FRANCE & BELGIUM

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144779, 8 September 1915, Page 3

FRANCE & BELGIUM

GERMAN TOWN BOMBARDED PARIS, Sept. 7. As a reprisal for Gorman aeroplanes bombarding Luneville on a market day, when many civilians wore victims, forty of our aeroplanes bombarded the station, factories and military establishments at Saarbruck, with considerable results. BLOOD FOE WOUNDED SOLDIERS. LONDON, Sept. 6. The Paris Press Medicale reports that the inhabitants of Lyons arc unhesitatingly offering their own blood for transfusion to wounded .soldier;;. • During the last six months many women by this devoted action have saved the lives of wounded men. CROWN PRINCE DEAD AGAIN. THE LATEST THEORY. PARIS, Sent. 6. The French Patriotic Association declares that the Gorman Crown Prince was killed by a German bullet in the autumn, but a photograph of him was faked, and subsequently published, and then resurrected in ottieial dispatches. It is easy to understand, therefore, his absence from his daughter’s christening, and the Crown Princess’ desire to return to her mother. The association declares that the Gorman people have been tricked in order to avoid a national catastrophe. The association suggests that every. Allied aviator ought ,to drop ' leaflets in Germany urging the people to demand to see the (i own Prince. DOCTORS AT THE FRONT. LETTERS FROM CAPTAIN DOCKRILL.

Writing to his mother from somewhere in Franco, Captain J. S. Docbrill. R.A.M.C. (since his last letters ho has received promotion), gives some interesting particulars of the work of the Royal Army Medical Corps is doing at the front. Under date J uly 6he says; “Our last move was a short one, and has left us under canvas in a pleasant spot. Wo have opened a dressing placo for wounded, and each evening get a few wounded from our brigade. Ten is a fair number.” It is evident, therefore that in that particular sector there was not much fighting going on at that time. Two officers take turn about at this advanced dressing place, and their duty is to give attention to the wounded coming from the firing line and needing it immediately, and then pass them on hack to tho hospitals, further down. The Germans have certain hours they favour for shelling, and by avoiding these the medical staff is able to reach the advanced posts without danger. In a letter dated July 11 Captain Dockrill writes: “We have had our winter billets indicated to us, so it looks as though we wore going to sit here during the winter. Not a pleasant prospect I” A week later he writes: “Sitting here in pleasant sunshine in a field by our .advanced post, one would never think there was any war on at all, least of all that tho enemy were less than two miles away. . . . There has been very little fighting lately. There is a small railway, strong enough to "run trolleys on, being built near us so that we can get tho wounded down on it. Provisions also will be taken up that way.” On July 25 it was still very quiet, waiting for wounded to come in. “The rumour here at present is that no more pushing is to be attempted, and we aro simply to sit still and hold the line and wear Germany out. It looks like it anyhow, I was in a couple of cellars in a town near by whilst it was being shelled. It is a fair-sized place and lively, but suddenly a noise waa heard, and everyone dived into collars. One cellar was below a tea and pastry shop, where two Tommies remained in the shop stolidly eating cakes while everyone else dived below.” In his latest letter, dated July 28, Captain Dockrill writes; “We are hoping a push will bo made here, and there is some rumour of it. Also from the papers, if Warsaw doesn’t fall there is some hope of the war ending before the winter is out.”