The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-27
ENGLISH OFFICER SAYS D|XMUDE WAS
 NEVER CAPTURED Declares Town Has Been Held Continuously by
 French Marines
NOT DEPRESSED BY
 THE HEAVIEST ODDS
Tells of Preparing to Sell Lives Dearly When French Major Reported Them Routed-Germans Failed to
 Put in Appearance

London, December Special. .)-A young lieutenant promoted for val.
 lantry and efficiency as motorcv,.,i.,
 expert has just returned to the front
 after weeks leave of ahsencs frnu,
 r'ance. Tn the course Of his stay in
 London he told many Interesting
 stories
 nave been amused he said. "to
 road the mnns stories which have ap-
 peared in the London and other ma
 pers or the taking and retakinr of Dix
 nude Gin Belgium) by the German i'm
 Naders have been quite a number
 ot times cycling and reconnoitering
 with my armored automobile around
 Dixmude and never have I once kna,vp
 the town to be captured by the Ger.
 man force. My first experience Inf Dix
 nude was being captured as a spy h. N
 FFench marine sentry. I was brought
 before conter-Admfral Ronarc'h, n
 grand old soilor if ever there was ono. "ho ss soon as he heard my expsana-
 tlons had me released and we have been the best of friends ever since Asked as to what troops the gar rison consisted of the lieutenant re- piled:
 Defended by French Marines III consists of about 1000 aSreneh Nbfeton) marines under tho above men, tionod admiral. and as far as I know
 they have resisted from start to fin ish all tho desperate attacks of thn Germans who have failed to cantnro
 the town from these fine troops 1o see that gallant old admiral. clear
 headed and keen-eyed as sailors n, ways arc, holding his own agains, such tremendous odds has been one of tbo 1snest episodes of tho war When I
 nrst went there I met s4 captains of
 marines commanding a like number cf companies or the famous coIps on ! the srcond occasion the numhor od | captains was reduced to i5 and tha .nlrd time I was there only 10 werc left ct with all the reverses and the terrible loss Of life in the .renchas ytne gallant old admiral never for a mo iheht ialtered, and was as cheerful as | shough he were living in his own com ! forfable home-a distinguished oftirn,
 Tn we'll earned retirement
 want to say that as lar a. I | khow up to the time left a week ago
 the frehch marines never once yielded l up the town. Occasionally. at fo1,
 Germans got through. but they we're
 quickly chased through the streets ant ] either Killed or escaped from the town " mat actually happened was that tho l french trenches were now and tnen captured by the Germans and were in. variably retalSen first by one and thsn l by the other. or course, the town
 has now been destroyed. but I have mo
 reason to doubt that the gallant old general and his faithful marines ars still in their places"
 | Another interesting experience or the lively lieutenant occurred at the camr where he is stationed near tho head
 quarters of the British forces. Germans Failed to Corse 1 "I was in camp at the timen h, said, when French captain of hus. sars dashed Into our midst his aors, wounded and he himself in a piliabl, state. He told us that his troops had l peen badly cut up by tho Germans
 that the victorious Beschos were fol.
 lowing on his heels. and would soon he I upon us Be prepared to fly he added | but beg you to hold them up with I a machine gun while tho main body oj our beaten force can effect an orderl, retreat
 | We immediately got together the
 best force available. aided by som,
 French troops from Headquarters and | t'~f''' NN ec SNii oui ilNtS ue3IlJ. l KOl
 out the Maxim belonging to my ar. mored automobile to hold tho pass | through which they would have tc come, but they never did come and we | learned afterwards that the captains company was the only one placed hora do combat by the Germans, who aft erwards had been duly repulsed with heavy loss.
 You can imagine that my pleasure | at their non-a appearance was consider ably enhanced when I found on exami. | nation that my Maxim was jamm ed and would never have worked" Lieutenant-waso considerably amused at the violent anti-German feelinp which he found existed in this coun- try. The sentiment of the soldiers n;
 the front, both English and French was one of high admiration for tho undaunted bravery of the 'beches.' as he called them. and their unbounded patriotism As regard the atrocities he deplored them. but added war Is war, and I venture to say if we and tho French get 10 Germany there will be
 reprisals galore very much after the same fashion,"