Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-03
TROOPS GET NO
RECOGNITION FOR
DARING DEEDS
That Is Bitterest Cry Agains
Censorship Heard From
the Front

London, Dec. L. Correspondence
of the Associated Press)-The bitter
cry against the censorship heard from
the front is that neither regiments nor
individuals are allowed to gain any
recognition or publicity for unusual
exploits. This is one of the handicaps
democracy meets in trying to con-
duct war on the most modern lines of
secrecy The Japanese army in the
war against Russia was the pioneer in
this policy. The Japanese carried
their attempts to keep the enemy in
the dark so far that none of the SOL
diers wore any regimental marks on
their uniforms. Very few officers OF
enlisted men have been made popular
heroes through this war, and no regi-
ments stand out conspicuously in tho
public eye, although officers say that
several of them have achievements to
their credit equalling the charge OF
the Light Brigade at Balaclava. So
far as the regiments of the old army,
the Little Contemptibles," are con-
cerned, more than q majority of their
members have figured in the casualty
lists months ago.
Want Information
John Redmond, the nationalist
leader, cited one of the grievances of
England in the debate which followed
Premier Asquith's speech on Novem-
ber 2. He said: How could it bring
help to the enemy to let the people of
Ireland, of Scotland, of England and
of Wales know what their own regi-
ments are doing?" He said that the
landing at Sedul Bahr in April, which
was the most difficult operation of
that battle, was carried out by the
Dublin Fusiliers ad the Munster Fusi-
liers, but that Ireland had no knowl-
edge of their work except in letters
from the few surviving officers. He
continued: That kind of thing is do
ing us untold mischief in Ireland. One
of the Dublin Fuciliers was known as
the Pals 1t was made up of we'll
educated young men from the uni
versities. public schools and the pro-
fessions. They were all practically
annihilated. I know scores of families
in Dublin who are in terrible anguish
over the death of their children. I
have seen numbers of letters from
survivors who speak in the highest
terms of the gallantry of those lads" e"
Referring to the landing at Suvla Bay.
Mr.. Redmond said: "L have received
communications relating to the Tenth
(Irish) Division, not from men in the
ranks or subalterns, but from officers
of high position, which I dare not
read to the house. I have felt 1t my
uuIy W lll6IH 10 IHe war ONCE
and the Prime Minister. Sir Ian
Hamilton is back here now, and some
day these things will have to be in
quired into, and when they are known
think 1t will be found that never in
your military history have troops been
subjected to such horrible sufferings,
or have shown such gallantry as the
Tenth Division commanded by Sir
Bryan Mahon. Yet not one word of
recognition has been written about
them"
Mr.. Redmond dealt particularly
with the War Office censorship over
official reports in this speech. In the
kearlier months of the war the gov
ernment had an official Eyewitness
in the field to fill the void. caused by
the prohibition OF war correspondents.
and to attempt to satisfy the public
demand for descriptions of the work
of the British army. His messages.
however, were robbed of nine-tenths
of their possible interest by the alb
sence of the names of organizations
and individuals. Since a limited
number of British correspondents have
been permitted at army HEADQUARTERS
during the past season the official
Eyewitness" has been withdrawn.
but the newspaper men are under the
same restriction of writing mostly in
lgeneralities.