Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-12-07
Letter From DR.. HindIey Leads
to Hope That Word of His
Death Was Not True

Uedln was NOt true
Hilo friends of DR.. G.. ID. Hindley
hope that the word from the coast of
his death in the Mediterranean is I'M
true. Late last month the Santa Bar
bara newspapers published items de-
claring that relatives there had re-
ceived word that the former Hilo ply
stefan had lost HIS life when British
transport was sunk near the Darda-
nelles more than two months ago"
Last week Hilo friend of DR.. Hind
ley received a letter from him from
northern France, dated October 20
which is considerably less than two
months ago. The letter, containing
graphic descriptions OF trench life and
first aid" work, follows:
Northern France, Oct 20, 1915.
Il thought II would interest you to
hear about the war as II appears to
us out here. You must remember that
being very close to a thing sometimes
prevents you from seeing it very
clearly.
~All that we know for certain is
what we actually see. You cannot
trust to what you hear. And some
times even your eyes deceive you.
For instance, the first time you
see q German who Is trying to kill
youk he looks about nine feet high
and about four feet wide.
THE British division of which our
battalion forms part, consists Of
about 10000 men Of the new armies.
n South a. Afraa
I'VE occupy part of the French line
south of Arras and north of Cham
payne. Each battalion takes turns of
IL days In the trenches and IL days
in reserve. During the IL days in
the trenches. half the men are in the
firing line. the other half in support
trenches, in each case for six days.
During the six days the man is on
duty day and night and gets very lit.
tfe sleep.
THE men when they go into the
trenches carry everything they have
with them. Their beds and coats are
on their backs. Their spare clothes,
their little iron spades, their cooking
utensils and their rifles and 120 car
tridges. All this makes up q weight OF
wen over 100 pounds. and perhaps JUS
tines the modern definition of soldier.
as something to hang things on. So
they have to walk quite slowly.
The trenches that we are occupying
were originally built by the French.
We took them over few months ago.
They half encircle a small village, at
distance Of about mile.
Trenches ~ Feet Deep.
They are connected by commune
cation trenches with the village.
These are about 1000 to 1900 yards
long. Most OF the trenches are from
eight to IA feet deep and are therefore
fore. perfectly safe from rifle bullets,
II the bullets cross the trench.
But the communication trenches
are naturally almost at right angles to
the fire trenches. They can therefore
be enfiladed For this reason they
never run quite straight. There is
usually a traverse every few yards.
Each company Of the battalion occu-
pies and Is responsible for certain
piece of trench. The company com
mander lives for the most part in
dug-out about the middle of his line.
He has telephone which is connect
ed with the battalion headquarters and
also with the artillery. If at any time
the Germans begin to make fuss or
do anything dangerous he telephones
to the artillery who are three miles
in the rear and at once British shells
begin to drop into the German
trenches. II the Germans don't shut
up the artillery just continues until
they do. But, as fact, they always
do shut up In the same way If they
start playing about with machine guns
our guns do the same and the Ger
mans 60 to sleep again.
Want 70 BE Left Alone?
Ngt is this that We mean when we
say we have established an ascend
ancy over them. They act as if they
only wanted to be left alone. If we
do nothing they do nothing. They
practically never start anything
I'm front of our line, if you look
over the parapet, you see a tangled
mass Of barbed wire and long grass
1t is quite difficult to see the German
line at all and we have the best of
reasons for believing that they can
not see ours at ALL 1t is only with the
greatest effort that you can make out
a very faint unevenness in the ground,
from 400 to 500 yards away. They
have been in the same trenches sc
long that the grass has grown on the
parapet and hides them. We dig out !
now and then, towards them; perhaps
40 yards. This is done in number
OF. places and then the heads of these
ssps are joined, crossways and behold
you have new fire trench 40 yards
away from the original You have, as
a fact, made an advance.
AT night the Germans can no longer
see you and il is somewhat safer. The