The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-05
SOLDIERS KEEPING
HOUSE" IN TRENCHES
Tommy Atkins DevOtes Time
to Tending Flower Gardens
and Serving Tea.
0M1NOUS QUIET FOR DAYS
NJ FREDERICK PALMER.


D.. snecsdi cable Despatch TO THE SrN.
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN FRANCE. July
A-Qna might have gone miles along
~ Ssitish front this week without
hearing the shot Of a ingle gun II
seemed as " both sides were aking a
holiday from the business Of war out OF
respect for the beautiful summer
weather. Perhaps. on the other hand.
the silence Is significant OF preparation
and the accumulation Of shells by one
eide or the other for some great effort.
Beyond the occasional explosion OF a
mine and the routine Smelling by batter
les TO harass the enemy's guns. destroy
new fortihcations ana keep the enemy
from taking life too easily, there has
been nc action.
The soldiers who are In reserve have
been swimming In the canals. resting
under the shade trees. playing cricket
and football. and tending to their flower
gardens, which have been made to look
like those one aces in the front Of n row
Of cottages during this season In Eng
land. The nat. gently roofing country OF
Flanders and northern France. which is
q forbiSding gray and ieafiess miro under
the chilling winter mists, has become a
pleasant land. rich in crops n dotted
with groves. over which long lines OF
motor trucks pass. The roads are ave-
nues bordered by stately poplars.
Guard Against Epidemics.
All fears Of an epidemic Of sickness In
the hot months for the army or for the
thickly populated lowlands are ground
less. Thanks TO the anti-typhoid inocu-
lation and the habitual cleanliness OF
the Englishmen, as well as the strict
enforcement Of sanitary precautions by
the Royal Army Medical Corps, tn.
health Of the troops is at good az II
they were In barracks at home. There
IRE but few flies. even around the cav
airy camps and at the quarters Of the
artillery horses. The paths and the
roadsi6oS vf Tho yards where the men
are billeted are kept as clear OF litter
% q hrst class golf course or the lawn
Of q iastidious suburbanite. Tommy At
kins frequently lends a hand to the
French peasants. old men and women,
or boys and girls. and by the way in
which Tommy handle a scythe one
knows whether he is city or country
bred.
! have walked through long commune
cation trenches with perfect safety In
broad daylight to the firing trenches.
which II approached in winter, except
over the open ground through mud and
Under cover Of darkness. would have
been worth ones life. The siege has
been made comfortable. Some trenches
even have become a sort OF sylvan para
disc where meals and tea are taken al
freeco and flowers have been planted on
the parapete beneath which, in the win
ter, the men stood Pressing In water
up to their knees. only continual pump
ing ana bailing preventing them from
-being entirely immersed. The only com
splaint Of these trench housekeepers now
.io that they lack water for washing.
The casualties where only shipping and
Occasional shelling are going on have
sbssn greatly reduced. This IL not only
sowing to the fact that the men have
slaaSned to protect themselves more ef-
effectively than at FIRST, but also to the
fact III the intrenchments have been
greatly improved.
Great Improvements Made.
Although IN many instances the
trenches are In exactly the same line
that they occupied In December. these
improvements have been 40 great that II
10 no longer possible for the enemy "a
sptck of the men from tree tops or from
shouse tops. In fact. the shells and bull
lets which previously caused such a
.hsavy death toll are now OF little effect
One can move only a few feet in a
straight line in these new trenches. Zig
sxaSs and traverses localize the damage
.of shells4 On dull days there ave beer
instances Of not a single casualty fol
the distance OF a mile. II Is when thu
ARTILLERY fire In concentrated or a par
.ticular section and an effort is made &c
get through the ba-oed wire defences
TO AXE a trench by either side that thu
casualty list leaps up like n thermome,
ter thrust from an Ice box into an oven
So accustomed have the men become
to life in the trenches that many o.
them prefer the average trench on ar
average day to the security OF reserve
quarters because the sniping. Away
going on. has a certain element OF spor
and excitement In II that attracts. TIL
confidence and patriotism OF the officers
and men at the front II we'll shown b,
the fact that they are investing thei,
extra shillings. even when they are bu
few, in the new war ioan. Professions
-opinion at the front In far from dis
..eouraged by the German offensive II
the east. The British say the Wal mus
be won by killing Germans and that tn,
further the Germans are drawn int
Russian quicksands the more wastag
there will be for them.
Like '83 In Civil War.
This period OF the war for the Allie
10 frequently compared to SO for n
North. when Lees and Jackson's sue
cess In Virginia and the Confederat
advance In Pennsylvania had been mad
before Gettysburg was won. Ridini
about the front even the expert observ
srs are unable to guess how man
troops me British have at the 'front.', on
passei bodies OF infantry changing sta
tionr ~ moving from the rear TO the al
vanced lines without being any tn
wiser. Only Sir John French and A fe'
OF the stan officers really know what tn
British strength in France IL. TIL
average officer never asks questions r.
garding this subject, but tends strict
to the business assigned to him,
In the hard fighting in the Festuhei
and La Rassee regions, carried on ,
cooperation with the French orensiy
around the Arras region, the lines wer
changed but so slightly that the
scarcely show on the map, Gains of
very positive tactical value were mad,
however. II the opinion OF a lay oil
server counts for anything the Rrltis
army has so Ear made nothing like !!
maximum effort.
The anger felt by the officers an
men against the Germans for their us
OF asphyxiating gas has not abate
Tommy Atkins is always seen in II
new trenches now with n respirator in
bag slung over his shoulder. IL hitt,
personal feeling and the desire TO n
taliate mean better morale for y
troops. then the German use OF gas hf
been invaluable In the Advancement
the morale OF the British army. In II
trenches, during these days AZ least, or