The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-01-15
SIDELIGHTS
| ON The WAR
Old British Private De-
scribes His Experiences.
Duels Between Aeroplanes Have
Become Regular Features
Of The War.

This is the narrative of a British
private in a French foreign legion
lie was at work in Mexico when the
war started and hurried home Ar.
irving in London, he found his forty
years prevented his CRYING in Kitch.
ener's army. Men of this age are
not accepted unless they have pre-.
viously served. But he was resolv.
ed TO strike a blow for his country
being hardy, out-of-door sort, SC
he crossed the channel and was ac-
cepted by the French.
His story is made up from thirty
or forty of the oldest letters and
postal cards ever mailed. Some are
bits of old paste-board boxes, and
others pieces of dingy manila, or
even brown wrapping paper. There
is no envelope or stamp on many,
but the British postoffice delivered
all free of charge to his relatives
in London.
He started to drill with about
$500 other foreigners at Blois. His
company slept on straw scattered
over the Blois market. He declares
he never felt so fit and was always
hungry. despite monster meals.
In marching, he kept up with men
twenty years younger. Each soldier
carried a weight of sixty-fve pounds.
Here is his list: Underclothing in a
bag, blanket with a section of tent
wrapped around it, two tent pegs,
a metal pail, an emergency ration
of six biscuits, can of beef, a pack
age Of soup waters, 166 rounds of
ammunition and big rifle.
After a brilliant sham attack on
hamlet, the legion was declared
ready for the 'front.' and entrained
for Paris at some nameless place,
marching began, and slept in a hay
loft one night. then a stable. an at
tic, wine cellar, loft once more
and in the huts. They are fast
reaching the firing line see nothing.
but hear the scream and whistle of
shells. Then comes the baptism of
fire, shrapnel is bursting all around,
but no one has been hit.
German aeroplanes are lowering
over them; excitemnt grows tense;
1t is the real thing. Any day they
may 60 to the trenches, and at last
come quaint wrapping-paper let
ter to say they are in them.
On the first occasion they were
four days in the trenches, on the
second SIX. He describes them as
thirty inches deep, dug out of sand.
rooted over with sapling trunks with
openings at intervals of one metre
rather like PORTFOLIOS through Which
they pot at the enemy.
The legion have watches or spells
in the trenches, after which they
burrow through passages into the
shelter pits, where they rest and
sleep. The one which he knows best
Is eight feet wide, nine deep. and
about las long as the two wineries
and the tomato house" (ninety feet).
1t is dug out of plantation on a
steep slope, the passageway is in the
center, 1t is rooted over with small
tree trunks as rafters and the sap
lings as battens, to depth Of about
eighteen inches. The floor is strewn
with broom for them to rest on.
Battles i'm the Air Frequent.
A correspondent of the New York
writes from the headquar-
Iers of the German Ninth Army
Somewhere in France" as follows:
Sensational duels between hostile
aeroplanes are regular occurrences
now. and not infrequently aerial
battles take place between whole
! heard this from the
chief of an aeroplane squadron. who
was returning from q accommodating
flight around Rheims. When I met
him he was travelling in his luxuri-
ous private limousine which he had
brought with him into the field
from Berlin. My military motor
car had executed a flank attack on
on the road embankment with dis
astrous results. and the aviator
kindly gave me lift into town and
some interesting information.
1--WE are all eagerly awiting or
ders for raid on England" the cap
tain led on. "Yes. have flown over
Paris. Going to Paris is mere chauf-
feur's work. The machines of my
squadron have covered $4,000 miles
since the war began. The French
are about twenty miles an
hour faster than ours; but there is
no advantage In going SO fast, for
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