SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

New Zealand Tablet, 9 August 1917, Page 22

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

- '.When a Zeppelin visited the Midlands'.last' year,, a stray bomb, aimed at a munition factory (perhaps),, hit a Congregational’church and spoilt the design of a stained-glass window of Luther—as I recorded at the: time (states a writer in the Universe). The church 1 is '■ now being rebuilt. But Luther is to be left out of the new scheme, for a correspondent tells me that Holman Hunt’s “Light of the World” is to dethrone Martin. Germany did that for him.

BENEDICT XV. AND THE AERIAL POSTAL SERVICE. An interesting circumstance in connection with the introduction of the Aerial Postal Service in Italy is the fact that Catholics of the northern parts of this country were the first to make use of the innovation to communicate with the Holy Father. Among the first letters to be delivered when the aviator arrived from Turin at Rome were those addressed to Pope Benedict XV. His Eminence Cardinal Richelemy, Archbishop of Turin, a large number of the clergy and the faithful of this diocese, and many prominent persons from the surrounding districts had availed of the novel opportunity to convey to his Holiness expressions of homage and affection. The Holy Father expressed himself highly pleased with the thoughtful kindness of his Eminence and the Catholics of Turin. The- introduction of the Aerial Postal Service in Italy opens up for the Holy See possibilities which the oldest, but most up-to-date, of Palaces in existence will not be slow to appreciate as soon as peace is restored. . .

HONOR THE DEAD. Captain Thomas Maunsell, a British officer, was killed in the Dardanelles while leading his men. He was given an honored soldier's grave in the desert sands at Gallipoli. He was a Catholic, and prior to the war had intended to leave the Army to prepare for the priesthood. The following verses, which show the deeply reverent nature of the man, were found on his body when he was killed : Hark! "Pis tho sound of drums Beating in muffled tones, Bare thou thy head ! Death in the midst of life, Peace in the midst of strife, Honor the dead ! Killed in the battle's heat, So it is right and meet, Grand such release ! No need to shed a tear Over his glorious bier—lie is at peace ! O Lord, hear Thou my prayer, : When my time draweth near, Lord, hear my cry— Such a death grant to mo, Facing the enemy, Lord, let me die ! IRISH VALOR AT MESSINES. All the correspondents at the front pay tributes of praise to the Irish troops for their feats at Wytschaete, where Major Redmond fell, leading his men, and at the capture of the Messines Ridge. The special correspondent of the Times, telegraphing on Thursday, June 7, says:"ln the capture of the Ridge, both north and south, Irishmen have their share. Northerners and Southerners, Protestant and Catholic troops, fought alongside of one another, and whatever may be party feeling at home, it is as well to know that the feeling between the two bodies here

is most cordial. The Southern Irishmen recently presented a cup for competition between the various companies -of the Northern Force, and of late there ,2 has been swearing of the utmost rivalry as to which would get to the top of the Messines Ridge first. Ido not yet know which won, but I have no doubt that both were- first in- good Irish fashion. Certainly, the whole face, and most of the top, of the Ridge is ours, and the German is going to have a thoroughly Irish time in trying to push us off again.” - -- Next day, the Bth inst., the same correspondent telegraphs: “The Ulstermen are in the happy position of having hardly any story to tell of their achievement. They had no hitch, their casualties were very slight, and they took over a thousand prisoners, or immensely more than their total casualties. They did their work cleanly and beautifully. And the South Irish, on their left, were just as good. In Wytschaete Wood, which I have just been describing, they found that the Germans had organised the wood for defence on all its sides. It was full of machine guns and wire. They took it with grenades and the bayonet. In the village of Wytschaete or the dust heaps which represent it there was one strong point in the middle which gave them some trouble, but it hardly checked them.” Mr. Beech Thomas, special correspondent of the Daily Mail , says; — “l spent most of the morning with the South Irish, who took Wytschaete Wood and Village. They fought side by side with the Ulsters. ‘ I have heard that the Irish were great fighters,’ said a German officer, ‘ but I never expected to see anyone advance like that.’ ”

“The Irish and the New Zealahders can claim the best trophies of the Ridge,” says Mr. Percival Phillips in the Daily Express. Mr. Philip Gibbs, special correspondent of the Daily Chronicle, tells how a wounded New Zealander coming back from the battle exalted over the part played by the New Zealanders in it and then added, “But I am told the Irish were splendid and the Australians could not be held back.”

A British observation officer, describing the battle, said: “One of the Northern Irish battalions pressed ahead with such impetuosity that it was temporarily out of touch with supports, and had to withstand a fierce onset from three fresh Bavarian battalions. The nearest support battalion was one belonging to a famous West of Ireland regiment. They made their way through a tornado of shells and arrived on the left of the Ulstermen in time to thwart a German move to enfilade the latter. The enemy were then pressing the Ulstermen very hard. The latter had withstood a fierce pounding with artillery and had thrown back four separate infantry attacks. The West of Ireland men charged, and like a whirlwind they swept into action. The Germans were swept off the field.”

AN UNDERGROUND FORTRESS. Mr. Philip Gibbs says that the thing which interested him in the recent British advance was "the revelation of the German way of life behind his lines—these abundant —his military methods of defence and observation and organisation, and the domestic arrangements by which he has tried to make himself comfortable in the field of war.

“As a builder of dug-outs the German soldier has no equal. But in addition to these trench systems, he made behind his lines a series of strong posts cunningly secreted and commanding a wide field of fire with dominating observation over our side of the country. I found such a place quite by accident. -“I suddenly looked down an enormous sand-pit covering an acre or so, and saw that it was a concealed fortress of extraordinary strength and organisation—an underground citadel for a garrison of at least 3000 men, perfectly screened by the wood above. “Into the sand-banks on every side of the vast pit were built hundreds of chambers leading deeper down into a maze of tunnels, which ran right round the central arena. Before leaving, the enemy had busied himself with an elaborate packing-up, and had

taken away- most of his movable property, but the fixtures still remained, and a litter of mattresses stuffed with shavings, empty wine bottles, candles which had been burnt down on the last night in the old home, old socks, and old boots and old clothes no longer good for active service, and just the usual relics which people leave behind them when they change houses. The officers’ quarters were all timbered and panelled and papered, with glass windows and fancy curtains. They were furnished with bedsteads looted from French houses, and with mirrors, cabinets, washstands, marbletop tables, and easy ; chairs. . “The men’s quarters were hardly less comfortable, and the whole-place was organised as a self-contained garrison, with carpenters’ shops and blacksmiths’ sheds, and a quartermaster’s stores still crowded with bomb and aerial torpedoes—thousands of them which the enemy had left behind in his hurry and kitchens with great stoves and boilers, and a Red Cross establishment for first aid, and concrete bath-houses with shower baths and cigar-racks for officers, who smoke before and after bathing.”