Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-09
"BANTAMS, " IN NEAT RAID,
TAKE GUN FROM GERMANS
Good for the Little Fellows" EN-
presses Feeling of Whole Army
c!er Incident.
Only SHORT MEN IN BATTALION
Unique Organization Is Idea of
Kitchener's-No Man Over Five
Feet Three Inches Accepted-Par-
ticularly Good at Scouting.

BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, July S.-"Good for the little
fellows" expressed the feeling of the
whole army when the "Bantams" in one
of the neatest of trench raids took n
machine gun from the Germans No
commander is prouder Of his men than
the commander of the Bantams: no bat
ta!ions SO thoroughly have the good
wishes of the whole army. The idea
OF the Bantams. unique among the
armies of Europe. was Lord kitch-
encr's If little men wanted to fight
for their country. why shouldn't they?
Put them in an organization by them
selves and give them chance.
No man over Ave feet three was &C
cepted. Short men who had been
turned away by recruiting sergeants
in the early days of the new army
formed the first battalion. AS II was
a success. others followed AT the
front they were brigaded together:
and the visitor to certain portion
OF the lines sees sturdy, legged
men marching along the roads and
keeping guard in the trenches.
Many jokes have been passed about
them. It was even suggested that
somebody would have to hold them UP
to the parapet to fire. But the Ban
tams answered that Napoleon and Lord
Roberts We're little men: and the Ban
tams have made good Other bat
Ia lions take fatherly interest in them
and admire them for their pluck.
HARD TO KEEP THEM FROM
SHOWING HEADS TOO MUCH
to FIRE when they FIRST Went into the
trenches, the difficulty was TO keep
them from showing their heads too
much. They have the advantage of
being small targets, and they are com
pletely sheltered III communication
trench, where another mans head
would be exposed. Most OF them are
miners and city bred. and some prob
ably owe their stature TO poor food
and overcrowding. Good food and
fresh air have added to the height of
some of the young ones and to the
g!rth of chest of all
Their only drawback is that they
cannot carry the full equipment of
sixty pounds and more for long. hard
marches. So their equipment has been
cut down: they have shorter stocks to
their rifles. What they lack in
strength they make up in agility.
They are particularly good at
scouting" said one of their officers.
There is no limit to their nerve. 1t
is nothing for them to crawl out in
the dark across No Mans Land up to
the Germans barb wire"
German machine gun is heavy
affair. Two strong men are required
TO carry it. When the artillery had
knocked Il German trench about one
night. and the Bantams rushed it to
take what prisoners and do what dam
age they could and then make run
for ii hack to their own trench in the
usual trench raid fashion. they deter
mined to take a machine gun with
them TO prove their prowess. Half
carrying il. half-tugging ii along the
ground, with other German machine
guns feeling around in the night for
targets through trying half-hour
they finally landed il safe behind their
parapet. Many a battalion of big men
have failed in the same effort