The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-31
VIVID DESCRIPTION OF
BRITISH LOOS VICTORY
Tales Told by Wounded Soldiers, Pieced Together in
London, Make Thrilling Story. of the Fighting
and Heroism of Both Sides.
specioi coyressondence to THE suS.

| capturing four lines of German trenches.
then the village Of Loos. and finally,
after probably the f1ercest encounter Of
the war. securing. losing. regaining and
finally maintaining Hill 10. Ia graphi-
cally described in the Weekly DtspatcM
The story is made UP OF the tales told
by the wounded soldiers now In London
hospitals who participated In the con-
fiict. 1t emphasizes the human side OF
the advance rather than the military
and tells OF q famous mi regiment
going into battle with the remarkable
war cry of "Marmalade forever !" ex-
plainable by the fact that Dundee Is
practically the centre for the manufac-
ture of marmalade.
Read In the light of the mems stories
the advance at first was an easy matter.
at least for some of the regiments. The
unanimous opinion of the wounded. from
whom the story has been compiled. was
that the Germans who faced them
were a poor lot
BEHIND the lines a Midlands regi-
ment Is playing football. the faces OF
the men when not flushed with the
p~leasurable excitement pf the game shine
with the rudy glow of health a Scotch
regiment i'm billets is singing the latest
ragtime songs, varied by popular
marching tunes the melody Of Till the
Boys Come Home swells or the air.
making the French peasants In the
neighboring country lanes shake their
heads and murinur softly to themselves
'Ah chose mad British
March Through Rain.
suddenly the order comes TO fall In
and march, and then for hours nothing
Is heard but the steady tramp OF men
marching without packs and the duii
roar Of artillery that never ceases. II
is raining heavily, a pitiless. uninter-
rupted %downpour. which makes the
ground soft. squashy. and yielding to
the tread. In the distance are the Brit
ish first line trenches: close behind he
support trenches. Tramp. tramp from
afternoon to evening under gray skies
leaden with freshly gathering rain
clouds. The support trenches gradually
I'LL they are so choked with men that
there Is hardly room to stand. Some
more fortunate thar others find seats
on the fire steps. and though the rain
soaks them through and they are
splashed up to their knees with mud.
they are so tired that they doze OF 10
sleep. The rain never abates and the
roar OF artillery smashing up the
enemy's trenches IL continuous.
IN front of the firing line q us.
tening post who has scratched himseif
a hole in the ground keeps his silent,
lonely watch. Cautiously raising his
head, he catches dlmiy through the cur
tain Of rain n glimpse Of men stealthily
at work repairing the enemy's barbed
wire-he Is there to warn his regiment
of any signs Of An attack. but beyond
putting up fresh wire the Germans are
quiet. At the back Of the British re-
serve trenches the ambulances prepare
for heavy work. and back OF them the
hospitals are ~evacuating the last OF
their wounded. This IL the eve OF bat
tie tomorrow when 1t is light 1--WE
miles OF the line are to go Forward.
On the Eve Of Battle. t
"Oficers are moving among their men
and telling them what the mornings
battle means. There is no sleep Tor tho
! officers they are busy studying their
maps or conversing with the sergeant
majors here and there in a dugout an
officer may be finishing a letter TO his
wife-fve minutes snatched away from
thoughts Of the battle.
DAY has broken, and the light II
I clear. Great puffs OF white and yellow
smok are breaking over the enetny-s
trenches. At ten minutes TO D a whistle
blows. Every mar has put on his pro-
tective heinz against the German gas
The bombardment increases in violence
the earth seems TO rock as with the
fury of primitive elements seeking
cgress. Shells without ending burst
over the German trenches. plump up
gains the s%aNdbags. thrashing
against the wire entanglements n
smashing them into n thousand fantastic
shapes. Sandbags fly into the air. n
sometimes an arm or "A leg with them.
Five minutes to G the whistle blow
again. Along the line runs the order
Get ready five minutes to go then
the order. Tive minutes TO go Six
O'Clock. Like an electric current along
the five mile front flashes the message:
Come on boys; over the top, and the
best of luck and simultaneously n
great human wave surges over the
breastworks and races toward the on
emy's first line.
"MnrmsIade:" n Hattie Cry.
"The men Of n famous Scotch regi-
ment whose home IL in n yell
'Marmaladc forever" as they 90
forward the men of a home counties
regiment shout Now for IT. you beg
CARS. as they skip across tho. scddeaI
ground the Gurkhas for once have, no
bloodcurdling battle cry to utter-they
are advancing with their knives in their
mouths. As cach wave goes forward so
another wave follows, thlnned in PLACES
by the spiteful clatter OF the machine
guns in the German rench and the
eighteen pound shells breaking over the
ground from away back. Nea the
trenches the spreading human mass
raises its voice into one wild exultant
shou. of victory. The half dazed der
mans man the furthermost breastworks'
and Are point blank into the roaring
multitude. Tho next moment they are
at hand 10 hand grips with Inc British,
who have leaped into the trenches and
with their ba yOncts are doing terrible
work. Lungc, Dive! Parry EVERY
time a hayonet swings, n victim.
in a few minutes 1t 10 all over. The
continuous bombardment has taken all
the soul out OF the enemy. and there IL
fttlc or no resistance. The Germans
hold IN their hands and meekly allow
themselves TO be taken prisoners. Many
old men and young boys are among
them. 49,
OHer Hospitality. .
Some of the dugouts present a very
coscI appearance. In one the tablecloth
has lust been laid for breakfast. The
o%ccupants obviously do not stint them
selves. for in a corner of tho apartment
are bottles Of whiskcy, rum. brandy and
Rhenish wine and boxes of cigars and
cigarettes.
"'Help yourselves the Tosnmies are
invited. but they have no time to stop
for refreshments every urOfncnt IL
precious. The men are unceremoniously
bundled out of the dugouts and made
TO line M with the rest OF the prisoners,
and then. when all the enemy copbatanta
in the trench AVE been a~ccOunted for
thapn ia "a hnrrtal aaar .vb for lntfnra aud