The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-09-25
BRITISH SOLDIERS WRITING
FROM FIELD, TELL STORIES
OF BRAVERY AND DEVOTION
'e"s OF me Great Retreat Revealed In Mssvss
to frlends.-GaIantry Of First Men on
the Firing Line

i''o operation ana harassed us through
the night.
ABOUT o'clock we got orders To re-
tire as quickly and as quietly as nos
sIple' IL was then | felt some pain.
ana mad to hop on one foot as quicly
as possible until reached an ammuni
ton wagon. Heavenly relief Day-
break found us out of danger, but only
Tor Il while as the Germans could not
be kept back"
From French officer to his wife in
England:
80 far we have only fought minor
engagements, but we have established
moral ascendancy over the Germans
VINO already have holy terror of cold
steel (French brandt.
We are absolutely bound To win:
even the old boys like me are thirsting
Tor fight, and the Germans, Judging
by the numerous prisoners I have
spoken TO as they were passing
through our lines, have no heart for
the fun
They beg bread from us and say:
This is not national war; it is an
officers war. They also say they fear
the elan OF our cavalry, the accuracy
of the artillery, and above all, our
bayonets!
There is corps OF native Algerians
with us, and Of these the Germans are
still more fearful; this is understand
able, as these chaps make no prisoners
and behead every one opposed to
them"
The first connected narrative of the
severe fighting in which the Kings
Own Royal Lancaster Regiment was
engaged on Aug. 26, when in killed and
wounded the regiment had eleven Off
GERS put out of action, is told by a
Sergeant of the regiment who has just
arrived home wounded. The Kings
own with the Lancashire Fusiliers
and the Middlesex Regiment, Were or
dered to cover the retreat of part OF
the allied forces from Mons.
Dashng Bsyonet Charges.
The Allies resisted the advance inch
that the Kings own got home with
several dashing bayonet charges. on,
of the most brilliant of which was lee
by Capt. Clutterbuck, formerly a rank.
er of the Yorkshire Light Infantry
who, with n handful of men, routed
four times the number under his com.
mand. He paid the price of his gal.
lantry with his life, but the casualties
to his men were singularly light. Tn,
Sergeant added:
1T was just like Clutterbuck. Their
there was Lieut.. Steele Perkins, who
died one of the grandest deaths a Brit.
ish officer could wish for. lie was lift.
ed out of the trenches wounded -four
times, but, protesting, crawled back
again till he was MORALLY wounded
The first man knocked over was one
Of the most popular OF the Rugby foot
ballers in the Dover garrison He was
shot through the mouth. Lieut.. Wood
gate distinguished himself in bravery
sonifled.
"A German aeroplane which came
over our position on the day preceding
the battle was accounted for, assailed
by shower of bullets from more than
one regiment. It's accommodating career
had sudden stop. The enemy swoop-
cd down on us so quickly at the finish
that we were unable to remove all our
dead and wounded Stretcher bearers
were shot down, and /, who had been
muscle Of the left arm, was taking a
message for the doctor from the field
hospital Ca schooD when shell came
and demolished the roof.
"All our Kings own dead are buried
in France, a few miles from the from
tier. We saw many burning villages,
and our artillery helped along many
old women and children who were
fleeing before the enemy"
This CHEEKY letter comes from "Pri-
vate j. Willis:
II see you are all excited about get
ting us plenty of socks. Heaven knows
when we will get chance OF wearing
them. | haven't been out of my boots
for the last fortnight, and there are as
many boots and socks here as we are
ever likely to want.
1T would be much more to the point
IL you were to send us men to help to
give the Germans socks
Merry and bright is still our
motto. and the bearing of all under fire
is such as England ought to be proud
Of"
From a Highlander.
A wounded Gordon Highlander now
in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley,
writes:
you mustn't run away with the no.
tion that we all stand shivering or
under shell fire, for we don't.
We just go about our business in the
usual way.
III it's potting at the Germans is to
the fore, we keep at II as though moth
ing were happening. and If we're just
having a wee bit chat among ourselves
we keep at It all the same.
Last week when got this wound in
my leg IL was because got excited In
an argument with wee Geordie Ferris
II our company about Queens Park
Rangers and their chances this season.
snpa Of my chny,o tpao bit u,ba, bo