Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-19
NORTH AMERICANS
HEROES OF GREAT
FIGHT ON SOMME
Men From New Orleans to
Vancouver Win Laurels
in Battle
CANADIANS" FROM U. S.
Bx FREpERIcK PALMER

tAccredited corresrendent with the British army
Of the press OF the United states.)
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN THE
FIELD. via London, Sept 10.
Now we may tell how all kinds OF men
from the ends OF the earth fought on Sep
tenber is in what was the most dramatic
and picturesque battle Of the British army
in all its two years in France.
In the same dressing station this week
the correspondent has seen Canadians. New
zealanders, English. Scotch and Irish. New
foundlanders and Americans.
The English guards were enjoined not TO
mention those armored motorcars, called
stanks." which are to the credit of n quiet
officer OF engineers.
When six months ago the correspondent
met him In London and asked what job he
war on now he replied "Sh-h. Don't tell
1t was tanks he was working on then ana
Il was tanks that completed the wonder
ful business Of this battle.
Today. when the correspondent was cali
ing upon a Canadian brlgadier general a
tank. called the Gordon Rouge" looking
like n prehistoric monster In n skin OF mod
ern armor with engineers inside came across
the field of shell craters, weaving its way
with python-llke adaptability to all irregu-
larities under foot and up to the door OF
the generals dugout
Tho skipper Of the Gordon Rouge"
alighted and with a philegmatic drawl an-
nounced that he reported for further orders,
The general laughingly bade him not to
start the brute down the stairs into the
dugout, but TO move II 20 one side and wait,
and the tank ambled with the bulky leisure
OF a hippopotamus over some shell craters
20 a place where II could be out of the way
until needed.
CANADIANS" FROM u. s.
Then the correspondent went over the
ground which the Canadians had taken, up
20 the edge of the village of Courcelette,
which they stormed. He met Canadians
from Montreal and Toronto, Winnipeg and
Vancouver. but when he asked some of
them what part of Canada they hailed from
they replied, from the same country you
do the United States"
There were men with the AGENT OF Mis-
souri, and New England, and there on the
soil OF France men hailed each other in the
French tongue Of Quebec
I'VE got In the big show all right" said
enc of the Americans. "and that is what we
came for"
Against machine gun fire and shell fire
these individuals who found themselves
ridges, went to 1t In manner worthy Of
Civil War traditions. 1t was the Canadians
first offensive on any big scale.
On this rainy day one saw battalions of
them marching out from the trenches they
had won and other battalions marching in
Those fresh from the fight were plastered
with mud, but triumphant, and a hundred
stories they had to tell while rain drIpped
from their tarpaullns. And the wounded
also drenehed. had their stories, too. Of how
the boys had made good.
"Confound cost and everything else"
said these men, determined to make good on
their frst offensive and when the word was
given they started for Courcellette. which
they were to take
Now this village had had less softening
by preparatory shelhre. to clean out the
strong points and nest of machine guns
than any yet captured. Through the streets
TO their new objective marked their
maps went these fighters from the New
World, including men from far south
as New Orleans. as.well as men from Nova
Scotia and Vancouver, determined TO get
there and make good. And they got there
When no word came for some time, the
stan, sitting back of the center nerve Of
Intelligence trying to look perfectly raol
under shellfre, wondered II they were in
trouble. They finally got word that the
charge had gone beyond the village TO