Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-19
WITH BRITISH SOLDIERS
IN FIGHTING TRENCHES
Amid Bursting Shells and Rain OF
Shrapnel, Correspondent Has
Taste OF Real War.
AWFUL. BUT PICTURESQUE
Caught in Midst Of Lively Artillery
Fire, Preparatory to Infantry At
tack by Germans, Tommies Act in
MethodicaI Fashion.
BY FREDERICk PALMER.

DIM 1911 fiiAD'l ERS, FRANCE,
July 27-"That was ours" which was
poHte way or saying that there was
no use lodging three or four hundred
pounds of steel pellet which made n
piercing falsctto as II swept through
the air at the rate Of only n few thous-
and yards a second
And thcrs-there. Look at that
tree
Caught in the midst OF lively ar
tlilery "Strafing'-word taken from
COT Strafe England"-wc were peep
ing over the parapct of "A communica-
tion trench connecting the British sup
port and frontal trench. while the shells
from both sides were passing overhead
In front Of the British support trench
was line of stately shade trees. Some
were still standing despite the months
OF firing in this hot corner" of the
British front. a German shell struck
fairly in the trunk OF one about the
same height from the ground as the
lumbcrman sinks his axe into the bark
The simmer OF hot gas spread out
from the point OF explosion. Through
1t indistinctly one saw that twelve
inches OF green wood had been clovcn
In two as neatly AS daisy head comes
of with cut by walking stick The
pody Of tho tree was carried crosse the
HpllntcFcd stump by the crushing mower
Of the proiect.le's flight plus the power
or the burst Of the high explosive
charge on impact which broke the shell
Jacket into sla.hing fragments; and
the towering column OF limbs branches
and foliage laid it's length on the
ground Which shows what ono she'll
can do; one OF three which burst in
that neighborhood at the same time.
RATHER TREE TRUNK
THAN HIS TRUNK
I'd rather that it would hit n tree
trunk than my trunk" said L. the
other correspondent, who was along.
but you wouldn't have go, IL as badly
as the tree Tho impact would not
have been sufficient to explode It. II
would have gone right through"
Evidently the BocheH are going 70
Try 10 take that trench they lost tho
other day" said an officer They have
tried II Ave times so far and failed
They're yer" sore about tho loss OF
that trench They seem TO think our
battalion was 10 blame from the way
they are stranng us"
This is. then. what they call tho
artillery preparation in tho Official
bulletins?"
Yes"
We were glad to learn that We were
seeing the real thing after having come
up through the support trenches which
were getting some OF the kind OF shell
frc that had chopped the tree down
at single blow. not 10 mention light
STUFF thrown in for good meas sure be-
sides the heavy stun" The British
have pretty sim censorship. but they
do net lead correspondent around
with halter into peaceful show
enches. II you wan: to-wel here
We we're TO have a few hours experi.
EMO which is part OF the days work
{" iai.ish soldiers.
NEEDED STEEL ROD
TO STRENGTHEN BACKS
Ours AGAIN.
a soldier looked into correspon
dents face he ducked. Tne smile
was not scornful-but II was ut least
amused At the expense OF the sight
seer In addition to the respirators
which we had brought In the case Of
gas attack. We needed a steel rod
fastened to the back OF our necks and
running down our sninal columns in
order 20 preserve what rhe French cal,
our sanEtro!d.
I'm such cases they knock the trench
with high-exploslve shells and cut Tho
barbed wire in front of the trench IN
bits with shrapnel before the infantry
rushes in"
Yes, that is what they arc doing
further along-where our front trench
bends back towards the line of our
support trench there. But even if they
don't mean 10 attack hero. why thew
give it to us lsre At the same time"
Which might include this communi-
cation trench?'
Certainly. This makes n good line
shot. as II runs almost in the same
direction as the German batteries i'm
mediately In front are pointing-as we
were to appreciate later on our way
pack from the front trench"
That Is the system, them"
Yes. the gunners put in tho shells
everywhere there is target on such
OCCASIONS"
From all the variety of screams or
big shells and screams of 1tt,,o ehaus
harroWingly close and low To thos,
distant and high, one felt warranted
IN suggesting that the British u.ro
doing considerable artillery nron.ro
ton themselves
we must give them as good as ,bsv
scnd-ani more"
More seemed correct
ihose close ones you hear arc
doubtless meant for the front C;e-,nan
trenches-which accounts for tboir ,o.,.
trajectory. The others are for +h.ir
SUPPORT 'renches or any battery posi-
lions our planes have located"
SOLDIERS ONLY MOLEs
huGGING HOLES IN GRorxn
Unless one looked aloft, there was No
spectacle to behold in this vantaao
point Of observation of how mod,s
var is Fought. The British front
trench was as gray ribbon bindin,
heid or wheat while the line OF SIM.
port tr"nca. SO we'll concealed. was
hardly visible through the glasses 5oo
yards away. You saw no men. You