Levin Lads at the Front

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 August 1917, Page 3

Levin Lads at the Front

RiFUM. A. GORDON,-G.LASSFOKD'S EXPERIENCES.

A pen-picture of some lively doing in the British "rest camp" is contained in a letter newly to hand from Riifleman A .Gordon.4Glassfc>rd, of th [New Zealand Rifle Brigade, now at 1 the front in iEYanoe. He writes:— "I have been 'over the top' with the trot of luck in Miessines; an'i again, with stiff fighting, three days after. Old Friz oould not hit me, hut the other day I hurt my arm through a fall, and aim laid 1 up for a few days. Matters have been lively, what with the Fritz aeroplanes coming over after our balloons, and two being shot down. Jußffc after dinner yesterday we heard! the anti air-craft guns firing, and' on going outside saw three Hun planes coming from the clouds. They swooped down on one of our balloons, which they set alight. The men, howeirorl fesoaped; they always have their parachutes strapped round their waiste ready for any emergency. Soon after tßaf, our chaps shot down a [Fritz; he span around and around; then suddenly fell over. The airmen Were not qnife dead, thougK bnookea about badly. This morning agahni the samel thing happened. He oropped from a terrific height, our lanes driving down after j him."

Rifleman (Jo'Paon-Glassford, in a second letter, gaVes an instance of extraordinary meetings of relatives at the front. He records that while he was in hospital he found two of his father's <*>usins in charge as medical cajptains. Neither he nor thev had known of each other's presence at th front.

PRIVATE HECTOR MeDONALIX 'In a letter from Private Hector Mc Donald to his mother, from the hospital .at Brodfeen hurst, and dated Jun 6th, 1917, the writer says:— "Events move rapidly when one is a soldier. Only two weeks ago I was waiting to go into battle, and was trying to be as grammatical as possible in what I thought might he my last epistle to you. The fact remains that I got through, despite th© fact that at least half the world was trying to kill me; if not actually in the field, at least by the productions of munitions or some such subtle method. Of that two weeks that have elapsed since I last wrote not too much has beien waste. We went into the line on the 6th, took iMessines next morning, and stayed in the line till the 10th, when we were brought back into reserve for a couple of days to get rest However, we could not get much rest ns the Hun persisted in sending over j gas shells, and one has to be constantly on the alert. On the Tuesday we were taken badk to a email town behind the lines an'd after having a, good night's sleep we were taken up again and put over the top one© more. This time we advanced about a male, but it wan a email affair in comparison with our stunt of the previous week. iPretlfcy (hot, wnisn't j it, sending us over twice in one week. This tame my ludk went out and I got hit, and here I am now awaiy, down in Hampshire in a. nice hospital getting good thingis fed to me all day long. 24.6.17 I never finished' this the other day. but 'I am all out this time. The day before yesterday we were taken for a picnic down to a place called South'sea, and although the weather was a bit rough and we did not get off ithe steamer still we had 1 a very nice outing and T enjoyed myself immensely. There are quite a number of chaps here from Levin—Morry M'clntyre, Lucas, and Fred Rotter's slon-Jin-laiw (Young -Blackburn). I don't tknow if you have been getting all my letters, but I have not received many from that way. Of course Tam to send ypu a cable so you will 'know | that I aim all right. News is scarce, | but will write again soon.