WAR NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 16225, 21 September 1916, Page 1

WAR NOTES

-By Ex-Yko.max.J * LONDON, August 15. . SHOOT THE BEAST.,, corninonfc C of C fi" n | Jo t ' 3 bc / l y tlle outspoken triots of hi, l-r W other Pflromarkcd llnr Lf' Do recently talking about tl>e S e 8a r iacd by Presents a TliiS ro * woman, and it is mi ) n ih avc , la^G 1111111 and opinions heard w„ i bcm to , make their how powerful the ph. kllo ' v . clll 3' too well Endand m! r ‘ man is in semih? this wrh S, tO , eff Of the when efforts’to save 1 r, ot combating lion and “cal drfn, < any m !n,mi!ill--rl& cause of the miemv* hter'n voca *'° tlln n nc 1 - .-.r.*- i ... *■v on bv snynio* wo Mem T, ls C <bo Gc ™'«’» Wfo?gvo when liv rt ' lC,lt v l,J b ° a!I VCI N well St K'ffi; ”4 **»«« SOlf a lamb ° 'ti T m J , bout lllako a “O' 1 ! aK®BS f rrm i \ yr + i, ft 'Wiilv.(< the fighters are-con- ; G i® cn0,1, .V 011 tile battlefield there undertal-en nt™ ■ L[rc: i t, - r nil l’ortance to bo ‘' I m 11 ot noma by patriots too old to hj ■ l ',; lS f K ol(bcrs , or «»'>»«• It is to see n. niat the war is not in vain, and that o 'i'nded' 0 !h IS I a [n n °} ° U ' y P uuiell ed 1 but so Vaf Ir„ w <- th ° da,l " el ' of anotJlel ' suck of “nr si-.T 1 :0V aerations. Some “ban be n T"°“- !lf,vo ? ato that a period 1, i - lx< h' <Jllrm ? which Germany shall dhiar^rehr 1 °i' Sld ° P ale s0 as or‘ rVsnn r, 9- !ISL n P V V '' II / 1 tl,e A,,ies Wbo f. ®, oi S,r of Canada, sugH '=iM f -r °i !S ’ !IM ‘, bbo late Lord Kitchener * "me line- laV ° ndvocatec * somethig on t-ho CHEAT CONTRASTS. This war has presented some extraordinary contrasts, and no one is more alive to this than the solcuer.-. It is nothing uncommon to meet men about tho streets who a few Hours before were at grips with the Ger- ?? a, ' s *,.l®, speaks well for our arrangements that this is possible, and the wounded arc very outspoken in their praise for the man- ! ler I. N are looked after and brought back to ulipaiy. _ The illustrated papers frequently depict parties of wounded men being entertained who ,a few hours previously wore picked up on tho battlefield. It is indeed a cnnti-asu for men to be up against the real thing on the Somme and a few hours later to he enjoying a picnic on tho river Thames, as is by no means an uncommon event. The boys the fighting breed fairly revel iu these picnics, and their hosts cannot help but fee! delighted also, for there is no mistaking tho gratitude of the average Tommy. BATTLE STORIES. The bailie stories told by our splendid fighters arc wonderful, and writers of fiction never conceived anything like the thrilling things which happen every day. No belter writing regarding the recent British offensive has been seen than that emanating from Mr Beach Thomas, tho old Oxford nlhletic Blue. He has been right in the thick ot it, and what he lias seen and board is thrilling. He relates the experience of an officer who finally got back to'.the' remains of his regiment after being on tho “go” from Friday to Monday without a minute's sleep. This officer and two of bis friends were often half-buried by the explosion of big shells, ami one was lifted right up into the air and dropped into a shell bole. It must, indeed be a trying experience for an officer to “carry on” under such civenm'daui'es, for one and all are ever load?, ime the way and looking after their men, often in the open. It seems.to be taken for granted that an officer will bo bowled over sooner or later, and a (ale is told by Mr Thomas of a general receiving a pencilled note from one of his officers which rend; “As one of those inglorious officers who received no hurt, may I be sent forward in the next a Hack?” When wo have such officers, backed up by men of tho same; calibre, is it any wonder that the encmi 1 crumple up before them? Our men, by tin way, have the utmost contempt for the Germans. Not only are they brutal to the helpless, but they show great fear when it comes lo close quarters. Curiously enough, tho Germans arc fine fighters at a distance, their collapse coming when individual ability is called into question.