South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-06-05
IRISH SOLDIERS
GOOD FIGHTERS
Major of Celtic Troops Re-
cruited Men From Country
and Was Given Command.

BRITISH HEADQUARTERS.
france. June There is a town at
the British front which is the center
Of an Irish world IL is the head
quarters town Of the 10th, or Irish
division. Irish voices are heard from
the doorways OF the houses. Flower
pots OF shamrock are on the mess
IA bles Of officers who gather for
their meals in the modest sitting
room of the local grocer or butcher
where they are billeted.
In his Office a general who is Irish
TO the finger tips talks about his
troops. who were lighting hard
against the Germans during the
Dublin riots.
If he is asked If there are any
Sim Feiners among them he will
refer the inquirer 10 the men them
selves. They enlisted in the Irish
new army battalions in face Of the
influence which produced Sim Fem
ism. This gave them a distinction
of character 10 start with, their Of
ficers say.
Sturdy. middle-aged men. with
stripes Of color won in campaigns
in India and South Africa while
serving with regular Irish regiments
some still sergeants. some promoted
to commissions. have been the drill
masters OF vigorous youth from
Mayo or Kilkenny or Glare or Cork.
But most Of the officers in common
with most Of the men had never
been in uniform when the war be-
gan.
That major. over six feet and
broad i'm proportion. standing stiff
as a ramrod in salute, who looks
as if he had been soldering all his
life, was farmer in Waterford
He recruited a company from the
surrounding countryside and was
given command. Promotion follow
ed as it has for other beginners.
Those captains who are members Of
parliament will get there now I'M
less they are among the casualties
which makes room for others to
rise. They say that they thought
they could do better work for home
RTE at the front than in the com
mons.
We wanted to draft the Irish
men who were i'm English and
Scotch battalions into ours so we
should have all the Irish at the
front under one command" said
the general. but we could not make
the arrangement The other COM
manders would not part with their
Irishmen. British battalons like TO
have a sprinkling of Irish among
their numbers.
MY men have had every taste Of
trench fighting. gas and shells and
sniping-and they've disproved any
idea that the Irish were not as good
at sticking as in a charge. They've
stuck like veterans. Native Irish
good humOr relieves the grim mon
otony Of the trenches.
las for discipline-theres the
record of courtmartial''-the gener-
al indicated some blank spaces OPP
posite the names of battalions on
the wall.
Everybody prophecied that we
would have heavy drinking on st.
p2trick's day. because a lot of peO-
pie think the Irish have a weakness
for drink. | appealed to the men
10 be on their good behavior. with
the result that we did not have
single case Of intoxication."
Up in the trenches held by the
Irish. stories abound. When a big
high explosive German shell tore
hole in the parapet, a soldier who
was set to shovelling away the
earth that had filled the trench had
only fairly got started when an
other shell struck just behind him
tearing another section of trench
and half burying him.
Having crawled out and looked
around. he saluted the captain and
said.
''Sir. ] have 10 report that at the
present rate L can't finish this job
without help. They're gaining on
M"