The Butler weekly times., 1915-05-06
Give Personal Touches lmpossi-
bic to War Correspondent in
These Days.
J0KERs EVEN IN TRENCHES
Irish Spirit Proves irrepressibie In
Face Of Grave Danger-sea Fight
~ Seen From, the En-
0ins Room.

Vivid letters from soldiers at til
front or in hospital bases and scrapr
notes from the tars with the "silel
feet" mirror the actualities of wa
with ? wealth OF intimate detail an
picturesque personal touches imposs
BILE to the harshly censored war Co
respondent.
The following is written from tn
front by Corp. T. Trainor:
I'VE have had German cavalr
thrown at US six times In the last fou
hours, and each time 1t has been
different body, so that they mus
have plenty to spare. There is NJ
eight hours for work, eight hours TO
sleep and eight hours for play will
US, whatever the Germans may do.
"The strain is beginning to tell OF
them more than on us, and you car
see by the weary faces and trembling
hands that they are beginning tc
break down.
"One prisoner taken by the French
near Courtrai sobbed for an hour as
though his heart were broken, his
nerves were so much shaken by what
he had been through. The French
are fighting hard all round US with
a grit and 60 that will carry them
through.
Have you ever seen little man
fighting great big, hulking giant
who keeps on forcing the little chap
about the place until the giant tires
himself out, and them the little one,
who has kept his wind, knocks him
over? That's how the fighting here
strikes me.
I'VE are dancing about round the big
German army, but our turn will
come. Our commanders know their
business. and we shall come out on
top all right"
Sergeant Major McDermott does not
write under ideal literary conditions,
but his style is none the worse for
the inspiration furnished by the
shrieking shell:
Il am writing to you with the en-.
emy's shells bursting and screaming
overhead; but God knows when 1t
will be posted. if at all
I'VE are waiting for something to
turn up to be shot at, but up to now,
though their artillery has been max.
ing flendish row all along our front,
we haven't seen as much as a mos.
quito's eyelash to shoot at. That's
why l am able to write. and some of
us are able to take bit of rest while
the others keep dick
There is a fine German airship
hanging around like a great blue
bottle up in the sky, and now and
then our gunners are trying to bring
1t down, but they haven't done it yet.
IT'S the quantity, not the quality of
the German shells that is having eff.
feet on us. and it's not so much the
actual damage to life as the nerve.
racking row that counts for so much
"Townsmen who are used to the
noise and roar of streets can stand
1t better than the countrymen. and
think you will find that by far the
Attest- men are those of regiments
recruited in the big cities.
"A London lad near me says it's no |
worse than the roar of the motor
buses and other traffic in the city on
. busy day"
Gaelic Spirit irrepressibIe.
The Gaelic spirit has not deserted
5ergt. T. Cahill under fire. He writes:
"The Red Cross girleens with their
purity faces and their sweet ways ars
ls good men as most Of US, and bet
.er than some Of US. They are not
supposed to venture into the firing
line at all, but they get there all the
Dame. and devil one Of us burst turn
hem away.
Mike Clancy Is that droll with his
arking and bamboozling the Germans
hat he makes us nearly split our
Iides laughing at him and his ways.
Yesterday he got . stick and put
J cap on It, 20 that 1t peeped up
hove the trench just like q man, and
hen the Germans kept shooting away
{ Il until they must have used up
ons Of ammunition"
But Mike Clancy wss not the only
'racticaI Joker In the trenches, ~ the
blowing from . wounded soldier
hows:
~0ur men have Just had their par
et1 from home. and have noted,
mong other things, that Business -
I0nAr u the motto Of patriotic shop