VICTIM OF GERMAN GAS

Southland Times, Issue 17657, 15 February 1916, Page 6

VICTIM OF GERMAN GAS

AUSTRALIAN’S EXPERIENCE. RENDERED A PHYSICAL WRECK. An Australian who has been serving in the west, in a letter to his father, says he has been a victim of German kultur. In the course of his letter he writes: — "My first position was at Ypres. Nothing unusual occurred there —just ordinary trench work, until the great battle of Hill 60. The 13th Brigade was ttic brigade allotted to take Hill GO, after successful mining and blowing up of ihe Gorman parapets. ‘The different regiments taking part wore the Royal West Kent, the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, the Yorkshire Light Infantry, and the Duke of Wellington’s. The Royal West Kents made the attack, suffering heavy losses. They were supported by the king’s Own Scottish Borderers, who also lost heavily, and were relieved in turn by the 2nd Duke of Wellington’s. The latter made a successful charge, supported by the Yorkshire Light Infantry, and took the German trenches. The artillery fire from the Gormans was extremely heavy when we came to close quarters, but rather than face our cold steel the Germans evacuated their trenches. We held the position till the Germans attempted to recover it by foully gassing our boys. They succeeded in getting into a great portion of our trench, because many of our men were rendered helpless by the gas, but the others manfully hold on till support came. “We suffered dreadfully from this poison—the chloride was which the Germans pumped into our trendies’’ —continued the writer. “The scenes of agony were horrible to bebold, and if only the young manhood of the Empire could have looked on, it would have made their blood boil, and make them come and take revenge for such dastardly acts. The gas that we use against the Germans simply stupefies for the time being, and has no permanent damaging effect on the constitution, but the German gas is totally different. Previous to being gassed myself 1 was strong physically, hut now 1 am a physical wreck, although I escaped the German shot and shell.’'