LITTLE PICTURES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16741, 23 December 1914, Page 5

LITTLE PICTURES.

VIVID PLASHES OF WAR i. LAST MASS IN VILLAGE CHURCH. A doctor in the French Army Medical Corps told the following moving little story to M. Sainte-Marie, the special correspondent of the “Matin”: “ AVe came one night to the little village of Vassincourt. Hardly had our waggons been put up and our camp pitched before wo threw ourselves upon our ‘ grub ’ (popote), for everybody was dying of hunger. The cook had not had time to get any fresh meat, so we had* to make shift with ‘monkey ’ and tomato sauce. “ As soon as we had finished eating the orderly came and told me that a man wanted to speak to me. It was one of our stretcher-bearers, a brave lad, who had always previously kept in the background. “ ‘ Monsieur lo Medecin-en-Chef,’ he said to me, ‘ to-morrow is Sunday. I ask permission to go to Mass at the church here.’ “ ‘You are, then ?’ I said. I “ ‘Vicar in my own village,’ was tho reply. ] “ ‘ Granted.’ ! “‘Many thanks, M. le Medecm-en-Chef.’ “ As soon as he had gone, it was suggested that all the mess should go in a body to the Mass of the stretcherbearer, and this proposition was carried by acclamation. The other two ambulance corps were advised, and they, too, jumped at tho idea. “ Sunday morning came. As I was the senior officer, the place of honour was given to me facing the choir. My brother officers sat on each side of me, and behind us were the nurses and stretcher-bearers who came because we had come. . . “The officiating soldier-priest entered, and what struck me at first were the red trousers below the chasuble and the alb. But we were in the preponce of tlio enemy, find 1 it was not the time for taking off your uniform. “ I had not been to a Mass that I know of since my first communion, except occasionally at marriages and funerals, but these did not count. And at the commencement I was very uneasy, for T could not remember when to rise, when to sit down, when to bow. But our soldier-nriest made a sign to me with his hands what to do, and the others all followed my example. 11. T;;'' LAST MASS. ' “ Then suddenly our soldier-priest began to speak to us. Ho told us that* there were only soldiers in the church; that nil who took part in the Mass were for their country; that many might have stayed _ comfortably at home, considering their age. And then he suggested that there were many among us who neglected a little the good God and His Church, but who were at the same time serving Him bj our work. “ And ho added that it was better —not to invoke unceasingly the spirit of the Lord; not to proclaim that He is with us on the buckles of our belts and on the plates of our helmets —but to respect His teachings more, the first of which was to be good to others and not to cut our brothers’ throats. “ After that he started talking about our families, about our womenfolk at home consumed with anxiety about us, and about our little ones who, perhaps, we should never see again; about the example which those of our corps had left us who had died in doing their duty. “ Then I began to feel something damp running down to the end of my nose. I looked to my right and there T saw our dispenser—you know, the old pill roller, who believes in nothing, not even medicine—making the most horrible grimaces in order to hide-his emotion ; while on my left the other Mede-cin-en-Chef was busy scrubbing his moustache with his handkerchief as hard as he could. “ I drew out my handkerchief, and this seemed to act as a signal. Soon other handkerchiefs were fluttering all over the little church. Then someone sobbed noisily; it was Sidi, an old soldier from Africa, who in civil life is the keeper of a square in some part of Montmartre. “ And then just at that moment, as f to enable us to hide our snufflings, the whole building began to vibrate, and we heard music of a kind, which certainly did not come from the organ. It was cannon on all sides of us. We ran to the doors, and tho last thing I saw was our soldier-priest giving us a hasty blessing, and then running to the sacristy to put off his sacerdotal vestments and become a soldier once more. “Tliis was the last Mass for some of those who were at Vassincourt on that beautiful autumn Sunday of 1914. It was also the last Mass at the poor little church in which we had mingled our tears. - She also died a soldier’s death; she was burnt by the Prussians.” 111. WESTMINSTER ABBEY INSURED. Among tho great historic buildings which have been insured against possible damage from Zeppelin bombs is Westminster Abbey. Its insurance is not the result of a sudden decision within the last few days. It has, in fact, been insured for some weeks. . The sum for which it is insured is £151,000. “This does not, of course, pretend to cover the value of the Abbey,” said one of the Abbey authorities. “It is only a rough estimate of the damage which a bomb might inflict.” Considering that the bomb would have- to be. exceedingly well directed if aimed at the Abbey, this figure is deemed sufficiently liberal to cover subsequent expenses. The rate of premium Is- os per cent, so the cost of insurance for twelve months is only £377 10s. IvT REMARKABLE GUNNERY. “ Some details have arrived of the extraordinary firing of our naval men off the Belgian coast,” says the Press Association’s correspondent at Dover. “ I have it on good authority that the crew of one of the monitors, not j the new ones, watched tho Germans , bring up one of their big guns. They allowed them to get it in position, range etc., and even to put tho shell . in flte breach, when one of their 6-inch / guns * let drive.’ “The first shot told, and a further ! five shots told every time ( the gun and | men being smashed to pieces. “ It is also stated that our destroyers are having ( n fair picnic.’ as it was put. They go up the river at Nieuport. give a broadside, turn round, let drive with the opposite guns, and, as a parting shot, fire the stern gun. “ Tho Germans must have lost terribly. It is estimated that they left •1090 dead on one field alone, wiiilst tho naval fire has swept the trenches and caused enormous loss.” V. SIEGE WARFARE. Soon it will be a full month that we have boon here in front of the Gorman trenches, ourselves, too, parfihed _ in deep trenches, neither of us having been able to advance an inch. . . . Me are face to face, the Germans and ourselves, about five or six hundred yards apart. They and we, every night. Wo dig ourselves in further. We are, both of

