The Parker post., 1916-12-16


Generous Praise.
Even before we reached the fron+
the divisional artillery commander,
whom we called on as we were en-
tering his division, told us to take
particular note of the excellent
French artillery fire, which we would
be able to see as we advanced over
the ground the French had conquered.
1.-TWO paragraphs here expunged by
the censor.)
Here on the Somme is seen the other
side. Small parties of French soldiers
frequently pass along the British line,
looking over the ground they have
gained and with pTacticed eye, noting
the address and courage it took to
make these gains. They do not say
much, these visiting French soldiers,
largely because they cannot talk with
the average British soldier and the
average British soldier cannot talk
with them, but they look one another
over as they go by and the visiting
parties confer together, visualiZing
the course of the various attacks by
the trenches and mine craters, and
evidently returning to their camps
to tell about it.
I asked a party going through here
today what they thought Of the Brit
ish advance. One Of them, a non-com-
missioned officer, pointed to the COM
plicated series Of trenches the Brit
ish had taken, and to the British
front line itself, seven or eight miles
away over the captured German
trenches, and said: 'They could not
do more if it were their own country
they We're reclaiming from the in
vader."
Up in this part Of France one sees
very little Of the French army now
adays, except for occasional artillery
officers and territorial regiments
working on the roads. They are keep
ing the roads in excellent repair, too.
All the front from here to the other
side of Ypres is British, and it is all
active, even if one does not hear much
except from the Somme.
There was time, when trench
warfare was new, when regiments
remained opposite each other for
that is not true any more. The de-
velOpment of trench bombs and
trench mOrtars has made the mere
holding of trenches costly business.
At number of points along the line
where I have touched the opposing
armies were forever blowing each 9TH
er out. All day they knocked down
each others defenses and all night
they built them up again-a tedious
business, and costly in lives as well.
On the Vimy Ridge, which I have
already mentioned, the Germans hold
the crest and the British are imme-
diately under them, never giving them
a moments rest. The daily casualties
on both sides must be considerable,
and, as the English seem to be the
most active, the Germans must carry
away many dead and wounded men
every night from that one point-and
that is SECTOR not now spoken Of as
active. :-
"The Pimple."
Right on the ridge is q slight rise
called by the English Tommies "The
Pimple," the occasion for that name
not being very elegant. It is so called,
because, though the British mortars
knock it level every day, it rises again
every night.
It was particularly interesting to
me to visit Notre Dame de Lorette.
I visited that section eighteen months
ago with the French army when the
Germans still held the whole district
Then I had been able only to peep
out through the trees above at the
German trenches. Now I could walk
anywhere liked, with the one danger
that the Germans might try shell fire
at me. AS they have the range of
every square yard, they might have
tried for the small party of which /
was one, but it was not likely.
There the depression Of war was
heavier than anywhere I have ever
encountered it. The serried hillsides
have grown rankly to weeds, we'll
nourished by the many thousands of
dead who lie there. It was place
Of combat which is to be reckoned
with Verdun and the Somme, but the
hundreds Of connecting trenches are
beginning to fall in, and this sea-
son the long weeds hide most of them.
In the space which lies at every front
between the trenches and the artil-
lery which stands guard over them
there is silence that makes itself
felt even in the midst Of the constant
bombing a mile or so away. The
only life is shown by thousands Of
little birds which rise restlessly and
keep dropping back to get the rich
seeds from the we'll fertilized weeds.
BewlIdered Birds.
There are birds also here on the
Somme, whole flights Of them, no big
hnY