Evening journal., 1916-08-17
KING GEORGE Sees
BRITISH IN ACTION.
Visits Front in France I'm
announced With the
Prince of Wales

WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FRANCE, Aug. liking George has
been at the front for week. he
left today for England, and his de-
parture was the first information That
the majority of the troops had of his
presence.
The King went about seeing all
sections of the army at work and the
fields it had won. The Prince OF
Wales was with the King all the
time. The monarch was dressed In
khaki with the crossed batons of
Field Marshal on his shoulders and
the Prince wore the uniform of
Lieutenant of the Grenadier Guards.
At one point on the line the King
met Gen. Sir Henry Rawlinson, COM
mander of the Fourth Army. which
delivered the main attack. and Major
Gen. Congreve, whose corps stormed
Montauban and Mametz. Alighting
from his automobile, near Fricourt,
the King went into the first line
British trenches, from which the
British made their charge.
Walks Across "NO Mans Land"
Now l will breast the parapet az
my men did," the King said, mount
ing il. He walked across the old "NO
Mans Land" and saw the effects Of
the British shell fire on the maze of
Notifications and trenches which
the British had wrested from the
Germans. Standing on the edge of
big shell crater, the King looked with
sailors telescope he was carrying.
across the foreground of desolation
toward Pozieres, the Bazentine, Long
ueval and Delville Wood. He watch
ed the curls of black smoke which
signified that the German guns were
busy. while nearby him a battery OF
British guns was sending screaming
answers.
"You seem to have missed that"
he said to Gen. Rawlinson, indicating
silver OF wall still standing in
Mametz. But there is nothing that
is not down in La Boissel. as you
may see, Your Majesty" said Gen
Rawlinson. 1--WE improve as we adj
vance"
When the King wanted to descend
one Of the deep German dugouts Gen
Rawlinson warned him that they had
not all been cleaned out. Remarking
on the depth of the dugouts. with
their beds, tables and chairs. the
King said to some soldiers OF a re-
serve battalion stationed at that
point. evidently the Germans ex-
pected TO make a long stay, but you
gave them surprise and they are
not so comfortable now"
A dramatic moment occurred as the
King was walking across a field
swept by British charge. He came
, to a grave at the bottom of a shell
crater. with a cross bearing the in
scription: Unknown British Soldier"
Both IN King and the Prince of
Wales halted and saluted the cross.
Bears Away Souvenirs.
In common with all visitors the
King took away some souvenirs in
the shape of empty shell cases and
( bits Of German equipment As he
was leaving the field the soldiers Of
the reserves. the transport men. gun
ners on relief and others in the
neighborhood followed him until
there was a large crowd around the
party before they entered their auto
mobile. Somebody called for three
cheers for the King, which were
given with a will.
Sir Douglas Haig. as the Kings
host, told him what was worth seeing
and then the King laid out his own
program each day. This led him
to have look at a town which had
been shelled recently by guns of big
calibre. The King and the Prince
went about liesurely examining the
enormous craters in the square AMI
the ruins Of the old town hall.
When the King visited the men Of
the Scottish division, which has seen
such desperate fighting at Delville or
Devils" Wood, the survivors Of the
South African gave him the Zulu
war cry. He managed to see some
thing of all kinds of the soldiers
fighting under the British flag, from
the Scotch, English and Irish, to the
troops from overseas.
More than once the Kings car had
to draw on one side Of the road as
battery Of guns swept close to its
panels or a marching battalion pass
ed by.
Gen. Joffre came from his head
quarters, and President Poincare
came from Paris to take lunch with
King George and Sir Douglas Haig
On Sunday King George lunched with