us, conducting a veritable siege warfare, waiting until on one side or the other an energetic offensive can be undertaken. I think myself that it will bo up to us to make a start before long.' Anyhow, we do not lack distractions in our holes in the ground . . . the evening hours are especially impressive. Sometimes the horizon is afire; one hears the whiz of motors and one puts one’s nose otit. It is a Taube;. it I throws out blazing fireworks to signal positions to their heavy artillery. Two i minutes later huge shells pass overhead from five or six kilometres away; soon ours answer them, and whistle over us in the contrary’ direction. All we have to do is to watch the duel. In contrast, there are nights of real refreshment. Not a sound; inky blackness. Wo know the Germans are only 500 yards away; we strain our ears in vain. Suddenly a vague murmuring; it is they who are offering their evening prayer —their prayer after they have spent a whole day bombarding the cathedra!! After the prayer some of them sing laments, liecler, refrains of the homeland. Yesterday I heard, in their rear, an accordion accompanying them. Other noises, too, generally come from their positions. After nightfall their supply waggons come rattling in; six or eight kilometres away a railway line was across our front; we hear the locomotive. . . . Some shots on our right or on our left; one or two scouts come back wounded. . . . Towards midnight the calm becomes almost complete. Nothing reaches our senses but the sound of chopping in the forest—for they have become woodcutters at our expense—and tho blows of tho mallets upon the stakes, which they, as well as we, are driving into tho ground to stretch wire entanglements upon. . . ~ Beside all this, there are, from time to time, tragic nights. The other evening, towards seven o’clock, frightful yells made us leap up; really like the yelling of wild beasts, hoarse and guttural, interrupted with the blast of bugles, sinister and truly lugubrious. . , . It is two regiments who have sprung at us from less than fifty yards away, who pour suddenly into our advanced trenches. . . . They are stopped only by a machine gun section pushed forward in haste through the obscurity. And so, day after day, night after night.—(Letter from French officer.) VI. HEROIC SERVIAN PRINCE. The whole of Servia is proud of its Crown Prince, who is now recovering from a severe wound winch he received under romantic circumstances, accord- ' ing to a correspondent of tho “ ltusskoye Tstclitenie,” of Petrograd. His Royal Highness had left Belgrade by motor for the Servian position at Kroupnya. From Matchkova Glava he rode on horseback. On arriving at. the firing line, a sorry picture presented itself. Three battalions of tho sth Regiment were subjected to a terrific artillery and infantry fire, and they were leaving their position under the overwhelming pressure of tho enomy. The Austrians, overjoyed at the prospect of victory, were mercilessly pounding the unsupported regi- • ment. Already they were nearing the I one battery which formed their last dol fence, and it was running short of am- | munition. The position was desperate. | With bated breath the Crown Prince I was witnessing the disappearance of tho last chances of victory, when, suddenly at a distance of half a mile, lie espied a Servian infantry battalion standing idle, and making no attempt to take any part in the fighting. “ Why are they standing there like that?” lie shouted, and without waiting for a reply he spurred liis horse in their direction. “ God’s help to you, heroes,” lie greeted them. “God’s help to you, major,” they replied, that being the. customary greeting. They failed to recognise the heir to the Servian throne. “ What are vou doing here?” the Prince inquired. They were held in reserve, they said. “ Don’t you see,” he cried; “ that ' the enemy threatens to capture that regiment ? Where is your commanding officer?” “We have not got one. He is killed.” was the melancholy reply. “ "Where are the other officers, then?” “ They are all killed. ; It appeared that the battalion was. deprived of all its officers and noneomissioned officers, and the men were somewhat demoralised, and had no keenness to do battle without them. It was a moment for heroic action, and the Crown Prince realised it. “ Soldiers,” he cried again, “ I am George, son of your King Peter. Let every hero among you follow me.” The whole battalion followed as one man, shouting; “ Jirio Korolevitch Georgius!” (Long live Prince George !) His Royal Highness went ahead, a sword in his right hand and a revolver in his left, and dashed to the rescue of tho endangered regiment. The remnants of the sth Regiment,, seeing reinforcements coming to their aid, made a supreme effort, and returned the attack of the Austrians in a desperate manner. A fierce hand-to-hand combat ensued. The Austrians wavered, and within a few minutes they were in flight. . This engagement cost the Prince a severe bayonet wound, hut it decided an important battle. VII INDIANS DESTROY A TAUBE. A stinting little episode which was recently witnessed in a French town in the war area is being talked about here. A Taube aeroplane which was passing over the church dropped a bomb, which fell on the back of a horse. The animal was torn to pieces. Some people who were standing by were also struck more or less seriously by splinters. The Taube passed over the railway station, in which was standing a train tilled with Indian soldiers.. The report of the bomb was mistaken by them for gun fire, and the belief gained ground that they wore being attacked by Germans. In a moment the train was transformed into a fortress bristling with guns. The soldiers were informed that this .was a false alarm, and the Taube was shown to them. Independent fire was quickly opened on it. A moment later the German aircraft fell into a field some distance away. As it struck the ground there was a terrific explosion, and the three aviators who were m the machine were torn to shreds. This is the first Taube to be brought down by Indian troops. —(Reuter’s Paris correspondent)