IN THE BELGIAN TRENCHES

Wanganui Herald, Volume L, Issue 14527, 13 February 1915, Page 7

IN THE BELGIAN TRENCHES

A WANGANUI LAD’S EXPERIENCES. Writing to his mother under data General Hospital, Cambridge, December 23, Mr George Haase, formerly -of McGrucr and Go.’s Wanganui branch, gives the following interesting particulars ,of his experiences in the Belgian trenches: A week ago little did I think that I would bo spending! Xmas Day in England. However, fate prevailed, and. I landed here on Xmas Eve, after a five daysV journey from the firing- lino in Belgium, where bur regiment had been ■ in the,trenches for 72 hours, under THE MOST AWFUL CONDITIONS, • mud and water over bur knees, continual rain, and bitterly cold. The result was that numbers received severe frost .bite pa the feet., I only walked.about 1000' yards w'hen we came out of the trenches, and since then I have not been able to stand, yet alone walk. I expect I will bo in bed for another week yet. The circulation is gradually coming back, and well I know it. The pain is something awful, and is like haying continual pins and needles. , On our way we were SPLENDIDLY TREATED BY THE BRITISH RED, CROSS. I stayed one night at the Casino Hospital, Boulogne, and wo travelled to Southampton on the hospital ship Oxfordshire. Tire passage across was very smooth—wewere on the boat two nights. Then we* came on to here by a Red Cross train. This is'quite a unique hospital, built to give open-air treatment. One 1 side is quite open; and, as you might' imagine, we get plenty of fresh air at this time of the year. Of course it is very healthy, and all the patients here look exceedingly well. They treated us right royally on Xmas Day, and we received numerous gifts of chocolates, sweets, tobacco, etc., and also Princess Mary’s gift. It consisted of a nice pipe, tobacco, and cigarettes, packed in a handsome gift box. There Were over thirty from pur regiment came■ over SUFFERING FROM FROST BITE.

The conditions at the front just now are awful. Everywhere you move is mud and slush. ; Where we were this last time it could not have been worse. TKe second night we were there I had to take four men out as a ‘.‘Listening Patrol.” To the left of us there was a space of some ‘2OO yards of unoccupied trenches between our company and the next, so wo had to lie out for five hours on a slope. It was bitterly cold, and, of course, we were almost frozen. However; it had to be done, for the German trenches were only 40 yards in front of ,us. It was real exciting, too. Bullets were whizzing all round lis, and the Germans kept sending over flares: They are a sort of rocket which illuminate, and they light the place up just like day, all you can do is to lie flat on the 'ground and ' TAKE TOUR CHANCE OF BEING : ■ : seen. However, where wo were the place was ■simply strewn with dead Belgians lying everywhere, so detection would be ditfii.ult, for we lay perfectly still. At ihe hack of the trenches it looked a icmaole cemetery, small crosses marking the fast-resting place of dozens of la’len soldiers, French, English, and Belgian. Vv e had three killed,, and they woro odd eu to this crude burial ground. One, of them worked with mo at Selfridge’s an awfully fine fellow, and only 19 years uf age. All around the trenches, too. .are ENORMOUS HOLES IN THE GROUND,

the result of German shells. I was si ling beside one of our officers whan- a piece of shrapnel fell within two ■ iirhes..of. us both. lam not sure yet whether 1 will be returning to the front, Tut I assure you-1 have seen enougtt of the horrors of war. It’s simply hell on earth. There are about a thousand wounded and f sick patients here, and everything is 'very bright and cheerl'il

A member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, writing to a friend in Wellington, says:—“We were allowed to draw Is a day every twenty days, and they had a kind of cheque for lOs,- 15s, and £1 made out lor payment by the High Commissioner in London. If we wanted to cash' the cheques on the transport we would have had to take their value in coupons, as the canteen would give no change. This was on the-Star of India (H.M.N.Z.T. 'No; 8). ■ Consequently the men who wanted money had.-to sell their warrants for less than face value. Some sold their £1 cheques for 135,, and at Albany Is exchange was charged. This, x maintain, is taking advantage of the men. No doubt more will be heard about this on our return.”