Evening star., 1915-03-29
MODERN ARTILLERY
WON FOR BRITISH
Frederick Palmer Tells of
Havoc 1t Wrought at
Neuve ChapelIe.
DESCRIBES A NIGHT -
IN ENGLISH TRENCHES
Declares Confidence of Soldiers Has
Been Strengthened by Defeat
of Germans.
BY FREDERICK PALMER,

At the front in France for the As
sOciated Press.
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, March 27, via London, March
%, 1880 p.m-whtle the world is eager
for news, day after day may pass at
the front with no news except of dos
ultory artillery and rife hre. which
is the normal existence save when some
supreme effort is made.
Next to having witnessed the battle
of Neuve Chapelle the most interesting
thing to a correspondent is night
spent in the new British line of works
which defend that section Of the she'll
torn earth that the British won and
hold against all German efforts at re-
covery.
Such a visit made alone, without au-
tomobile or other accessories, proved to
be no idyl of peaceful security. When
a corps staff officer, who gave the cor
respondent permission to go, required
him to sign paper releasing the army
authorities from any responsibility, one
could only reply that he had used the
crossing at 5th avenue and 42d street
at the rush hour without holding the
mayor of New York accountable If run
over.
The Germans were given a shelIing
along the avenues of approach to the
British line at the edge Of the village
stray bullets cracked against the shat
tered village walls, and when the cor
respondent left their cover he was
within 300 or 400 yards of the Geri
man breastworks.
Most Cheerful Spot.
Yet the most cheerful spot where the
British flag flies is here. 1t was worth
enduring a sleepless night and plung-
Ing in mud in order to enter into the
spirit of the soldiers. who had suffered
such hard knocks and had at last seen
the tide turn
Though rumors come from London of
complaint over the heavy cost of the
victory, the officer or man at the front
who takes that view is yet to be found
They know the situation, and are pre-
pared to pay the price which success
requires The point they make is that
they nave been able to make d gain
without any heavier losses than the
Germans. who yielded
a lot of our fellows were killed."
said soldier. But this time il was
in pushing the Germans, instead of
trying to hold them back You can't
realize, sir. unless you have been in it
W
My host in the brea stworks was a
captain. who the previous day had re-
ceived shot through the arm, and
although officially reported wounded,
remained in his mud d-spattered uniform
on duty, with no bed except a rubber
sheet laid on the wet earth. His rela-
tives in England may worry about him,
but he does not worry about himself,
although when the war is over he says
he is certainly going to have one real
hot md
matter what the cost.
No Blankets in Dugout.
When 1t was noticed that he had no
blankets in his dugout, the captain ex-
planned that the mems blankets were
not up yet, and he wanted to enjoy
no luxury they lacked
Faint aureoles of light showing above
the line of the German breastworks
rose from their camp fires, which were
the counterpart of the British braziers,
made by punching holes in any sort of
bucket to be found. Around these the
men off duty gather to keep warm and
e.y their bacon and make their tea.
Time sped rapidly as one moved from
group to group to chat, every one
keeping his head below the parapet to
avoid German bullets.
we are standing on dead Germans
said one soldier. I'VE turned their
trenches in to make graves-good
trenches they were, too
When fusilIade broke out in a dis
tant part of our lines at the sign of
some movement, the Germans in front
of us burst into yells OF derison, like
the outcries from base ball fans when
a miss throw to first let's in rum
Later in the night these same Germans
saw the same phantom in the darkness
and began firing feverishly, when it
became our turn to laugh.
Joke Each Other.
At a point where the trenches are
only sixty yards apart, an English
speaking German asked when kitch-
ener's army was coming.
"I want this war over,' he declared,
loudly, $50 l can go home
Don't get downhearted, my dear"
Tommy Atkins called back You're al
ready started. and you'll know when
the new army comes, because you will
be going faster than you want to"
At this point one could distinctly hear
the Germans talking, the commands of