1919-12-18 — Page 8

8

THE DIARY OF A HONGKONG-LADY,

(Continued from yesterday.) On leaving Kemmel we drove up hill for a short distance and turned sharp to the left. This corner was named Suicide Corner" and the road we turned into "Suicide Road," as the Germans, who were close here in 1916, trained their machine guns or this spot and it ever anyone dared to show themselves in daylight, there was little escape for them, as the roud was completely covered by these guns, the iner serving them keeping vigilant warch. This road was exceedingly rough, and mended with placks a intervals: also all along the side of the road was a broad paving of boards.

which we were told. was so that at night the motor traffic could drive over it without making' as much noise as. it would along the road itself. A: the further end of this long road had stood Wytschacte with from six to Now seven thousand inhabitants. there is literally nothing left, and the strange part of it is, that there are even no bricks or stones, or debris. to show that a large place had stood there a year or twe ago. I think this spor brought back to one the horrors and awfulness of war almost more than any. Every sign of a village or town had been swept away, wiped our and nothing but the terribly churned up soil remained, great pits and holes wherever you placed your feet, the guns having turned the set over and over. pounding all sign of human habitation to mincemeat.

with each cross alike, seem very realistic of a brave little army lying there with their feet to the ruins of Ypres, which they had helped" so effectually to defend,

THE CHINA MAIL.

and took good care that no one-shbald come anywhere near its vicinity. It was remarkably well camouflaged with bushes and trees, so that it would be a difficult marter to detect, even i The country towards the Puschen-Our avistors were right over the spot. dale Ridge was just a barren wilder-Unlike those at Ostende, which had ess We passed all that remained large circling range, this gun could of Zonnebeke, an overturned and bat only move horizontally a very short tered gasometer. There were some distance, as its objective was Dun German

and prisoners.

Chinese kerke only, hence it was necessary

the gigantic camps, doing the work of clearing up to swing round any distance. debris, which must be completed be made one shudder lore anything else can be done to the strength of the thing, and wonder how

the Germans ever, had been beaten. land.

A

It

From here we drove back into Ostende, a perfectly level dusty road for miles, between avenues of trees.. with cultivated land on either side of

There was just a gradual rise to the top of the ridge, which is no great tength, but once there, we got a fine view for miles round, and drove over the further side of the ridge.

We were glad to get back and The country ahead of us seemed to us. have escaped the guns, as we could to be able to wash some of the dust see avenues of trees and woods in-off. I have never been se dusty in act, very different from those we had all my life, and we were all ready been passing through since leaving for the good dinner awaiting us at the Poperinghe. The reason for this was Hotel Phare.

When that was over

that the Germans had occupied this we all adjourned to the drawing room. asca practically from the first, and where a vote of thanks was proposed asite imagined they were going to to Miss Dormer Maunder and Lieut. keep it, so left it intact, not spoiling the crops or demolishing the village. They were however nor prepared for their hurried! remeat in 1918, when they had no time to destroy every Un thing they left in their wake. fortunately for the Belgians, there is comparatively very little of Belgium indeed, that has been left intact.

Monetor for the most interesting time they had afforded us doing every- thing possible for the general comfort of the inde party that they had taken over the battlefields. They both re- plied, the Belgian office; speaking feelingly and with great admiration of his English comrades during the war.

To-

Monday, August 18.-Up ar 6 o'clock, packed our bags, had break- fast and walked to the electric tram station and took tickets for Zeebrugge, which is a run of about three quar- ters of an hour along the coast. day we were again. lucky in our wea ther, a hot sur, but a cool breeze. All along the coast are strong Ger- man defences, concrete dugouts, gun emplacement, und at the back of We are these, rows of barbed wire. gradually clearing this away, but it The tram put us Many Cana-takes some time.

On top of the ridge we stopped. and walked a little way off the road, through the network of shell holes, in some of which we sat dangling our feer and had a much needed lunch of sandwiches. It seemed strange" to be We climbed up a 'smatt mound at eating a meal on such a spot, which the top of which was a German pilt had but a few months ago been the bos built upon what had once been scene of so much strife and blood the church, and through a hole in shed. Quite close to me, sticking the ground, locking down a" deep ut of the ground, was the helmet of shaft was a German dug-out, evia German, and in all directions were dently constructed the buried cartridges and shells.

in church below. From here we had asians had lost their lives here, and fine view over the surrounding coun-lew hundred yards from us was a try, the Messines Ridge a short disconument in granite, put up to those tance on our right and Ypres to our who fel. After half an hour's stop left,

we continued our way. I was standing by Madame

now through Chevallier as we looked over this the country occupied by the Germans scene of desolation. She had known aroughout the war, and this, as, i this little town before the war she mentioned above, was undamaged and told me and I couldn't help saying altivated. to her, that it was heartrending enough for us strangers to gaze upon: what must it mean to her whose land it was and whe had known it in its peaceful prosperous days? think it made one realise the tragedy of it all, even

