Evening star., 1916-08-05
English Wounded Say Gains
More Than Compensate
for Their Suffering.
NUMBER SEEMS GREATER
AT BASE THAN AT FRONT
Convalescents Point Out That Docu-
ments Found on Prisoners Show
Germans Fare Worse.
Of the Associated Press.

Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
LONDON. July 27.-To the civilian
who notes the figures in the casualty
lists issued every twenty-four hours.
and sees fresh conveys of wounded ar
riving daily at the big London railway
stations. it seems that England is pay
ing a terrible and ghastly price for
whatever she is gaining by the big
push
On that point the opinions Of the
fighting men themselves are of interest.
especially Of leaders who are habituat-
ed to a somewhat larger purview than
is possible in the ranks. Chance afford
ed London reporter an opportunity
to obtain the views of two such on the
question of casualties. 1t was when
hospital ship laden with wounded
reached the landing stage at South
ampton, and he was permitted to go
aboard.
What do you think of the British
casualties?" he asked the wounded sec
ond-in-command of a battalion which
played its part at Fricourt Montauban
and Bazentin. He was sitting with an
other officer. the adjutant of battalion
which fought its way through La Bois-
selle to Contamination. Both were
walking cases; one with two ma
chine-gun bullets in shoulder and arm.
the other with bomb splinters In his
left side One had the experience of
other. the adjutant, has been at the
front since the early days of 1915.
"Fewness" the Most Impressive.
well, there's a good many of them. OF
course. Seeing the whole lot in a mar
row funnel. you do here. it must
seem tremendous. There are a good
many. of course. You can't move hand
or foot on the western front without
casualties. But I'm bound to say il
wasn't the number but the fewness OF
them. that impressed me out there.
mean of course, for the fire We've had
to face. What do you think"
He turned to the adjutant.
II think the proportion of casualties
is pretty much the same as it's been
in all offensive on this front, but the
balance will prove totally different.
This war is just buying and selling:
fifty thousand pounds is a lump OF
money to spend, but in business people
don't worry about the laying out of
fifty thousand II they see a good and
safe return for 1t. It's always good
investment. If you can buy sixty or
seventy or a hundred thousand for 1t.
isn't it?'
The major of the other battalion
nodded and said: Perhaps you've
heard of those documents. or some of
them, found on different prisoners.
sent by German companies in the line
to their different headquarters in rear,
begging for reinforcements; Company
reduced to nine men and one officer:
battalion reduced to twenty men and
three officers, and that sort OF thing
That's worth paying for, you know,
and what's more. it can't possibly be
got without paying. The whole thing
is very different from Loos: l know
that. We're getting an inhniteiy pet-
fo~
I'VE are gaining in ground, but that S
a small thing to the enormous gain IN
man-power and morale. You take II
from me. our new armies can STANG a
lot of this; a deuced sight more OF II
than Germany could possibly stand
Our chaps are in better heart today
than they've ever been since 1914
Advantage With Allies Now.
I'm the early days it was case of
pitting flesh and blood against metal.
The Germans had the overwhelming
advantage of us at every turn and IN
every mortal way, except in the spirit
of the men. He never could beat US
at that But in numbers. in prepara-
ton and, above all, in guns and muni-
tions, 1t was heads you win and tails
lose. But the boots on the other
leg now, and will be still more on
the other leg when we've got Few
more German positions. For, in addi-
ton to everything else, mind. they had
US beaten out of sight in the matter OF
relative positions. fields of fire. cover
from fire, field of view and all that.
But the greatest difference is in the
matter of guns and ammunition.
why, it wouldn't worry me much IL
our casualties were twice as heavy as
they are; no, nor three or four times
Nor me. Not Bit" agreed the ad-
jutant. We all know there must be
big fighting. and lots of it, to finish
this war, and there can't be big fight
ing without proportionately big casual
ties. On the basis on which were
fighting just now l wouldn't care if our
casualties were ten times numerous,
and do you know why? Because on the
present relation of gains to losses, of
what we sell to what we're getting for
it, If our casualties were ten times what
they are, the war would be over before
the summer is over and Germany
would be down and out
And I'll tell you another thing
said the other officer. "A rare lot OF
these present casualties will be fight
ing f1t again within a month from the
time of landing, and you watch their
smoke when they get out again."