OUR LONDON LETTER THE HEROIC ENDURANCE OF THE FRENCH.
LEON OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
PRISONERS-OF-WAR IN
GERMANY.
ALAMATIS XA, DIS PA3
TER HONGKONG. DAILI PRESS, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH, 1918.
HOW THEY KEEP THEMSELVES SANE.
[EY AN EX-PRISONER.]
The public is now sufficiently well informed as to the nature of the treat ment ineted out to some of our prisoners in German hands. All the things re ported do not happen to all prisoners, but for everyone there is the severe strain which captivity itself puta upon the moral of the unfortunate gefangener Think
A
THE AISNE RETREAT.
BRITISH HEROISM.
A THRILLING NARRATIVE.
[FROM PHILIP G1989.)
The general outline of the work dere by the British troops in stemming the tide of the German advance across the Aisne to the Marne, in the latter part of May, has already been given, especially with reference to the 21st on the right by
holding out at seven o'clock that morning but were cut off by a German turns ing movement between the Bois des Buttes and the Bois d'Edmund. The remaining troops of the 8th Division then fell back ta. the south side of the Aisne, closely followed by theveremy, who entered the village of Fantavert and also crossed the Germicourt Wood." river east of that place, penetrating into
LONDON, July 15th. Saturday was "France's Day" in Log don, and everywhere one, went there were the sellers of little dags in the streets to help the French Red Cross The
The crowing of the Aisne by the French Ambassador be in a touching
than it should have been, as it was German regiments was made less difficult message to the Lord Mayor expressed his
impossible to blow up all the bridges: thanks for the kindly assistance of Loa
effectively in so short a time. There doners
in this direction, for at the end of the day a goodly sum was realised.
were no fewer than thirty-four bridges As time goes on the admiration which of the convict of the old days who went Berry-au-Bac. Both these divisions came across the Aisne, Miette, and Aisne! heroic devotion to country, displayed came back furtive wretch. We do not the attack, and the German artillery, net rapidity of the German advance enabled wa all feel for our Ally in view of the do his time a sturdy vagabond and under, terrific gunfire on the morning of Canal, and one of them was the main stone bridge of Berry-au-Bac. The during the war is deepening into real anticipate anything quite so serious as affection. In four years of war we have this in the case of our prisoners-of-war; satisfied with its effect on the line of the them to gain some of the bridgeheads learnt to know the French as never before but it must never be forgotten that it at Division, withdraw their infantry, had been in support south of the river, in time to cross. The Sherwoods, who captivity is prolonged too far de raked by the machine-gun a complete answer to the traditional terioration is bound to set in. extimate held in respect of the fighting I can speak from actual experience of and ride fire of those men, and started qualities of our neighbours that they officers' camps, and, as it happens, fairly another, and more violent bombardment Were superb in attack so long as the exwell-conducted unes, so that I have been citement and the madness of the wild able to observe the effects of long im- until our defensive lines were destroyed. charge lasted, but less certain in enduranca prisonment under the least unfavourable The 8th Division, who were in the centro to the end which means death. The truth conditions. The great evil one has to is that the French have taken a hammer fight against in these camps is sheer
of the British line, had the same desperate ing such as no nation has been called upon boredom The Germans, make few de adventure. They were holding a line of to face, and taken, it, too, without finch-mands upon one's time. Twice a day about 10,000 yards over six miles.
ing.
ENDER THE INVADER.
|
the officer must present himself on parade.
their situation, and thought it paradise For some days they were delighted with after the Somme battlefelds. They were on a wooded plateau above the river and canal of the Aisne, in beautiful country noon of Max 20th a telephone message came over the wires, breaking this spell of tranquillity. It was a message to say that the enemy intended to attack tha Chenin dest Dames next day and that battle. As we know now, the enemy had the British troops must prepare for massed large numbers of troops, secretly and rapidly at night, hiding them in the woods by day from agroplane observation. Instead of preparing dumps in the open, he had brought ammunition into the trenches or hidden it in caves. Be had single registering shot, relying on the concealed many batteries, and nos fired a skill of his gunners to get their targets when the battle opened. He had not flown a single aeroplane, but kept his fighting squadrons back until he was. ready to send over swarms on the moro- ing of the battle.