A few of the farm houses were slightly battered by shot and hell, but most of them were pretty well intact and the roads were shaded y avenues of trees, such a welcome change from the terrible barrenness

down at the Zeebrugge Mcle, a break- water abour one and a half miles long. which we proceeded to walk up. Not Far from the shore we saw the large gap which our naval men had made when a submarine laden with 10,000) ths. of dynamite blew this part of the Mele in two, cutting the upper end off from the shore and at the same time the men from the "Vindictive" scaled the high parapet with the aid of ropes and rope ladders, and had a hand to hand fight with the Germans We saw the guarding the Mole.

ve had passed through. We felt exact spot where the first man came more acutely, being with these people he villages of Westroosebeke and over and pieces of cord still show the who naturally were feeling the ter-Hooglede behind and came to Thou- place where the ropes had been tied rible hopelessness of their country us out. a long run from the Paschen- to the railings. It was a gigantic

areas.

it now stood. in these devastated What would one's feelings have been had this been our own land, one instinctively thought, Further up the road was the only sign of life in the place. Two Belgians, natives of Wytschaere, had dug a clearing below the upturned soil, and had start- ed to build a house upon the spit where one of the men said he had had home before. The outlook of the ground all round seemed progy hope- less, as the subsoil had been churned up in which very little would grow. Still, he had had a home there before the war, and meant to have one again, and was the first to pluck up courage to start building amidst all this chaos. I and one other woman each laid a brick, putting a shilling in the mortar pour bonheur." We can say that we helped to build the first house in re-built Wytschaete. 1 shall hope one day to go back and identify that house when the village is a growing one. On our way back to the road

we found the helmet of a German. which brought home as a trophy. There are many such things lying

Theu-climb up the sheer face of a deep concrete wall, which is very much raised above the rest of the Mole, ast to get on to the narrow walk we had to climb about 20 steep steps from the main part of the Mole. From here we got a good view of the In- trepid" and "Iphigenia" which we sunk at the mouth of the Zeebrugge. Canal to bottle up the German sub-

and of the "Thetis." marines.

Jale Ridge and dur last stop. our is a large, struggling village, with the usual cobbled streets, wide ind very clean and nice bright col- Into one of these some of us ages. vent in quest of coffee, and the rest the party into another. The one ve went into was a fine specimen of in old Flemish house. The street 'oor opened into a large old-fashioned ront nom, with low beamed ceiling

How-

11 dark wood, well lighted by case little further up the canal. lying across Behind this room the canal, Close also to the mouth .nent windows. vas a large kitchen and scullery, innof the Canal was Captain Fryatt's thich we went and found a welcome ship the "Brussel" which the Ger- bump to wash our dusty hands, the mans had sunk at the mouth of the General very kindly pumping for us. harbour, by the Mole, before leaving.. The Flemish goodwife was busily cur-

so as to block the entrance. ever it has now been raised. and is ing bread and butter from an enor. sous loal with an equally enormous going to be taken over to England.. arving knife, and extremely good The Germans had fortified the Mole" was when we came to eat it, as very strongly, and built great con- Iso was the coffee, poured from a crete sheiters for themselves and We wondered their guns. One we saw had contain- very large coffee pot. whether the rest of our party, were ed an enormous searchlight, which ar aring as well as we were, as we had nightfall was brought out and run by most liberal meal. The goodwife electricity up rails, to a high point was purely Flemish, the only ones from where they could light up the who could speak to her being the Bel- sea for miles, searching for enemy Jan General and his daughter. ships, and at daylight again placed in When we had all finished we drove its strong shelter. We saw all that From here we drave north towards an, taking the road bearing to the left, remained of it after the Germans had Ypres, over the Sunken Road," sc he right leading to Bruges, and some destroyed it on leaving. There were called, because it had bewen re-made

wo or three miles down this road we also guns placed at intervals along the These they over and over again by long thick urged off again sharp to the left into upper part of the Mole. planks, as the others gradually sank

very narrow lane, which had two had also destroyed before leaving by into the liquid mud, and as this stretch harp turns in it, very, hard for our blowing up the muzzles and now was some miles long. the quantity of umbering lorries to negotiate. Some they looked useless enough. The wood buried here was very consider. way along we stopped and walked Belgian are busily hacking these able. We passed the ruined village brough some fields to a wood, where strong concrete buildings to pieces. of Voormezeele and drove on into us concealed

the so as to make room for the wooden Long Max." Ypres, where this time we made no powerful German gun which bom sheds, which they are going to build stop, but hearing to the right got on arded Dunkerke. It is of the same up in their places, to serve as goods The Germans must have to the road leading to the Paschendallalibre as those in the Deutschland sheds. Ridge. The road at right angles to Battery near Ostende, but looked far spent thousands en fortifying the Mole this is the well-known Menip Road. arger, as it was intact, the breech alone and it seems a perfect marvel

A few miles out of Ypres on the covered in by a huge steel canopy, that they were ever beaten left hand side of the road is a new

everywhere stil, just as they had been left.

