New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-28
Young Belgian Volunteer
Tells of His Thrilling
Experiences.
MEETS FOE HAND-TO-
HAND IN TRENCHES
Divided Sometimes by SiX'toot
Earth Wall and Shoots
Through Holes.


London. Oct GA correspondent OF
"Tbe Daily News" in Belgium tele-
graphs: o.,
The regiment am concerned win
was fifteen days and nights in the Ant
werp trenches and IN countless en-
gapements. 10 withdrew at dawn non
inc then TO rest, 10 kilometres. OuI
with shouldered rifles IN the next hNV
davs il marched nearly 200 NlolneIiV'
until II reached the Newport ana h'N.
nude line. BY an error OF judgment VI
was made 20 drill two days ana III
spected. lob i+s
place in the front on the User 20 -
the most desperate of German enOl':'
A young Belgian volunteer III TINS IVY
ment said: ,,..t,o Car
mans and we went in at nightfall. As
soon ms they saw our lights they oega"
sbellir,, ms. We lost terribly. \ mum
her of the men ran up the street out
we cot them together. | had ABOUT
t,ventv-and retired in order. we WeIe
siv hundred who went IN, ana mus
bovo lsft 81 third there. I'm the morn
mo we moved down TO reinforce VuC
netwcrk of trenches. On our bank OF
H. Tsor there was a farmhouse on
o,,y RIGHT and some Of our men Wer9
Fr;pe 81 II. but the doors opened ana
, three officers in Belgian UNIFORM calle
.,+ sLortiro to cease our fire. so we
ssr+ q detachment 20 the house ana
tbev we're swept away by the machine
gun fire from the windows
Trenches Filled with Water
mo don't know what happened
afterward about the farm. ] lost slght
of If. We got into the trenches. lhey
law u long way behind raised aru-
Gcial hank on our side of the river.
A. tho northern end Of them were
masses Of cross trenches, protecting
.be,n in case the Germans got across
the bridge there and started 10 ehHiauv
ms They we're full of water. o..
81 was firing for six hours myself
.biqb deep i'm muddy water. ne Gei
mare cot across the bridge. We couid
not show head or hand over our bank
Tho German machine guns shot y
from crevices in their raised oahES
across the river, only rev E"ruS
away. ...... e,,,.
81 was hours and hours dragging oHHII
wounded ont of the cross trencnes lli
tbore was no more room Tor thein
+bere. and bringing up new men s'itsI!
r-o ar three at q time from lulIHeI
down tbe trenches TO take Their places
W. To- o,,r officers. but ] got the men
~ 49,, 80 me. Some Germans held
... ,r.tb cross fire. They. got INTO
,l, crose trenches and they Hred uo"u
.'.C 80 from the side. We had TO run
- I was too tired and sleepy 10
80, INV feet. I think ] must nave
fallen asleep. ,r,-. nis.nnear.
.We had an order to advance ag4ln.
Tho French we're behind us on ely"1l
INC, i'm support. was too tlieu ~
,at nm some one kicked me. l iooASu
Ssrn There were three OF my itlVhuS'
''air,tners like myself. We haa an
ioinrd together. They apolloglzeu 9i'1
.e, forward. They were an "QU'u'U'
but we are all still alive ana / - ~
nd been hit once IN thrty-l9uI ,V,.
! have lost the count now. ] GOV W,
% did the man lying ON me hcIu .L I,'
'front.' Of me. He was shot thrQuEu liz
head and fell back on me- J so' 0P
again. id mo and saw
/ three men who were running pa 80
. dilauppar. / Was ~ ms MT
,o c7;r and could not lift my head men
I found myself running forward aga ~ J,
81 called to men lying ana tonIhlns
,osr and held my revolver al mem mel. H.
' Nan We we're all charging WIN
6ayonrts ri the Germans, shooting az
o"' rom from our own trenches under the
1a;sed b.nk. They did not wait lot Us.
T H. looked like frightened gray
heetios as they scrambled up away over over
oor hank down into the river. IL was vas
% Su.l Int we shot at them over the
GanS The water seemed full OF mem.
w. crouched i'm big trench lH INC
muddy water behind the oanh'
200 of 900 Left.
"No. we did not sleep, but my head
and ewes seemed to go to sleep from
time 10 time. We perhaps had two
hundred left of our six hundred.
think there was one officer further
alorg. bur u was quite dark. some OF
The men talked very low. Then ! heard
voices whispering, talking near us on
the river side. Our bank was Of earth
perhaps five feet high and six feet