The Ordway new era., 1914-10-30

Germans being mixed up like any
thing.
Some OF our boys who got away
told me that the Dirty Shirts had
been almost cleaned up by tho Ger
mans, but made the Germans pay
dearly for thinking they could cut on
an Irish regiment without having to
fight"
Admires German Artillery.
Private Charles Dudley Moore OF
the Yorkshire light infantry, who was
at Mons and is now at Lynn, had the
misfortune to be wounded half an
hour after he went into action.
"The shrapnel shells OF the Ger
mans were bursting over the trenches
where we were lying. and was struck
in the foot with piece OF shell which
took the sole Of my shoe clean on.
Five minutes later. when ! was trying
to help q fellow near me who had
been hit In the shoulder. was struck
in the right thigh by a pellet from
shrapnel shell. fred one more shot
after that l fired at the driver Of .
German machine gun and hit him.
This was my first experience Of actual
fighting. and can tell you 1t IL .
funny sensation at first to see the
shells bursting near and around you.
TO hear the bullets whistlins by you.
and to see men being killed and
wounded near you, but you soon get
used to II all. 1t tries your nerves
bit at first, but you soon get In the
way Of It,
II have the greatest admiration for
the German artillery. but their In.
fantry is absolutely useless. They
fire from the hip and take NO aim ~
all. The Germans are also badly fed.
At the hospital at Amiens ! saw
wounded German oficer who told me
he and the others had been living on
anything they could lay hold Of. and
that they had even eaten grass"
Do Not Like eayensts. =
Private j. r. TAFT Of the Second
Essex regiment. who was wounded
at Mons, also speaks with respect OF
the German artillery. Writing home.
he says. in a description Of the fight
ing:
I'VE, had several charges with their
infantry. We find they do not like
the bayonets. Their rifle shooting is
rotten; don't believe they could hit
a haystack at 100 yards. Their field
artillery is good, and we don't like
their shrapnel. heard our men sing
ing that famous song. Get Out and
Get Under, and know that for an
hour in our trench 1t would make any
one keep under. what with shells and
machine guns. have been In three
battles in four days"
The following is an extract from
letter written by Otho Bromfied OF
the signal section (Territorials). Roy
al Engineers:
I'm doing and going as I'm told.
not worrying. but taking things as
they come. I've slept in barns. wool
stores, cfnemas, casinos. dock sheds.
and for BIT. had the. stars ~ q, coun-
terpane. The fighting has been very
fierce and close: as one pal said: oh.
amt It 'ot!' We are outnumbered
sometimes 10000 to 1000. but our boys
stick to them. and have played havoc
with their mass formations The
Maxims have cut them down like corn,
and when We charged with fixed bayo-
nets. see 'em run. They will get no
quarter from our mob Their dead
were SO thick that their REINFORCE.
ments couldn't advance over the top.
OF course, We lost, too"
Fred Wilson Of the Fifth Royal
Lancers. who was wounded at Mons
and reached Leeds invalided. says he
has seen the Germans bayonet our
wounded as they came across the
field. and force women and children
In front OF them as they passed our
guns. He reckons nothing Of the fight
ing powers Of the Germans. They
were fairly peppered in five charges.
and when theif cavalry saw US COM
ing they whined like dogs. Our blood
was up after witnessing their terrible
atrocities" The British soldiers. he
adds. sing and Jest while bullets are
flying thick and fast.