but found the enemy already there, and, though they defended that bridgehead, and so forced the Sherwoods to draw back the enemy crossed further to the west
to the edge of Germicuurt. Wood, where they held out until 11.30 against several attack. Flights of German aeroplanes. came over, flying low and attacking our infantry and transport. Kite ballcons
the fire of the enemy's artillery upon appeared above his lines, and their obser vers looked over all our ground, directing
and spot where they saw bodies of men. Battalions of our th Division moved forward in support, but by this time the
and heroic courage, had been forced out been fighting with the most desperate of important positions. It was necessary for the 8th Division to take up a new line between Bouffignereux and Roucy, and class, was called in to hold this new line every living man, including the Lewisgun
at all cost. The Germicourt positions had been turned from the south-west, and the garrison, which included some of our men with French troops, fought to the last with the most noble courage. Inces sant attacks developed, the enemy send. kind of dribbling tide, creeping up from ing his men forward continually in a folds in the ground, rushing their field- machine-guns positions at close range. guns into the near woods and establishing
It will require many volumes to record for appel (all call). During the night what the French have suffered. But some
two more appels took place; but one was things stand out. Their richest provinces not required to get out of bed or to are under the invader, ruined beyond re- answer one's bame. Furthermore, there' covery for the space of a hundred years were fixed times for drawing one's tinned their young men have wen carried off food from store, and for receiving and beautiful weather. But in the after-21st Division on the right, which had anto captivity. and their young women parcels, which were always carefully into a slavery worse than death; and the inspected Beyond chis, one was free to Hans have used every means that the re dispose of one's time at will, for officers Sources of science, can devise in order to are not required to work. break
French spirit. the this devilish cruelty has had no disposal of the individual officer.
Practically the whole day is thus at the appreciable effect upon the courage of people find this to be an excellent thing Most the nation. Even the bombardment of
for a few weeks; but presently the deadly Paris by the long-range gunhas not broken the moral of the Paris populace.
monotony of perpetual "holiday lagine what it means to live by night begins to make itself felt. Time, no and by day with the knowledge that a
longer an ally, becomes an all-enveloping shell projected through space from a gun enemy to be fought against day by day, 70 miles away may fall at any moment In order to defeat him, devices of all
Inte! It is the sword of sorts, "are invented, and send your faded lot over a single graciously, permitted by the Boche, on There are walks, Damocles head but over every inhabitant of Paris. parole and under the supervision of an But nothing the Hun can do is able to armed sentry, organised games, languago make the French murmur or wince. They classes, the camp theatre, the camp news meet everything with a Fire la France!paper, church, lectures, and so on. In fact, the lager bears a close resemblancs to an institutional church, But these seer activities, useful and necessary as ther speak so eloquently or so well as when are, are nevertheless mere palliatives.
and carry on. THE GIRDLE OF EMPIRE.
The Prime Minister never
I is addressing an audience composed
A TERRIBLE OLDEAL..
וי
So there were our divisions, holding a
BARDLY ANY GUNS (LEFT.
of then from distant parts of the Empire. Always before one's mind is the obstinalong line with werk forces, called upor the River Vesle, where they joined up Į
His Celtic imagination is fred by the vision of those who have wandered far-
again honia.
fact that one is, after all, a prisoner.
But the
contributed money, munitione have through some tough experieneck; but they and that all the units in the outpost line numbers. And our Army knows that the
By this time we had hardly any artil. lery, as it had been surrounded north of the Aisne, and the French 75's on our. left suffered the same ill-luck. Our me fghting continually. withdrew slowly to Another extremely trying feature of the to make instant preparations to resist at with the French. At 12.9 on May 28th and wide, and from time to time turnsife is being cooped up with the same least three times their own numbers. The the enemy was reported to have penetrat men for months; they are literally danger of the situation was obvious; be He has said nothing better in 'regard" about your bed and about your board,hind them was the Aisne, with thirty tempt to blow up the bridge there failed, ed two miles west of Jonchery. An at- to our war-aims and the only acceptable perhaps for years. The result is that one four bridges on the six miles front heid
because the officer in charge was wounded, conditions of peace than in his speech bjectionable character will embitter the by the 8th Division, and others east and and a wagon of explosives was blown up. to the Canadia editors and other journal. lives of sepre; and it by bad luck you west of them. All their field-guns were The enemy took the bridge at 3.30 that ists a few nights ago.
happen to make an enemy, it is impos-forward of the river in order to be within afternoon. On May 29th our exhausted The party, representative of the Pressible to get away from him. A few and effective range of the German positions. troops received support, and later in the of the Dominion, are spending some time consolation is gambling and a few in That night the men were moved up today our hattalions were intermingled here in order to see for themselves a drink.
