Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-29
Experience of a Fusilier.


shelter of the trenches safely.
Experience of a Fusilier.
The letter of a Dublin Fusilier gives
few war viGnettes:
one day when l was riding from he
transport to the battalion l met a
lancer going the same road. We were
chums at Aldershot couple of years
ago. | met his wife when he brought
her to the married quarters a bonnie
bride. He was Il squat little 1risnman,
with a pair of lively eyes. that spoke
the language of all tongues. He had
fought at Mons and right through the
campaign and as We rode together
through the town we talked over past
and present.
las we passed a butchers shop a
pretty girl came to the door and gave
Rim bon jour with q charming smile.
Against regulation. he DOTTED his cap
and made her sweeping bow. Their
eyes nett was a mere passing salute,
but one could see he had passed that
way before. He turned to ME with a
light laugh: We are all single at the
seaside
Two days afterward / made the
same journey on foot. Just at that
same shop door l met a strercher: my
lancer friend was lying on it-shrapnel
through the chest. AS I spoke to the
stretcher bearers the girl came to the
x
doubt if the wounded man was con-
scious of her tears. Later in the day l
called at the field hospital. He was
dead. a woman in Ireland is teaching
his little one to pray for his soul. A
girl in France is putting flowers on his
grave
Comedy at the Front.
Two comic touches from the same let
ter:
AT one part of the line German and
French troops were not 100 yards apart.
They could hear each other. One day a
COW strayed between the lines; both
sides wanted milk. They agreed VINO
ever hit a horn first would be let milk
the COW The first shot came from the
German lines; bad, as usual. it killed
the COW.
When both sides dig in there is con-
tinuous rifle sniping. An officer of ours
with sense of humor put up a target
for them to practice on and gave them
d marker with flag to signal
the misses. The target was pref
y large With and sS sae5dh of for the
bulrs-eye. Only one shot was fred
al il, and that bullet hit the kaiser
right under the chin. We appreciated
the front writes:
Funeral Service by Torchlight.
d
the front. writes:
"One day l was sent by a general to
bury ten men who had been killed by
she'll. l had just ridden into the viii
Iage when six German lyddite shells
wrecked many buildings. l had just
time to get under n big stone archway
leading to Il farmhouse. Shells contin-
Ued to fall all round us, two more fell
lows being killed not thirty yards from
where | was standing.
That night l buried eighteen of the
9Th LanCers who fell in that memorable
charge, which must have stirred every
body in England. There, in the quiet
churchyard. with the full moon shining
peacefully down this sad world
they were to rest. As the remainder
of the regiment, with their officers
stood round. / read the funeral service
by torch-lamp.
Reward for Bravery.
Sergt Mai. Edwards. Royal Field Al
tiIlery, writes to his mother:
You will be pleased to hear that
have been specially recommended fol-
d commission. Yesterday November =
was a historic day for me. Last nigh,
l was ordered to take my gun, witt
two gunners. and creep within fft,
yards of the enemys trenches and blow
up farmhouse. from which the Ger
Ran machine guns were causing much
damage in our infantry trenches.
with two men who volunteered
crept to within fifty yards Of thu
trenches and loaded my gun will
lyddite. l shall never forget the sigh
of the hundreds of dead Germans il
all sorts of positions through whom
We passed. l laid the gun carefully
for | knew that If there was slip W,
should be dead men, as there wer,
thousands of German infantry in tn,
trenches in front of But the frs
shot blew the farmhouse to smith
Greens.
L anticipated that the German
would be too surprised to fire. and tina
they would duck in their trenches, bu
l fired another shot, and then we man
handled the gun back to the team an,
got back to our lines without injury
The infantry came and shook hand
with us. but il was for them We did IL
They deserve something great for VIVA
they have to stand in the trenches"
Bayonets Dripping With Blood.
one of the London Scottish wounde,
in a recent fight said yesterday: wv
from the enemy's artillery and larg
force of Bavarian infantry. which wa
strongly intrenched in a village ahea
of US. Many of our men had alread
fallen victims to the fusillade when W
received the order 20 take the enemy
position with fixed bayonets. We scam
pered across long beet field. A larg
number, including myself. never sue
ceeded in reaching the German
trenches. falling victims to the hail o
lead let loose llOOn rs The remainde