The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-10-10
JOKING WITH DEATH.
British Sing and Laugh in Midst
of Fierce Combat.
American Chaplain Gives Vivid De-
eoription Of Battle Of Mons, Who're
He Wao With French.


New York.-A vivid description OF
The manner in which the English
forces faced death on the battlefield,
OF the jokes they cracked and the
prayers they said with bullets sweep
pg their ranks. was brought to New
York by Rev. James Malloy. native
% Trenton, N. j., who served as chap
lain for several weeks with one Of the
British regiments in France and re-
turned home on the Mauretania.
In modern battle there is an over
powering sense OF unreality," he said.
The business Of seeing men kill each
ether seems mechanical because of the
preponderance OF the machine ele-
ment in the affair: the human element
simply bleeds and dies. but the ma
chimes continue In their perfection OF
slaughter.
THE conduct OF the English and
Irish soldiers in the trenches was sur
prising. There those men stood be-
hind shoulder-high mounds of dirt, fac
Ing level sprays OF death In front, yet
cracking Jokes and singing snatches
OF music hall ballads between volleys.
Stupendous bravery, l call 1t, or gtu-
pendous absence of nerves.
I've heard men under the crashing
fire OF the terrible German guns and
with comrades dropping all about
them unite in roaring It's long road
to Tipperary' as IL they were in bar
racks. Sometimes I'd hear big Irish-
man call out to neighbor "a the
trenches. Well. winged that Dutch
! man, all riott' The business Of kill
Ing, with them, seemed personal and
to resemble a sporting event.
But how the Germans did pound
that British line at Mons! They came
on and on and on, never. stopping, nev-
or faltering. 1t was like the waves
of a blue-gray sea rolling up through
the fog. One wave would break an6
die away, but another would be right
behind 1t, pushing on inexorably. The
German commanders threw their men
into the face OF British fire with abso.
lutte recklessness, counting on the
sheer weight of numbers tocverwhelm
u6.
ITO see those German lines move
/
watching regiments Of toy soldiers
pushing across q table, You'd see q
long row OF pale blue blocks. topped
with spiked helmets. bueak from cover
and come rushing at you. Then q
British gun at your elbow would speak
q smell would fall right In the midst
OF that blue block, Freat hurling ur
OF smoke and soil od-the bloch
would be gone! Not ng left but @
few little men madly running bach
through tfie haze OF powder smoke.
But the German shells kept coming
and coming. They are terrible, those
shells! have seen one she'll enter
little hal and there explode, carry
Ing away the whole top Of the hill. ]
have seen company OF British wipe6
out by the explosion Of single shell
Perhaps the night fighting is the
most weird and terrible to see. II
this the forces OF the allies had the
/; superiority. through their preponder
ant equipment Of aeroplanes. The al
lied forces had a5 aeroplanes, which
were busy day and night, but espe
cially at night.
! "Vou would hear a whirrinR OF I'm
visible propellers overhead and b,
straining your ears could trace the
direction Of the night flyer over the
German positions. Gunners stand
ready behind their pieces keyed up tG
q high pitch or efficiency.
4 suddenly q spark appears in the
heavens; 1t falls. The airman has dis
covered the position Of German bat
terry and his falling torch makes fht
range and the position. InatsAtiy the
British guns roar spaea shower oil
shells scars up. 70 foiiow the line oi