Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-29
BRITISH ON BATHING
PARADE SURPRISED
BY GERMAN CHARGE
Armed With Towels Instead
of Rifles, Hundreds Were
Killed Magic" Cards
Saved Two Wanderers.
PARIS, Sept q.

PARIS, sept. y.
A correspondent just returned from
Rouen tells today how he found two
"lost'' British soldiers and succeeded in
sending them hack to their base at st.
Quentin.
"while dining at hotel I was sur
prised to see a British artilleryman and a
private of the Bedfords walk solemnly
UP to the manager take out small
card and point silently to an inscription
on it.
The manager addressed them in volu-
bic French, but they only shook their
heads and said. Farley pas. \ waiter
was then Instructed to give them a
seat and fetch them food
THEY told a strange tale of adventure.
Both had fought at Namur, had taken
part In the gradual retirement from the
French frontier, and were present at the
battles of Mons and st. quentin.
I'm the latter engagement the Bed
fordshires suffered terrible losses, and
my friend became parted from his COM
rades, his rifle and his equipment, in an
unsuccessful effort to save a machine
gun.
'In the course of his subsequent wan
derings he met a gunner of the r. +. A..
also lost. The two found that the British
forces had retreated to Ham, and that
they were in the midst of Germans. The
SuUuClllN EtllltluDtItu lltl ne Iltu
a card on which was written everyday
phrases in English. with their French
equivalents Armed with this they went
to a farm, and on entering pointed to the
sentence, I am lost the housewife hid
them in loft and gave them food and
drink.
when the Germans had left the dis
trict the 'Tommies' were placed in cart
under some straw and driven 20 miles
further south. They were then set Oh the
road and given directions by the driver,
although as they understood no French
they were not much wiser. Feeling hum
cry they went to waysdc inn and
pointed to the three items on the card:
Il am lost I am hungry and am
thirsty"
Again they received substantial meal
for nothing. and this time they were
given lift to a place they could not re-
member, where they were put in d train,
after a free meal at the station hotel
They had to change twice before arriving
at Rouen, but each time the magic card
was an open sesame to hotels, cafes and
frst-class railway carriages.
They reached Rouen at dinner time,
and, following their usual custom, en-
tered the most imposing hotel they could
zee. which proved co be the one where
] was staying. | took them back TO the
station, and set them in a train for
lie Havre.
Before leaving, the artilleryman said
that when he received a peerage he was
going to make his arms out of the words,
Il am lost I am hungry, l am thirsty,
surrounded by the French and British
coors.
This same man told me that almost
the whole of his battery-the l2ith of r.
f. A.-was left dead { Namur. While
the guns were in position, with gun pits
on the right, a greatly superior body Of
German artillery came up and shelled
them from the left. They were obliged
TO swing their guns round in the open
while under heavy fire. Knowing that but
few could escape, the gunners shook
hands and got to wcrk
THE outstanding point OF the German
advance is it's rapidity and suddenness.
Some OF the West Kents were actually
on bathing parade when the Germans
surprised them, In this condition. with
towels and soap instead Of rifles ana bay
onets, they fell an easy prey, and from
200 to 300 were killed or lying wounded
In the space of few minutes
THAT the Germans had been commit
ting atrocities | am certain. having seen
and talked with FrenChmen whose left
ears were all cut of on the battlefield
but there are other stories told by the
wounded soldiers Of which no frst-hand
confirmation can be obtained.
81 saw some terrible scenes at the sta
tion when a trainload Of wounded arrived.
All the sufferers were smiling, however
except a few who We're too weak ever
to do that.
"A British officer lay with a number 0r
priyates in a truck minus his right arm
and left leg. He was quite happy, he
said. but he wanted some coffee. Many
OF the spectators at once rushed of and
returned soon afterward with jugs and
even pals OF coffee ana cider besides
fruit and cigarettes
"Tve done my bit said a soldier