Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-03
HONORABLE ARTILLERY
OF LONDON IN TRENCHES
ASSOCIATED Press Correspondence

| like its counterpart and relative IN
Boston, Is one of the oldest and most
aristocratic military organizations IN
existence, now has in the field an or
ganization which includes hundreds Of
members of the wealthiest and most
aristocratic families in England. They
have proved their merit and their
democracy on countless occasions
since they went to France early in the
| war.
An observer at British headquarters
sends the following account of a visit
to the H. A. c." on a day when they
were resting in the reserve lines.
Beyond the last farmhouse" he
writes, Il came upon field about the
size Of Madison Square in New York.
filled with precise rows of bare headed
half dressed soldiers, sitting on their
blankets like Mohammedans at prayer,
enjoying the baking sun.
That's the H. A. c. said my
guide. and vanished.
None of the Honorable Artillery
men looked up from their meditations
as l walked between them. Some
wore trousers and no shirt; others
/
and no trousers. All were evidently
very tired and very lazy. Some were
sewing on buttons or mending dam
aged sections of their attire. Others
| had their garments thrown across
! their knees, inside out, and were in
specting them inch by inch, gravely
and methodically. for those unweicome
little visitors which are one of the
greatest bane of trench warfare.
had an impression that | was intrud :
| ing upon solemn and not unlmpor-
tant ceremony There was absolute
| silence.
How many friends of this famous
regiment would have recognized the
cropped, unshaven assemblasc sitting
on army blankets in that COW pasture :
They had nothing in common with the
spic and span young gentleman who
used to appear as gi:tering guards OF
honor at the London Guldhai and
We're generally voted the smartest
volunteer foot soldiers in the world
They looked, in fact as hard and I'M
! compromising d set Of ruffians as
could be found anywhere in the area OF
the war. Hard as nails they were
! calm of eye, summing themselves after
a week of careful killing, as though the
punishment of Germans had always
/ been their business.
Il walked up and down between the
rows. trying to readjust my mental
picture of the Honorable Artillery
! Company. Here was awealthy Young
gentleman from the city sitting in his
! shirt with his legs barred to the mid
! day breeze thouGhtfully sewing a but
! ton on his trousers. He pricked his
! finger and sWole softly. Next to him
! was q famous Cambridge scholar,
wearing eyeglasses and trousers. His
gray shir; was spread out in the sun
! shine and ne regarded il somewhat
moroscly.
| The silence was very striking. |
had@passed other battalionS--not from
: the trenches-in billets nearby, and
| the cheerful chatter Of the men could
| he heard on ali sides. Here tho still
ness was only .,rokcH by the sound Of
| bagpipes from the next village and
the final pre-luncheon delivery of Ger
man shells. Aeroplanes. with the tri-
! colored bulls-eye Of the Allies painted
on the underside of their wings, were
| humming overhead, with enemy shrap-
mel strewing great white roses in their
wake, but the Honorable Artillerymen
shut all thoughts of war out of their
minds for the moment and soaked in
| the sunshine.
when the H. A. c.. took over the
portion of trenches assigned them the
enemy was engaged in improving his
defences amid certain ruins. Sand
bags were brought up at night and
utilized as a breastwork against the
shattered walls. Then came pro-
fusion of machine guns.
| The force of enemy infantry was
really very small, but the enemy
counted as usual on machine gun de-
fences as being more eff1cacious than
rifiemen. In a way they are right
Machine guns cannot bolt when troops
attack.
During the week the Germans be-
came holder and holder in their move
ments behind their defences. The H.
| A. C. bided their time, and at the right
moments they brought down groups Of
workers who dared show themselves
out OF cover.
| "A staff offlcer came down one Gay
last week to inspect the new German
! defences, and his contempt for British
craftsmanship cost him his life. He
could be seen walking about behind the
breastworks, giving orders and other
wise emphasizing his importance.
! "A certain crack shot waited quietly
! beside his rifle. The German officer
came up to the breastwork and hooked
Through a loophole at our trench. The
markings on his cap could be plainly
seen. There was shetland a
scream The bullet hit him squarely
in the face.
Immediately the Germans turned
loose their machine guns in a blaze of
impotent fury. That in itself was suf
ficient assurance that the officer had
been killed. No one was hurt, al
though the parapets were peppered
with bullets. When the enemy was
| tired Of shooting they shouted threats
and jmprecations across their sap
| head"
MATT ANN 00lnnF