WAR STORIES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3464, 7 April 1930, Page 2

WAR STORIES.

THE SOLDIER SPJRI'I

The London Evening News has printed a number of stories of the war, stories which show the unquenchable humor of the Tommy in the lace of tragedy, his indomitable spirit despite the terrific ordeal he was called upon to face. Here arc a lew of them—all stories of Cockney soldiers who had the right spirit.

Between Ecoust and Bullecourt in January, 1918, my platoon was passing a-mine crater which was half-full of water when suddenly Jerry sent one over. Six of our fellows were wounded, and one of them, a Bow Hoad Cockney, was hurled into the crater. He struggled to his feet and staggered towards a pile of rubble that rose above tile muddy water like an island. Arrived there, fie sat down and looked round him in bewilderment. Then : “Blimey,'' lie muttered, “.Robinson ruddy Crusoe!" It happened on the Somme, “Seouriiger” Webb, obviously a real, ripe Cockney, exposed ids head a 'trifle higher above the parapet than was then considered healthy, and an alert German sniper sent one over immediately, which luckily only just grazed tho centre front of “Scrounger's” tin hat. On removing his helmet .and seeing tlie dent, lie remarked to. -his unseen enemy, “Nah. ven, William Tell, nark" that f” ’Stop. H.M. Q ship 18 was sinking GO miles off the French coast as a result of gunfire, after destroying a German submarine. Alter getting away he had a hurried call-over and found that a Cockney fireman was missing. We hailed the ship which seemed about to take the plunge any minute, and at last the stoker appeared, spotlessly clean and dressed in “ducks.” He had tq jump amQswim for it. As we hauled him to our boat we asked him why lie had waited to clean himself. “Well,” he explained, “If 1 am going to hell there’s no to let the blighter know Us a stoker,” Fritz had been knocking our wire about, and a party of ns were detailed to repair it. One ol our party, a trifle more windy than the rest, kepi ducking at- the stray bullets that were whistling by . Finally, ’Erb, who was holding the coil of wire, said to him. “Can’t ye stop that bobbing’ ababl 'r They won’t.’urt yer unless they Us yer.” * At Yprcs (Belgian Battery Corner) during 1918 there was 13; ol our crowd living in a dug-out in a district which was being subjected to a box-barrage. A Giu shell entered the dug-out and failed to explode. ’Arry gazed at the unwelcome visitor meditatively, and then remarked, •‘Blimey., it’s too blinkin’ proud to light.” During an attack near Beer-sbeba. Palestine, our regiment had been without water for over 24 hours. We were suffering very badly, as the beat was intense. A lost ol us bad swollen tongues and lips and were loudly able to speak, but the company humorist, a Cockney, was able to mutter. “Don I it make you mad to fink ol the tin.es you left ‘the barf tap running?” Just before our big push in Augm-d 1918, we were resting in “lank Wood. The placv was dotted with shell boles, one of which was filled with rather clean water, evidently \from a nearby spring. A board at the edge of tins hole bore the word “Aline,” so we gave it a wide berth. Imagine our surprise when inter we saw “Tich,” a lad from the Old Kent Hoad, bathing in the water. One ol our men veiled, “Hi Tieli, earn’t ye read?” “Vus,” replied “Tieli,’ “deni yer (ink a bloke can read 'is own writing? ’ Having been relieved, after our advance at Luos in 1910. we were making our. way back at night. W'e bad to pass through the German barbed wire, which bad tins tied to it so that it rattled if anyone tried to pass it. Our sergeant got entangled in ii and caused a lot ol noise, whereupon a Cockney said: “You're on right on the old banjo, sergeant, but when it conies to the German ’airp. you’re a blinkin’ wasbaht.” i 11 W'e had advanced beyond»the German first line in .the big push ol 18. The rain was heavy, the mud was deep: we had not quite dug in beyond “shallow.'' and rations had not come upaltogether a most dismal prospect. Quite near to us was a small pool o) water which we all attempted to avoid when passing to and fro. Suddenly there was a yell and pinch cursing the Cockney of the company, complete with his equipment, had fallen into live pool. Alter (recovering dry ground Im gazed at Ike pool in disgust „ and said, “Fancy a ling like that trying to drahn a bloke wiv a name like Peter." November, 1910, An advance parly is going up to reconnoitre Ihe line it is to take over from the Naval Division after the attack on Beaumont .Maine!. Jerry is dropping shells on all side-, and we have been struggling for over an hour throng! a comm n nica l i.m trench that is little more than a ean.d of liquid mud, when it opens out into a veritable pond. ' • Uicli" Smith. the sergeant in i nee, ol me. plunges steadily onward- 1 do not believe a tidal wave would have deterred him- -and is promptly summerged to the waist. Just then a 5.9 bursts in I he water in front of him ami Tmli lie,its over on his hack w illi a gash in his ide. "Are ver bit?” inquiries our guide from the Naval Division. “'ll '' says Tidi. ' 'TimUs wol comeo' m i xnig wiv the Xiv V. ive inn in inkin' well Inrpedoed !”