THE ITALIAN SOLDIER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 38, 9 February 1912, Page 2

THE ITALIAN SOLDIER.

WITH THE MEN IN THE TRENCHES. ('• (London “Times” Correspondent.) Tripoli, December 12. When I landed in Tripoli the town and the neighbourhood had not yet recovered from the effects of the recent inundation. Some roads were still impassable; the palm gardens behind the trenches were still dotted with picturesque lakes and pools; and it was easy to imagine what the ccondition of things has been a few days previously. But the soldier jin the trenches seemed 'perfectly, cheerful. During the days that followed I spent much time in the trenches,, and I found always: the same keen, spirit. I talked * with • metv • who had been, leading for five or six weeks the monotonous but nervous life of the.trenches —monotonous, because each day passed like another, without diversion, almost without news nervous, because at any moment of the day or night the cackle of musketry among the palms might call them to attention, sometimes to repel fi brisk attack, oftenor merely to watch for an invisible enemy, who snipped from the shelter of trees and wells. The strain must have been considerable, but the spirit, ,ofi the men, was always the same. Sometimes , they wondered a little when the, advance would begin; they were eager to get to grips with the enemy, who, bothered them night and day; hut they showed no traces bat all of that despondency and lack of nerve which had been attributed to them by some correspondents. Dignity and SelLcontrol.. After all, cheerfulness is an attribute of the Italian nation, and it is not surprising that i the national character should be evident among tho soldiers. What lias impressed me more has been the firmness and the balance displayed by the troops. I have watched them under fire, in the trenches and in the desert, and I have seen them in circumstances still more trying. I refer to the ghastly scene near El Henni, where the bodies of their mutilated comradels were found. I took special notice of the demeanour l of the many soldiers present on that occasion, and I confess myself surprised at their controlled and dignified behaviour. The things seen'.then were enough to try the calmness of any spectator,'and it would not have been a matter for wonder if the ' soldieiy of an excitable race had kbit ! hold ! 6f their control) and giveri Veiit to tho feelings'of horror, arid ragte that possessed' every ( beholder. 1 Seeing what I have seep, Ij am Jess ) than"over inclined ;to believe .in tlie"'fctbries of unbridled massacre- which li'ave beeii so widely circulated on such slender evidence.

During the last few days many Arabs haive been':coming in' :> ifi , 6m' , %he oasis, to make submission and bog lor protection from Turks and desert warriors. Bands of men, women and children have .been coming into /the to\vu escorted by Here is one picture, taken near El Henni, not very far'from the spot where the tortured prisoners were found. A group of Arabs were coming in towards the town. The i women were weary, and the soldiers Carried the little children to save The mothers fatigue. Ono held a ihahy in his arms, talking and smiling to it and dancing it as he would his own child. Others carried children on their shoulders, and one had his kepi pull,ed all on one side by the clutching arm of a little Arab girl. They came to a little knot of officers, and tried to stiffin to attention. The man with the baby blushed. “Scusi, Signor Colonello,” he stammered, “but I have a bambino at home.” A Wonderful Worker. I have known the Italian soldier for some years, and now for the first time I have seen him on service, in' conditions that are hard for a. soldier, after experiences that must have tried him sorely. He is not smart, in our sense of the word. In a way, he is even slack. But his spirit is admirable, his cheerfulness unquenchable, and his keenness great., Moreover, he is a, wpnderful worker. He digs like a navvy,] and the trenches lie makes in a few hours will keep him snug and safe for weeks, if need be. If there is a fault to find with the troops, it is! that they move rather slowly in the attack. But this is a question of leading; the men are not often allowed to display the dash of which I am convinced they are capable. (And perhaps the policy of the leaders is justified by the small casualty lists, though this is a point which opens a wide field for discussion.