This,

the gun itself standing in a large con- as I think I said before, is even more little cemetery, where we stopped and rete pit surrounded by 1 cement marked where you see the German, went in. Here we read the names platform. On the right and left of English and Belgian defences side by on the wooden crosses of many of his were concrete buildings to, hold side. Lieut." Monctor spoke of the our brave men who had been killed the communition, which was brougi. wonderful pluck and heroism of our

and deposited in these large sheds. handful of men, against such tremend There are still a quantity of shells in ous odds. these buildings. Long Max" took

in, or around Ypres. At present the through the wood in trucks on rails, men attacking the Mole, just a little

a year to set up in this position and strangely enough the Belgians knew

He spoke with such in-

graves are only mounds of brown earth, nicely kept, inasmuch as there is not a weed to be seen anywhere. Before long they will doubtless be turfed over, and the wooden crosses replaced by more durable monuments nothing of its whereabouts, as the "WALLA WALLA!! Launches "ut ́and trees, and shrubs planted. At Germans were in possession of ail

present these rows of brown graves, this immediate part of the country, i

Blake Pier. Night and day ser

vice.

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NEWS.

[By Courtesy of the Hongkong Daily.Press.1

HANDLEY PAGE MACHINE'S SUCCESSFUL TEST.

◄

PEKINO, Dec. 16. The final test of the Brat Handley

tense admiration of their courage, that one felt, here anyway is one Belgian who appreciates to the full what has been done by us to help his country. This in itself was worth while having gone over there to learn, as we are apt to judge the whole by a few, who have not appeared so especially grate- ; ful, and so the Belgians as a nation have not acquired a very good name. which is a pity. as Belgium as a nation deserves our help still, and most certainly our 'pity. No one could go over those devastated areas Page machine occurred this afternoon, and not feel that she sacrificed her all when the machine, with twelve pas- for the right and lest her all in doing sengers and 1.200 Es, of sand made a triumphant ascent. Several Chinese so, and a people who can have still a great deal of good left in officials were amongst the passengers..

LATER. them. That is why it would be

The first Handley Page aeroplane criminal to allow her to sink into

the Chinese hopeless apathy, as she will do it was handed over to others do not hold our a helping hand Government this afternoon. to her at this most difficult time in the history of her country. I wish those discontented people at home

The strike of teachers continues, had-any conception of what Belgium but it is believed that the Govern has suffered. These tours run by a

this must

THE TEACHERS STRIKE.

RAILWAY AMALGAMATION

ARRANGED.

handful of ladies, sided by the Bal-ment will yield on all points. gian Government. were started so that we here at home might be able to realise a little what war means at its grimmest. when a country has been laid waste by the sword and the people rendered homeless and how necessary it is to aid these people who have suffered so terribly at the hands of the Germans., by showing bined railways. " interest and sympathy in their welfare and so helping them to re-build their homes and start life afresh.. The idea is, that if they wish-it, the mem- bers of these tours may help the people in the villages or town adopted

PEKING, Dec. 17. An amalgamation of the Peking- Hankow and Peking-Suiyuan Rail- ways has been arranged. General Tinge to be the director of the com-

stance.

PROPOSED EXTENSION.

It is contemplated to extend the Peking-Kalgan line to Urga. The route has already been surveyed. It

PARLIAMENT AND THE CABINET.

by their particular tour. For in is proposed to Roat a domestic loon "Kemmel was chosen as to provide the funds for this purpose.. pur point of interest, and we are top- and it is expected that the Japanese ing to build a wooden hut in this will take up mest of the bonds. demolished village. to which the people will gradually return and re- build their houses, and this hut, which will be nominally the Village Club,' they can come to of a winter's even- ing and sit in the warm and have hot coffee at a moderate charge and games, and simple amusements. Also those who are interested in the village may send warm garments and clothes

of any kind and there will be some- one there responsible to see that the things are given where they needed.

Parliament declines to close its session unless the Government sub- its nominations for the portfolios of Agriculture and Education.

THE INVASION OF A GIRL'S

SCHOOL BY SOLDIERY. Prominent members of the Chinese Government point to the bestiality of ArtNi Shih-chung's soldiers at Anking in invading a girls' school, with results which it is not necessary to state, as a strong argument for the disbandment of Chinese troops.

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BILIOUS HEADACHE.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER. 18, 1919.

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