their positions, and orders given that the with French regiment. But the line be first band what we are doing in the war, the Ministry of Information acting magnificently. People must not be ur that the battle-zone was to be held at held by mixed troops fr
vast majority hold our outposts were to fight the last man, and
tween Faverolles and Ten was still uide, philosopher and friend. In! 4
W different characteristic
pamage, conveying the, im- prised if their friends have developed all costs. Those orders, terrible in their
units of our divisiong
ild out for pression that his hearers were being some sort of idiosyncrasy in prison; it significance, were carried out to the
two hours againstted attacks. A specially taken into his confidence, Mr. has perhaps saved them from worse letter, and all our gallant outposts fought British officer rode up and down the line Lloyd George said he would disclose one things. One man I knew deliberately set in those forward lines until they almost is tall riew of the enemy, rallying and has turned out 50 million shells and 43 action, from getting up to going to bed, all night before the attack, and at one came up, and his great gallantry was Cabinet secret "namely, that Canada himself to do every single personal ceased to exist. There was a heavy mist inspiring his men until reinforcementa million cartridges for this war. It is a to the exact minute, in order to keep in the morning it became denser, when of comfort, to the men that day. After wonderful achievement, all things con himself up to the scratch; and he always the German bombardment opened with
that the British troops who remained sidered. And, of course, Canada has also changed his uniform on Sundays. But terrific intensity. They fired large num sent across to the battlefields of Flanders for that, he said, he would have becomebers of trench-mortars of all calibres on
then fought along with the French for nearly a fortnight more, until the Gar- scores of thousands of troops who have hopelessly slack. His friends may find the front positions, using their artillerymans were definitely brought to a dead- covered themselves with undying glory. him odd, but they will find him sane.for our battery areas and rear positions, halt on the Marne. During that time the RECORDING THE YACTS.
it is good to have facts placed upon bole day, while a third became a com- tities of high explosive and gas shells. fitte, spirit of comradeship with our lads,
Another used to wander about alone the upon which they poured enormous quan
French poilus and their officers showed a record as to what the different parts of the Empire are doing; for each part is plete recluse until he had read throughThe infantry assault begeh about four and the French army, an a whole, knows helping to the full limit of its power. Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the in the morning, and by five o'clock re-
These were all 1814 ports were received at Headquarters that from first to last, not yielding ground now that our divisions fought like heroes The great lands like Australia, Canada, Roman Empire." and South Afrien have sent soldiers, and prisoners, most of whom had passed the enemy was attacking the battle-zone, until they were utterly overwhelmed hy are still sending them, and
war,hore their fate with wonderful fortitude, jhar been cut off to a man. At that time French troops. faced by the same great (and food-stuffs; and the smaller Colonies. The strain was beginning to tell on them, the fog was so thick that the men could odds, were most glorious in the way they
luding Hongkong, have been equally however, and it is good to think that they see only forty to fifty yards abeqd. to the fore in their earnest efforts to are all now in Holland, saved from the
fought back step by step with heroic self- play a worthy part in the world-struggle inevitable deterioration which a couple message, dated 5.15am, was received lady Telegraph.
At five minutes past six a pigeon-sacrifice until the peril was averted.— against the Germans. Thus the chain of of years more, would, in my opinion, from the Colonel of the Royal Berks, Empire is being strengthened by common have wrought in them." sacriâces and united endeavour to necom- What is true of the officers is, I believe,Staff were surrounded.
saying that he and his Headquarters The Germens plish the only thing that really matters: 1n our time, and that is to rid the worldqually true of the men. Their condithrew bombs down the dugout, he
WRI,
German
!!
ARMY REFORM.
TO INDIANS.
besides
of the tyranny that we know under the tins are harder, and their treatment wrote, and passed on. They appear, to OBJECT OF GIVING COMMISSIONS infinitely worse, but their bearing, ac approach from the right, in considerable" name of inititarium.
From benceforth, Recording to the Pre. cording to those who have seen them in strength. No idea what has happened
A London cable of July 26th says that mier, the Empire will have to be consult their camps, is excellent. It compels the elsewhere. Holding out in hopes of in the House of Lords replying to Lord ed on matters of world-policy before reluctant admiration of their guards. relief." That was one of the few mes: Sydenham regarding the giant of com hand.
"That," he added, in the change bave only seen them in hospital, and sages received from the men on the other missions to Indians Lord Islington said that has been effected as a result of the there they were full of their usual fun side of the river up there in the outpost the scheme which was already published
And one other point which you and frolic, in strong contrast with the line. The first thrust of the Germans marked the close of a long sta
standing must have a voice in is the settlement German wounded, who appeared to be of the conditions of peace.
