TRENCH WARFARE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11504, 28 September 1915, Page 4

TRENCH WARFARE.

ENEMY WHISTLE "MEN OF HARLECH." AN IMPUDENT LOT. A narrative which gives a striking inRight into trench warfare is contained in a letter from a. corporal of the Scot's Guards. Writing under date August, A, l)o says:—Hero the trenches are only from fifteen to twenty-five yards apart, tund each side rains bombs upon tho other. Hand bombs, rifle grenades, and. trench mortar bomb,-. Were it not that, they seldom drop exactly into the trenches, the losses on each side would be very great, but, as far as the Germans are concerned, the aim is very inaccurate,, either too far or too short. Also, in the daytime one can dodge thorn, providing a keen look-out. is kepi;. At. night, of course, the bombs, except the trench mortars, canot be seen, ami it is then we bless the inaceurato aim. The trench mortar bombs go up a great height, very leisurely, and leave a trail of sparks, so that one Ims a chance of getting behind a friendly traverse when they arrive, and ti> lie low while tho pieces sing past. The Germans in this section are, I be! ieve, Saxons, and they appear an impudent lot. As soon as darkness descends mouth or pans and melodeons are heard over the way, cat-calls, shouting and singing of a kind. They shout ovur to us asking for cigarettes, and to inform us they think the Scots Guards will be bon eamarades in six weeks.One of thorn appears to 11 are stayed in Glasgow, and takes (piite a. friendly (:-) interest in anyone who is acquainted with the Gallowgate. Should we respond, as we usually do with a few fat bombs, there are loud shouts to " Stop it. camarades!" And the .shouting continues, which makes one _ wonder if their courage is of the liouid variety. I watched their bombs bursting last night in the trenches. They evidently suspected something to be at the junction of two of our and I counted sixty or seventy bursting there in an hour and a half, and only one of them got in the trench. The best of it- 'was. there was nothing there to hurt, neither men nor guns ; They have a powerful searchlight, which switches on the smoke as soon as a bomb bursts, and lets them seo exactly where it lands. We heard one of them blithely whistling '' .Men or Harlech/' for our benefit, f su:>po<-v..>. Our only response was a. f.'w e\lra bombs in that spot, anil hu tx'iiiswl iutlLu; tudduiLy*