The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-09-22
WORD DIRECT
FROM TRENCHES
Stanley Banyard, Brother of Frank
lanyard, of Dow City, Writes,
Telling of War Experiences
NOW IN TELEPHONE SERVICE


NOW IN TELEPHONE SERVICE
Tells of Narrow Escapes From Deatt
--Sheels Do Awful Damage--En-
mics Converse Together
Dow City. Sept. 2l--(Special to the
Review)--Mr. Frank Banyard, who re
sides at this place, received letter
last week from his brother, Stanley
who is serving in the signal corps OF
the eth Suffolk Regiment, and serv'
ing in the British expeditionary force
in France. Mr.. lanyard has been
serving in this regiment for the past
twelve months and greater part OF
this time he has seen active service
in the war zone in Europe. The let
ter was written on August Sth, and
bears the marks of the censor, but
does not state in just what part of
France he is serving.
The letter, which will be of interest
to readers of the Review, follows:
No 1920 l. Banyard.
Sig. H. @. r. S. Coy.
18th Suffolk Regt.
18th Div, 35th Brigade.
British EXpeditionary Force,
France.
S-1S-15
Dear Frank:
hope you are quite well as | am
myself still alive and kicking and
going on we'll | don't know whether
YOU have ever written to me or not,
hut have not received anything. /
hope Arthur and his wife and chill
dren get on all right. Give them my
love when you see them, please. and
also to Edgar. Well, ! am still in the
trenches and have a busy time some
times. We have had decent spell
in now, but | am pleased to say we
arc going back little into rest
camp and am sure we all need it.
There is also the possibility of us 60
ing home for a bit on leave, but it Will
only be for a short time if we do.
shall have been in the army twelve
months on tho 23d of this month. and
have done bit of soldering in that
time The trenches are not so bad
now, ] mean as regards mud, etc.
They have mostly got board or con-
crete flooring, and also the Germans.
so if we get their trenches we have
boards just the same. or course the
defences have to be altered then, as
they are all on the wrong side. do
not get much chance of fighting N.Y.
self as / have to be ON the telephone
| or telegraph some bit. We do not use
much but telephones for signalling
here. Flags or heliograph tare no
good at all as we cannot see each 9TH
er in the trenches. 1t is a job to keep
our telephone wires whole, as they
get broken so, much, by the shells. I
trench (and the officers dugout was
next to the signal otfice) when shell
dropped into the officers place and
blew it into thousands of pieces. The
shock knocked me off any chair. abut
did not lTurt me, luckily.& q A. man
standing two yards, off from me was
killed and it also broke four of our
wires. lido not tell mother or any Of
them near home of these near escapes
as it would make them worry more.
You ought to hear them when there
is an artillery duel on. There is a
roar like hundreds Of thunder storms
in one, and such shrieking noise
overhead and bursting of shells all
over the place. They do awful dam
age to the trenches and the barbed
wire in front of them, and then comes
the infantry fight for possession of
the trenches that have been shelled
The Germans get all they bargain for
at times. Sometimes the line is quiet
except for an occasional rifle shot
and a stray shell. During these quiet
times our chaps have to go out on
listening post which is crawling to-
ward the German trenches and trying
to get news. We have a laugh some
times. One night two of our men
went out on listening post and got
practically UP to the German lines,
They laid there all night without be.
ing spotted, as they thought. When
it was just getting light a German
shouted in good English, Don't you
two think you have been here long
enough? You had better get back
unless you want to get shot And
they were not long coming back eth
er Here's another case: At one or
two places our trenches are barely 80
yards away from the Germans. One
day German put his head up and
shouted ont, "Hello there; do you
know Barlow in Essex" Our chap
answered, yes" So the German
said: "WelT, have a wife and two
children living there" And our chap
answered, "Well, if you don't put your
blooming head down she will be a
widow tomorrow" And he did the
disappearing act.
Well, ] suppose | had better soon
stop as there will be some messages
to send through presently. am on
the phone time | am writing this, but
it is only four in the morning and
there isn't anything doing, SO there
are not many messages. ! suppose
you will have finished harvest out
+ there by now and soon be thinking Of
picking corn. | shall be pleased when
this war is over and | get clear so
that j can join you over there. but |
am afraid that won't be for another
year or so.
Well, ! think ! will close. Mother
and all the others are all right as far
as | know, so au revoir with best Of
love.
5, From your loving brother,
Stanley.