said about 'Peace on earth, goodwill to man' the i>etter.' It was really one of the most remarkable Christmas editorials ever written, a fit Christmas editorial for tho most ! remarkable country newspaper ever . printed. ! THE PESSBnST. "During our nocturnal rambles tho other night," it went on, "when the country was bathed in a soft light, the joint production of moon and starshell, wo met a Pessimist. Ho was a strange elfish creature, with a broken rum jar at his side. He opened up tho conversation with tho remark, 'We've lost this 'ere war.' 'Come, cheer up, old chap, all is not over yet,/ wo remarked. 'Hover!' he exclaimed as he took off a gum boot and emptiod a stream of liquid mud into a dixie full of tea belonging to tho next dug-ouj;. 'Ho, then yer don't read tho papers. 'lire's Hilarious Belloc says all's lost in the East, 'ere's Bottomley says we're all sitting oil a volcano, and" a lump of pineapple gone through the rum jar. I'm going over tho top to kill a 'iut. I'm that fed up.' . . And so we returned home, saddened by tho conversation, and killed throo rats on the tray in the irritation of tlio moment." It ran three moro issues (January 20th 1917, March sth, and April 10th; the last containing the glad news that the United States of Amorica was in it at last). And since then, Messrs Sherwood, Forester and Co., Ltd., have been otherwise occupied. Some day it may appear again. "When it does,_ its editor hopes to add to the list of its r Incorporated" papers, the name of the "Berliner Tageblatt."