very depressed. A Frenchman once told Division was involved on the right, and viceroys,
seems to have fallen "as far as the 8th troversy. Successive secretaries of Stat I need only reamark is to this history me how splendidly our men behaved, and the men, holding and fighting desperate many statesmen and distinguished, mili-
commanders-in-chief, king pronouncement that the idea of how proud they seemed to be of their ly, were gradually forced back except tary officers urged trying the experiment. the statesmen of the Dorainians taking nationality. They are indeed; they have where the Berks were still holding their A united Indian people also favoured it part in counsel, as equals, with the Ministers in Downing Street in regard their exile. They are doing their bit in Khire regiment were sent forward in suped the delicacy of some of the issues in- vindicated our pride in them during ground. Reinforcements from a Lánca The Commander-in-Chief fully appreciat to questions of Imperial policy in re ceived here with the liveliest satisfaction | Prison to uphold British ideals the by Prese and public. Under the stress things we are fighting for. Men who Port and the troops continued to resist volved and the importance was not over- stubbornly causing the enemy heavy looked of insuring that there should be of the war, Imperial unity has become have lain long in hospital or who are losses, until they were borne down by the to falling off in the quality and quantity an accomplished fact in a literal sense. now living the lives of pensioned cripples, overwhelming, weight of numbers, the of British officers in the Indian army. realise that there are places where it 15 Germans using tanks against those on NO ROOM FOR THE GERMANK
It was not intended to grant an Indian Some of the Dominion Prime Ministers every whit as hard to do one's bit as it is the left. By 6.30 that morning, the Indian but only when he had earned it, commission merely because he was an have been promptly applying Mr. Lloyd on the battlefield. A German prison camp George's, public statement, above referred is one of these places. Our fellows have brigade on the right had fallen back to to in order to point the moral of how to stood out manfully against that aside the line of the river, at Germicourts in the case of the British officer, by
Germans after the war so
the position. ous sapping of their independence and Meanwhile the troops holding the centre proving himself it and qualified to occupy The war had unquestionably proved Mr. Hughes, the Australian Premier, and of their energy, which a long period of aboue five o'clock, and these, including that there were many Indians (vailable
are concerned and left had been fiercely attacked from Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister of
cannot allow them to suffer the daily the Northumberlands, who were very gul who fully fulfilled those fundamental New Zealand, have both stated within strain of prison life a moment longer lant, held their positions in the battle conditions and now in opening the door the "last day or two that their respective than can be helped. We must have them, zone against repeated onslaughts, until to the commissioned ranks gradually there Countries will never again consent to the
would be no ground for any apprehen- Germans occupying islands in the Pacific back-Daily Nenir,
sion. He hoped that British officers en- The German conception of having A
tering the Indian army would realise that. place in the sun is to organise the sin from the West. This landing should
fresh departure in no way lessened country in his possession for the purpose be watched with interest. It may mean
the need for continued effort to do their of attacking the British nearest him in that the force, which it is understood will
POUGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH.
utmost to maintain the high traditions case of war. We have had enough of that, be placed under British command, will
The general who was in command on of the Indian army and would follow a Since the Dominions are solid on the serve as a rallying-point for the stable point that the Germans must not came elements of Russian lifevista is rapidly gathered his staff together, and this email tot 5 if would embrace cornradeship with the right, fading the enemy behind him, career not less honourable because hence- back as colonists, and as the Dominions
He that The power of the Bolshevista will have a band in the peace settlement, on the ware. The time cannot be far party of officers and men fought their Indian fellow subjects.
number of this measure would be regarded as the it is pretty certain that there will be no distant when they will be swept aside, way through, killing a the war. The Germans make no secret that mare of horror and bloodshed. There is Farther forward, his men were fighting British fellow-subjects to a proper and bargaining over the German colonies after for they have made life a perfect night Germans who tried to surround them. First step in the inevitable advance which would more and more bring India and they intend to use Belgium ne a pawn a railway from the Murman coast to to the last, and a few came back.
relationship as comrades în arms we give up their colonies. It willies in London it is considered that and other North Country infantry fence of India and the maintenance of Petrograd. In well-informed Russian the left the Northumberlands, Yorkshire, engaged in the common cause of the de- prove to be another German miscalculation.
the country will rally eventually against BRITISH ON THE MUUMAN 'COAST. AN
The landing of Allied forces on the the Germans, and that it is inconceivable managed to bold out some time in the the security of the British Empire. Murman coast, where Russia's all-the-year that Russia will permanently tolerate the outpost line with magnificent courage, the course of his speech Lord Islington and later held isolated positions in the mentioned that three candidates recom ice-free Arctic port lies, is a sure sign invader. The importance to us of being battle zone through which the enemy had mended for temporary commissions had that there is no intention to allow the able to take advantage of any serious "Germans to shut the Allies out of Rus development in that direction is obvious broken against all attacks and destroyed served in the ranks in British regiments and hence the significance of the Murman number of German tanks which tried in France; one of them was a grandson (Continued at foot of next Column.) landing.-H.B.
to advance upon them" They were still of the late Mr. Dadabhai Naoroji.-M.P
the Germans crossed the little River Miette, in a turning movement from the south-east, and took them in the flank and rear.
On
natural
In
ACT AT ONCE
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