TALES FROM THE TRENCH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 292, 8 December 1914, Page 7

TALES FROM THE TRENCH.

GALLANT FRENCH FEAT.

LULLED TO SLEEP BY LYDDITE.

London, October 16

Here is a tale of French gallantry, culled from a soldier’s letter: —“ihe enemy’s trenches and ours, he says, were only -100 to SOO .yards apart, and ever and anon we sent forward a patrol in order to ascertain what was going on on the enemy’s side. A couple of days ago the patrol consisted of three men who had vounteered for the duty—a couple of corporals and a private. Having, on their bicycles, approached as nearly as they could to the enemy’s lines, they dismounted and crawled forward still further. >o prudently did they proceed that they took a couple of hours to advance 2(H) yards. “Presently they found thesmelves within less than a dozen yards of the post of a machine-gun section. Onehalf of the gun teams had gone off for rations, and the other half had carefully left the two guns unguarded. The three men did not hesitate for an instant. One of them had seen colonial service, and was fully acquainted with the manipulation oi machine guns. So the trio leapt int the trenches and promptly turned the guns upon the nearest Germans, who in their turn as promptly fled, being of course, wholly unaware of the fact that three men were opposed to them.

“Meantime the French gunners behind had been keeping a vigilant eye on all that was going on, and as soon as they observed the unexpected turn events had taken they opened fire, and practically annihilated a couple of companies of 1 the enemy. And under cover of this artillery fire the redoubtable three brought away the two machine guns in triumph. For their daring gallantry the two corporals were promoted to commissions, the private was raised to the highest non-commissioned rank ; and all three have bepn recommended for the Medaille Militaire, 1 the most coveted honor awarded for bravery in the field.

SENT TO SLEEP BY LYDDITE. “Some of the .staff took refuge in the cellar, where a shell burst inconveniently close; the second shel. knocked at the cellar door! The lydditt high explosive shells make the most fuss, but I am told are very local i. effect, though I have not tried! “They say, too, that they stun people sometimes for the time, and apropos of this a Cornwall officer, Lieutenant B—(whose father is a Unionist

M.P.), told me the other day that at the Marne one of the Cornwall companies had a hob time with lyddite, and were knocked down all over the place. However, the next day they rejoined; they said they had ‘gone to sleep’ without knowing it at 5 p.m. the previous afternoon. “This, my friend told me, corres ponded with the time the Germans’ attack took place. The men woke in in the middle of the night and found themselves lying among the dead. “They saw Germans moving about all round them in a wood, so they feigned death. When the Germans had retired they rejoined their regi ment, apparently none the worse.

GERMAN OFFICERS CAPABLE.

“We shell the Germans and they shell us; otherwise there is a simple impasse. My horse was hit to-day in ‘ the hindquarters, blit she does not j seem very bad. The ‘vet.’ is coming Ito see her this evening. My wound • is now completely healed, and I have taken off the bandages. I expect j there will always be a scar. A lady | from has sent me an air-cushion I— a most useful thing. When deflated it goes into my haversack. I |am perfectly well and comfortable, J thanks to the things you and M. have sefit me. It is now getting very cold at night so I api glad of them all; j hut the rain has held off, which* is a blessing. The other night we captured a trench at 3 a.ra. When we charged with fixed bayonets the Germans simply screamed, and ran! I Those that remained—thirty-seven—-were bayonetted and nearly all killj cd. Most of the wounded died after. wards. I could not keep up with the 1 men. The German officers were . brave, and were all killed at their posts. I saw three, and gave one 1 a drink out of my water-bottle, but I he died on the way to our hospital. It was with the greatest difficulty that we could restrain our fellows from going after them, but there would have been trouble then, so we just

fired into their trench, and burnt all their rifles and took the contents of their knapsacks. They aren’t real soldiers like our men; but the officers arc brave and capable, and theii artillery most formidable. They excel in anything that can be thought out and provided for beforehand, but have little initiative, and they simply collapse if confronted with a sudden development. They seem to have a lot of people—c.g., waiters and other unwarlike people—who are only too ready to bolt or surrender at the first opportunity. ‘The English are coming! The English are coming!’ That is what they were screaming. It was too thrilling for words. Then our fellows began to cheer, and that was when they began to bolt. The Coldstream Guards and the North Lancashire turned out to cheer us when we came back.

“I have had to put up with long marches, little sleep, "little food, big lights, drenching rain, and scorching sun,” he states. “On the brighter side were good-humored comrades, bravo deeds, fights won, and plenty of fruit (very welcome).”