WARFARE AMID THE SNOW

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4459, 29 January 1917, Page 6

WARFARE AMID THE SNOW

FIGHTING IN FRANCE IN NOVEMBER.

METHODS OF PREVENTING FROSTBITE.

A GISBORNE SOLDIER’S EX-

PERIENCES.

{Specially written for the Gisborne Times by “Listening Post.” SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE November, 29, 1916. You who dwell in Poverty Bay live in a land of roses, while I stand in a

November, 29, 1916. Yon who dwell in Poverty Bay live in a land of roses, while I stand in a land of snow.' What an old topsyturvy world it is. to be sure. . Fancy snow and ice and piercing north and east winds that would freeze the marrow in your bones, in. November! The very idea is preposterous to a true New Zealander.

But here we are amidst it, right enough and three of the Canterbury fellows got their feet frost-bitten in the trenches a. couple of weeks ago. We have just had another six day stretch in the front line trenches, and I can tell you that it was cold. We are well equipped for the winter though. Frequent changes of warm underclothing are issued to us, and we are supplied with a clean pair of socks every morning. In addition, we wear jerseys and leather waistcoats. Of course, we have our overcoats, and are also well fitted out in the way of warm leather and woollen gloves. But I can tell you we need it all. As readers can readily understand, it is not judicious to take brisk constitutionals' in the neighborhood of the front fine, consequently the difficulty is to keep the extremities of the body warm. We are using whale oil largely now for the feet, and it is compulsory to anoint the feet each morning with whale oil while in the front line. It is grand stuff ,and prevents damp and iqold from penetrating through the pores of the skin. We are supplied with gum-boots, and need them in- wetweather, when the duck-boards commence- to float about th~ bottom of tho trenches.

Another cold preventative we use is “Ante Frostbite Grease,” and we are all provided with warm dummy soles for our boots, composed of a combination of felt and cork. But in spite of all these comforts, it is desperately cold at times. Our dug-o-ts have no doors, and one’s feet soon get so cold that sleep is out of the question until circulation of the blood is restored again. There is not much chance of sleeping at night in the front line. We have to be constantly on the alert to guard against a surprise raid, and have to sleep in our war harness, with rifle and bombs to our hand, anil bayonets nicelv sharpened. Old Fritz lias an eccentric habit of popping over to see us without announcing himself, and the New Zealanders make it a point of honor to sit up and give him a warm reception eacli -ime lie makes a call—of course this is a little custom he learnt- from us, and be was so taken with tho idea of surprise parties that lie has done us the honor of imitating usThese raids are of freausut occiUrence on the- sector we are at present holding, and one or two are made by us each week. A couple came l off while we were holding the front line, and we were treated to a great orchestral performance by the -artillery, in which the bass predominated. Our raids are usually put over under the cover of an artillery barrage, and old Fritz joins in, too. He gives our supports and front line a good peppering with high explosives, whizz-bangs, and shrapnell, as well as sending over “Minniaw aiders’ > (flying mines'). , J But all. old 'Fritz can send over' counts not a farthing’s worth compared with the hammer-hag lie gets from our artillery. Here, as at the Somme, our big guns continually keep on the aggressive. With the breaking ot dawn commences the barking of the iron bull-dogs, which are all over the count-rv-side. You cannot walk a hundred vards without coming upon a British battery, and they have an ample supply of ammunition, ana don’t fail, to use it. Then we also have all manner of new engines of war, m the wav of trench mortars. There are • “Iviim pigs” a little surprise packet of lodTbs weight, which is guaranteed to blow up a concrete emplacementThe Germans, too do not like the flavour of our “plum puddings,” Much are as destructive and effective as thev are noisy. From what I have personally seen since arriving here I am prepared to back the British artillery against anything in the world. They are great, these artillerymen. They literally sleep beside their guns, and an urgent call from the infantry for artillery assistance will find the iron monsters barking within three seconds. Tell any man who imagines that tne German artillery is superior to ours that- lie does not know what he is talking about. When our big guns open out in deadly earnest it is an awe-inspiring spectacle. God help the poor devils who are under that iron hail of high explosives It artillery is to win the war then it will not be Germany who will emerge triumphant-.