Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-09-26

staggered, sick at heart" That was
the way Rev. Father James Malloy
who landed here yesterday on the
Mauretania summed uD the Euro
pean war. He knows far more about
it than anyone else who has SO far
and five days Father Malloy was on
the actual firing line. He acted as
chaplain attached to General F'rench's
personal headquarters and he recited
a story of conflict. Of men slain by
the hundreds that thrilled even skep-
tical ship news reporters.
Father Malloy II native of Tren-
ton, N. j.. but has recently lived in
San Francisco. He was in London
when the war began and August II
was invited to accompany the British
expedition to France as a Catholic
chaplain. which he did.
72 Transports in Expedition.
I'VE sailed August 49," said the
chaplain. II was assigned to the
transport that carried Sir John
French, the commander of the British
expedition. There were 72 transports
in the expedition.
I'VE landed at Boluogne. where we
were held for three days. Then we
were sent to Mons to become the left
wing OF the great French army. then
moving north in the effort to relieve
and aid the Beligians and prevent the
taking of Namur and Brussels. The
British expedition comprised three
army corps. with Sir John French in
command Of the center.
Fighting Continuous Night and Day.
I'VE went into action August 22
The men had been chafing for action
and they were certainly glad when
the orders came to cut loose. The
French left wing was made up of the
crack regiments of the British serv-
ice. They numbered probably 10000
men.
1T was a terrible experience for
me. For the next two days we were
fighting continuously night and day.
There seemed an absolutely cncount-
able host Of the Germans. AS they
swept down on the British positions,
they were like moving forest-all
gray-green and hardly discernible un-
til within rifle range.
Bands Play Germans Into Action.
Imagine II you can the entire hori-
zon filled with swiftly moving mass
that, at a distance. bore no resem-
blance to human beings. AS the mass
moved forward, the shells from the
great German field artillery rained
over our heads, exploding with a con-
cussion that broke great holes in the
GIL aAO 1AdQo ~ 6AE1lOSI lIQpOSSlpl0 IOT
one to breathe. Then. with their bands
playing them into action. and singing
Die Wacht Am Rhein' and other
stirring martial airs. the Germans
would charge at top speed. Poor fell
lows, they never had a chance against
our lines.
Every Bullet Finds Its Mark.
The British were strongly en-
trenched all along the front. The
Germans advanced in solid masses,
every company containing fully 800
men. in files five deep. AS our rifles
are the best in the world and our
shots wonderfully expert the Ger
mans were doomed from the outset
steadying their rifles on the tops of
the trenches, the British fired at will,
They could not miss. And. as the
Germans were in massed formation,
every bullet found not less than two
marks and sometimes three or four.
Eau Like Char Before Fire.
The poor fellows would go down
like chan before a great fire. Whole
companies would fall together. The
wounded would sauirm out Of tbs
masses OF the dead and try to go on
and then 1t became necessary again
to shoot them. The sights that saw
there showed me conclusively that
this was not war. but a terrible holo.
caust, and that the cost in human lives
would be almost impossible Of com.
prehenston.
Slaughter with the rifles was varied
with organized killing with the cold
steel. Tho Germans persisted in their
attacks and the British commanders
rushed their men forward with fixed
nayonets. It was hand-to-hand fight
Ing with a vengeance. but invariably
the longer bayonet Of the British sol.
Q1er prevailed and the enemy would
be compelled to retreat in disorder.
8r1tons Rebel at Retreat Order.
While the British were gaining a
series Of great successes. the French
They were unable to hold the Ger
mans and their rife flre was almost as
bad as that of the Germans. And
nnally the British were ordered to fall
back. In order that they might not
be enveloped by the Germans and
completely cut of
When the orders came the men
were IN almost open rebellion. Stal.
wart members Of the Scotch and Irish
restments wept. At several points
along the line the British actually
Jumped from their trenches and
charged tho Germans to emphasize
the fact that the British ought NOT to
retreat. ~
at length the of,cers went among
80 $AASA@ 0AAA NApAAllISu 10 them 1t had
peen arranged beforehand for tOhe
British to fall back so that the Ger
mans might be lured into a trap. This
explanation, repeated hundreds of
times, finally eufficed.
Trenches Become BFitons' Grayes
Where the British have an ad-
vantage Is In their wonderful rifle fire.
something the Germans seem unabia
TO master, but the German shell fire
is tremendous. It Is hard to describe.
There Is small hill with a COMPANY
or British soldiers entrenched on II
A German aviator files over their
heads. He signals the range. Shells
are dropped. They explode. The hill
mas disappeared and in its place is a
great hole filed with dead men
Their trenches have been their graves
Wounded Back in Battle in Week.
One notable thing about this mod
ern war Is the large proportion of
wounded over the dead. The modern
rtnes are humane. I have seen many
men, wounded In what have ordin.
artly been considered vital spots. tak.
en- to hospitals and returned to the
firing line In week.
After We had reached the line ~
the Marine we beRan to advance. Ana
we moved 80 fast the Gernans were
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