The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-09-23
Stories Told by the
Wounded

| Wounded
LONDON, September 22.-Could all
the amazing, graphic and thrilling war
stories now being brought back bv
wounded Hritish soldiers he compiled
and published, they would make high
| " Interesting reading Every day
hundreds OF the injured arc invalidcd
home, and they all have talcs to toll
All the wounded soldiers who have
arrived nj hldershot have stories or
! tho rcmarkahl artillery practice by the
German guns. which they ascribc to
the close operation between the guns
and Rcroplaucs.
Again and again" said n fcrEeant
I o. the Norihamptone, the acloplpnos
came circliug round over our positions,
but at too great a height FOR our Guns
to reach them. VIC watched them. and
Whenever tiutter Of white paper or
other material came down from thom.
I Il shower OF ahrapncl followed immc-
dIatcly. SO we'll aimed that VIC IN
Nariahly had to move 10 save ourselves
from being anuihilatcd
nut for the guns could have
held our positions against twice the
number OF German infantry Their
RHO practice was worse man that Of
our third-class shots"
y private Of the LOCAL North Lam
cashirc Regiment. who had n piece OF
shrapncl In his knee. gave graphic
! description OF a surprise at dawn With
/ half platoon he had been sent out
on outpost duty somewhere in Rel
Etum." He had no notion OF the To-
ca!lty. and had seen no large towns till
/ he Was on his way back in tho ambu-
lance.
1--WE went out 81 dusk under nm Of
nccr' he said. and arrived In tho
dark ~ III" position VIC had to take
up. S"utrics were posted. and nothing
| happened during the might 10 Indicate
! that the enemy wore within a hum
| drcd milcs ~ dawn wo were lust
boiling water over II camp Arc TO make
tea when, from n position 500 yards
away. a hot rife fire MAS opened on us
I'VE did not walt for our tea 10
draw. but boltcd for tho nearest cover.
I the hedges and ditchcs OF q roadway
II was the FIRST time any OF our chaps
! had been under ire. and we were all
a bit scared. but tho officer soon got
a grip OF us. and we replied with
wcli-aimed fire tho feeling Of alarm
quickly passing away.
THE German shooting was rotten.
aud wo were In no great danger. SIN
- shell pumped down close TO us. and
another quickly followed The officer
! then saw IL was time to go. md gave
/ tho order 10 retire. II was while re-
private =. McGlado writes from
! somewhere IN France" to his mothcr
tn ireland.
"wo were all beat up after four DAYS
or the hardest soidicrinG YOU over
dreamed Of nm glad To say VIZ ac-
counted for our share of the German
trash. vino re poor lot when Ii comes
10 good square ruction In Tho open.
I'VE tried hard to get at them many
- ti'no, but they would never wait for
us when they saw tho bright bits Of
81 a. no of riff
Some OF them suuenl like tho pigs on
ll.illinG day when they see the steel
lIcady
Some or our finest lads are now
sleeping their last sleep in Belgium. but
mother dear, YOU can take your sons
word for e that for every son OF Ire
land who will never come back there
arc at least three GcTniauS Who VIII
.r"vcr he heard or again. Before lcav-
Ing Belgium We arranged with priest
10 have masses said for tho souls Of
our dead, aud wn scrapcd together what
lodi money wc had. but his reverence,
would rot hear Of il, Taking our money
for prayers for the rcpose of the bravo
lads who had died go far from tho Old
Land To rid Belgian soil Of the unman-
lncriy Gcrmau scrubs.
When VIC got hero we sang Paddles
IYcrmore till VIC were hoarsc. and
then We were off Ia chapel TO pray for
( the souls Of the lads that are gone
You VIII probably hear all sorts Of
strange stories at homo, but it's sure
you may lie that we are all in good
heart, and only want to get at tho Ter
mans again. Some Of them don't un-
dcrstand why Irishmen should nigh, so
hard for England, but that just shows
how little they know about us"
! y Seaforth Highlander who was
wounded near Namur said:
/ 1T WAS something hcllish. The Ger
mans only work ed their artillery on MS
/ They arc afraid To get near MS. If they
had done so they would have got good
| Shaping.
! '"rhcir rife firing was simply rotten.
1 In ono INSTANCE party approached
within two hundred yards OF us but al
though we were in the open with no
cover they couldn't hit us. Our artiI-
lory was as good as theirs. and made
hacks Of them"
a West Kent man who fought in
South Africa said:
ties to this. They came at us in great
masses. II was like shooting rabbits.
only as fast as you shoot one lot down
another came up. You couldn't help
hitting t,icm,
I'VE had silently Of time TO take aim
and II We weren't rcHching Bislcy
standard All the time, we must have
done a mighty lot Of execution. AS for
their rifie fire, they couldn't hit a hay
stack. Some Of them fred from their
hips, and must have wasted lot of
Ammunition"
The German generals don't seem to
mind what price their men have TO pay