Imperial Valley press., 1914-09-23

eihN-iiPDt boSE~N DIR -NA'
in the garb of French peasants.
One had corduroy jacket, trousers
much too short for him, and bathing
shoes. Unwashed, and with two or
three days growth of beard, they
walked out of the Harbor station.
AS they passed, talking, I caught
a broad Irish brogue and a response
in an equally pronounced Scotch dia-
lect.
"Who are you?" / inquired.
British soldiers, guv'nor," was the
reply. "Lost our regiments, borrowed
these ere togs, came through the
Gcrman lirc-, reached Bou,ogrc at
lasl, arr. new we IRE goi' g to Shcrn-
cliffe to rcp55't. Tier we art going
back againw
/ got into conversation with them
and kearl from them remarkable
story.
They were Of various regiments
Royal Scots, Irish Rifles, SomerSets,
Middiecex, Inl..ckillirs, ctc.-and they
told me If having been surrounded
| il u small Frorc.a vill?ge, which they
thought was called Auberge, several
miles seutl IF Mems, by large Cor
man force; Of having made their way
right through the German lines and
of being directed by French peasants,
who told them the way across coun-
| try.
A London man, whom his comrades
called "Bill," told how, though over
whelmingly outnumbered, the British
forces had ned their own against
the Germans for twcnty-four hours,
| 'nflictjng very heavy loss ard suffer
ing severely themselves.
At Mons the general retirement be-
gan ayd was accompanied by fight
ing every day, and nearly all day,
right down the country.
owe were very hard pressed all the
way. On Wednesday we were in u
village which was shelled, and even
tually blown to bits The Germans
advanced across bridge. They were
lolding women and children in front
f then-not driving them, but liter
lily carrying them, holding the wom-
m up below the armpits to screen
themselves. OF course, our gunners
could not do anything. 1t was worse
| han any savage war fare | have ever
imagined.
When they were cut off from Their
agiment they had no orders as to
where they were to return to, and
lnew nothing of the country. Their
fficels, being mounted, managed to
let back to their supports, but these
nen found it impossible to join their
5wn battalions.
They spoke very highly of the kind
ress which the French peasants had
oown them, once they could make
hem understand who they were.
"Uo to then," said the London man,
were inclined to doubt u.s."
%Ait II ioiiiistil, WilOflI HIS IElSIlu-
He'd Paddy told me of the British
csses at Mons. His view of the ex-
ent Of the execution inflicted by the
Germans was, | think, an exagger-
led cre, and | refrain from repeat
ing it. He admitted that his own
regiment was particularly fortunate
fer after "a hours in the trenches thew
lost only five killed and thirteen
wounded.
For the German musketry fire he
lad a profound contempt, but their
artillery commanded his respect.
The British force was pushed for
ward so rapidly to the attack that
they were ordered to leave their knap,
sacks on the ground, the idea being
to take the Germans by surprise.
"For days after that" said Paddy
1--WE lad little or no food. 1t was
not that the food was not there
Every time we were getting our ra-
tions cooked the Germans were on us,
and we had to retire bit further
still. They seemed to wait until they
saw it was breakfast time, and smelt
our bacon cooking.
81 hope you will say that many of
the men reported missing are doubt
less liz the same position as our
selves, and perhaps wandering some
where in France, unable to reioin
their regiments. 1 expect we are
among the missing"
A Scotsman told me of witnessing
the destruction by shrapnel fire of a
Red Cross hospital near Mons. The
Red Cross flag was flying over the
building.
Another said they could have Civ
en- valuable information at headquar.
ters of the different dispositions of
the German forces, if they had been
| .. bIo 10 r.o+ ~