The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-08-25
British Consider Proposal to Pro-
vide Troops with Protection
Against Bullets Of Enemy
Next Year
THREE PIECE SUIT OF
TEMPERED STEEL
Plan Believed to Be Practicable in
French Fighting; Shields Tried
ON SmaIlScale in Spanish
American War
BY wILsUR s. FORREST.

or WiL5Oh ,. rOHhESTs
Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
London. Aug. 14.-(By mail. The
1916 British army may be an armored
army.
The great casualty list that filters
through the war office every day from
the front; the convalescent wounded
and battered soldiers that are always
on the streets and the oyerflowing hos
pitals are beginning to have their ef-
feet.
Many ask. isn't there way to
minimize this appalling situation?"
Somebody has answered: "Armor."
And it's beginning to lock like armor
for the British soldiers of 1916.
While the British war office is con-
sidering whether 1t shall slip back to
medieval methods of warfare SO far as
protection Of the soldier is concerned,
well known Britishers are telling tha
war office through the press that
armor is a natural necessity in these
days Of machine guns and high power
ed rifles.
Scores of suggestions for modern
1916 armor emanating from scientists
have narrowed down to the praetica.
bility of a three piece suit of tempered
steel that would protect the forehead.
breast and abdomen-the three vital
spots of the body The favored head
piece, will. If authorized by the war
office, take the form of the highly tenn
pered steel skull cap-like protector now
worn by the French to minimize the
danger of shrapnel. The breastplate
would be thin leather covered hard
ened plate of steel curved to fit over
the chest and held by straps that go
over the shoulders and around the
waist. The abdominal protector is sug-
gested in the form Of another curved
sheet of steel fitting over the lower
ribs and extending down to the bones
Of the hips.
The British war office four years
ago experimental with bullet proof
breastplate at Aldershot where the de-
vice shed all the rifle and machine gun
bullets that were fired against 1t at
ranges of one foot to five hundred
yards. The breastplate was rejected
on the ground that It added to much
weight to the equipment OF the soldier
and reduced his marching efficiency.
With war of great proportions that
will probably last many more months
or perhaps years and with the thou-
sands of dead and the tens OF thou
sands of wounded, the war office Is
believed to be reconsidering It's obiec.
tion to armor.
The men of the trenches at least
probably will be thus equipped. accord
ing to information today.
One of Britain's leading advocates OF
armor is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the
noted author OF Sherlock Holmes"
In lengthy message from his home
at Windlesham, Crowbrough, Sussex.
to London daily, Sir Arthur cited an
action of the British in northern
France on May 8. when several bri-
gades were decimated in an effort 10
rush across 800 yards intervening be-
tween the British and the German
trenches. He wdarne:
you must either abandon such at
tacks or YOU must find artificial pro-
tection for the men,"
Sir Arthur suggests three-pIece suits
of steel plates for the soldiers. out
goes further in advocating a modern
"testudo"-a cover used by the Roman
soldiers in attack wall. formed by
overlapping their obIong shields above
their heads. Sir Arthur's modern te-
,udo, he would put on wheels to cover
the men as they charge the German
trenches. He says:
/ These numerous armor plated bod
les could rush with small loss over .
space which had already been cleared
as far as possible Of obstacles. and SO