The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-01-21


when l was asked my name | spelled
1t 'Tressler' because ! didn't want
anybody 10 know that ! couldn't recall
where | came from or who was.
Is Reported Missing.
Consequently II. F. Trusler' went
on the rolls of the missing. Conse-
quently also, failed to get mail from
my fiancee and my parents, It was
not until last summer when | was
wounded in the leg so badly that | was
sent to England that made any at
tempt to find out who ! was. / con
iided my story to an Englishwoman
of high rank who was interested in
the hospital. She made inquiries
among the officers of my brigade who
remembered 'Trusler' who came out
| with the contingent.
My parents were communicated
with and my mother remembered an
old scar on my foot. Sure enough
the scar was there. Even when
returned to Montreal l didn't recog-
nize my mother and don't yet.
learned l was engaged to be married
before left for the front and on my
return home my fiancee was at the
station with my mother and father.
l didn't recognize any of them, but
they took me home"
Here Mr.. Trusler admitted that he
had fallen in love "all over again" and
with the same girl.
Although the gunner cannot remem-
ber what happened before January of
last year, he has a vivid recollection
of what has happened since, and his
description of the battle of Ypres in
April and of the effect of the poison
gases used by the Germans is most
vivid.
About five o'clock of the evening
of April 23," he said, I'VE were get
ting quite bored, for we were in the
reserve force along the Poperinghe
road, three miles west of Ypres. The
dull monotony was rudely broken by
the sudden appearance of swarms Of
French colonial troops, Singhalese and
Zouayes, rushing in from the front
u OAAShtDf NihlNlllAAb at bhC4l llllOeNoI
holding their sides, rolling on the
ground gasping for breath, eyes blood
shot and staring, many of them bleed
ing at the mouth, but most of them
unable to explain the cause of their
peculiar actions
Asphyxiating Gas Cloud.
Along with them came scores of
refugees, men, women and children,
bearing with them all they could take
from their burning and wrecked
homes. At that time we had never
heard of asphyxiating gas and were at
a loss TO make out what it all meant.
The order stand to your arms was
quickly passed along to the reserves. !
The Montreal Highlanders were the |
first to get on the move. 1t takes |
longer to get artillery wagons on the
move, and while we were working at |
feverish haste the Highlanders went |
by each man singing and smiling, |
although they must have known that |
many of them would never return.
AT seven o'clock the artillery
forces were all ready and waiting I
for the order to move forward, shall
never forget the scene at the moment
From the city Of Ypres there arose
high in the heavens huge jets of
lames, while overhead shells burst
by the hundreds, and in our ears was
he din of falling walls and all sorts
1f indescribable noises.
when the order came to move for
ward we urged our horses with
cheer and a song. 1t was necessary
or us to make detour south of Ypres
n order to get to the main road lead
ng to our damaged front 1t also
vas necessary to cross the User canal,
bout half mile south of the town.
IN a pontoon bridge The first gun
rot over safely, when along came
ierman shell and destroyed it.
Under a deadly fire, for the Ger
mans had the range, we waited while
he engineers worked to construct an
,ther bridge, Two long thick poles
we're placed across the narrow canal
md crossways on them timbers and
ogs were piled. The Second gun
vent across precariously, but the
bird was upset by a rolling log, the
annon carriage falling on one side of
he narrow bridge and the six horses
II the other. While The cannon and
orses seemed to be seesawing this [
yay and that across the bridge shell
ut an end to all the trouble. !
Then third bridge was construct l