Evening journal., 1915-04-28
BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.
United Press Staff Correspondent
Copyright 1915. by the United Pressl

BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.
United Press Staff Correspondent
Copyright 1915. by the United Press
Copyright in Great Brittany
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
NORTHERN FRANCE, April 16-(By
Mail to New York THE road 10
Neuve Chapelle, England's newest
possession, is sunken; it's the road OF
the trenches.
As soon as you enter the trenchdom
of the British army before Neuve
Chapelle you don't leave the shelter Of
trenches until you're in the town.
And when you're in the town you
don't leave it, either.
Neuve Chapelle is blown to pieces.
Its earth and streets, even its grave
yard. has been churned by shells.
From a zig-zag trench you get your
first view of it: it is desolation itself.
The mystery is that men will fight
for such a place, but the battle of
Neuve Chapelle is. already finding its
place in history as tremendous
achievement of an English general
and this group of debris piles that
YOU see a third of a mile distant is
the rent that Neuve Chapelle, the
quiet little French village that has
never before been noticed by the
great world pays for its niche in the
annals of human affairs.
You're plodding along the trench.
"Diabv Macdonald" calls the colonel
who i, guiding You, as he stops before a
cloth that seems to be hung like wall
paper on the trench wall. The cloth
moves: mans head appears from be-
hind it. tanned and smiling; moment
later you're being introduced to an Eng
lish colonel
'.Diqbv Macdonald helped to make
these trenches; he came here first with
his men during the days when the Ger.
mans were sweeping Calais-ward, and
when he had to order his men into a
ditch beside the La Bassee road. Heres
the La Basse road. and here's Digby
Macdonald and his men in the same old
spot. The months passed since last DC
tober and this little bunch Of men held
on. across the road the Germans held
on, too. Night and day. night and day
for thirty davs, for hundred days, they
were deadlocked like this, in the
trenches they had made.
Look over the trench; there's NeuVe
Chapelle." SAYS Dighy Macdonald.
You hesitate about raising your head
ats all right" says he. The Ter
man trench Is right over there, between
MS and the village. But it's clear OF
Germans now and the German trenches
are 800 yards beyond the town.
This is your first clear glimpse o
Neuve Chapcle. You're really IN ~
outskirts. IL is only on the other sld'
of a meadow from you; an eighth OF
mile away. And across the meadow yo'
see a man strolling toward you, dressed
in khaki inspecting telephone posts, ap
parently.
You're standing ON an elevated road
wav now. behind shelter OF sand0ag
and the meadow lies below you.
at was from these trenches beside
the roadway that our men rushed Owe
the road. onto the meadow and agains
that German trench n the battle" oX
plains one of the officers. Behind then
were the reserves. They came pllln'
over this road bv Thousands
While ne is talking the Khaki persol
in the meadow is coolly strolling aroun'
and whistling s. are rifle bullots, nov
and then. Some are uncomtortaol'
close; thev are spent bullets, and they'r
noisier than bullets newly sent.
All this time the German and Englsl
shells had been iutertwining their path
wavs in the air above MS. \ WIN
came near to lis on our right and a hun
dred yards away she'll exploded an
threw mp a huge cloud of earth, toppe
by smoke
On our right. FIVE minutes later, an
other shell fell, bu. further distant
Five Of them came within fifteen nm
utes.
We took to the trenches again an
advanced to Neuve Chappelle Nhll
you're in the town You can't see It. You
whole world is the wall OF the trench.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS.
United Press Staff Correspondent
copyright 1915. by the United Press
Copyright in Great Britain)
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY. Apri