South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-29
Here's Inside Story" of Great
Battle Told by a Man Just
Back From the Allies Lines

, ing in comrades on their arms. and
others were carrying them along the
road.
ION the Thursday we came across
two men OF the West Kents. They
had been taken prisoners by the Ger
mans. who had stripped them of
everything. They told US they were
to be shot at eight O'Clock last Thurs
day morning.
I'VE fixed them up with clothes as
best we could, but they looked very
comical. All one had on was a hard
hat and a macintosh. Some fellows
asked them II they wanted a taxi, but
they replied that they preferred 10
walk. They were jolly glad to be
with u.s.
Women and Children Starving.
Sapper Mugridge said that one OF
the worst sights he witnessed was that
or the starving women and children
on the road.
I've were hungry ourselves" he
said, "and we couldn't help them. 1
felt as If l should have liked 10 carry
some Of the old women. a lot of the
women had milk in bottles and were
feeding their children from them.
I'VE made Tvs much room as we
could for them on our wagon. It was
pitiful sight. And it was raining
hard. too. some Of them were wet
through"
AS to the spirit of the British
troops. Mugridge stated:
on would have thought they were
at football match. They were lying
in the trenches with German shells
flying all around and they would
make bets as to how many Germans
they would kill and had killed during
the day. They were laughing and
joking all the time.
There were chaps. too. coming in
and having their wounds dressed and
going off again to have another go at
the Germans"
Fight Without Shirts.
A private CT the LIST Royal West
Kent regiment, wounded. relates a
thrilling story of the battle of Mons.
ut was Sunday" he said I'VE were
at Mons, billeted in a farm yard and
were having a song and were watching
people home from church. The Bel
gian ladies were very kindhearted,
and we were given their prayer books
as souvenirs.
About 1890 an aeroplane appear
ed overhead. throwing out some black
powder. After this shrapnel burst
overhead, acquainting us of the fact
that the Germans were in the vicinity.
All was confusion and uprOar, for the
moment, because we were not armed
and our shirts and socks were out to
wash, that being the only chance we
had to get them washed. 1t did not
take us long, however, TO get in fight
ing trim and to go through the town
Of Mons to the scene of operations,
which was on the other side of a small
canal that adjoined.
with darkness upon us we fixed
our bayonets and lay in wait in case
the enemy made an attempt to rush
us. About II .. m. we received orders
to retire over the canal
Army Watches Duel i'm Air.
There was one interesting sight
saw as the column was on the march,
and that was a duel in the air be-
tween French and German aerOplanes.
1t was wonderful to see the French
man maneuvre to get the upper posi-
ton of the German, and after about
! 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour
| the Frenchman got on top and blaZed
away with revolver on the German.
! He injured him so much as to cause
| him TO descend and when found he
was dead. The British troops buried
the airman and burned the aeropiane.
| be disturbed that night, and at dawn
we again stood to arms and we found
the Germans close upon our heels.
saw a battery in front of us put right
out of action. There were only about
six men left among them and they
were engaged in trying to get away
the guns This disaster was due to
| the accurate shell firing of the Ger
man artillery. In their efforts tho
4 n
owing to their horses being killed.
1T was interesting to see an officer
engaged in walking around the guns
and putting them out OF action, or in
other words, seeing that they would
I be Of no use tC the Germans. This
action required a great deal of brav-
cry under the circumstances, because
the enemy continued to keep up the
heavy firing"
"NO Quarter from Our Mob"
This is the statement of Ohio Brom-
field Of the signal section, British
Royal Engineers:
I'm doing and going as I'm told.
not worrying, but taking things as
they come. I've slept in barns, wool
stores. cinemas, casinos dock sheds,
and for a time had the stars as
Counterpart. The fighting has been
very fierce and close; as one pal said,
Oh! am [ IL OF we are OulnuuDered
sometimes 10000 TO 1000, but our
boys stick To them, and have played
havoc with their mass formations"
The Maxims have cut them down like
corn. and when We charge with fixed
bayonets see 'em run like rats They
viii get no quarter from our mob.
Their dead were so thici that their
reinforcements couldn't advance over
the top of course, we lost too"
Private Charles Dudley Moore of
the Yorkshire Light infantry, who was
at Mons. had the misfortune TO be
wounded half an hour after he went
into his first battle.
First Man He Ever Killed.