The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-30
"MAD CORPORAL" DESCRIBES
ENGAGEMENTS THAT CAVE HIM
S0BRIQUET and five BULLETS
Many Escapes from Mons to Arras-Buried Alive Five
Days to Be Torpedoed on Hospital Ship Homeward
Bound-Has Bagged As Germans AS SHIPPER Ahead
of the Trenches But is Going Back Again
written by Corporal George Hender-

Written by Corporal George Hender-
(This gallant soldier. who has been
nick-named 1.-THE Mad Corporal be-
cause Of his daring and thrilling ex-
cursions into the enemy's lines as a
sniper and bomber has been in the
thick of the fighting from the days
of the brilliant retreat from Mons
to the offensive.
Not only has the Mad Corporal
faced the terrors Of the hardest fight
inf, but he has also had the terrible
experience of having had a hospital
ship sunk beneath him, and in conse-
quence forced to hang on to a rait
for four and q half hours.)
l. (The author of these remarkable
experiences in the British army in the
North of France was born in Madi-
son. Wisconsin. At the outbreak OF
the war he was at Lonaon where he
.ioined up with the North County
herritorials and soon afterward he
found himself fighting in the North
i of France.)
Altogether I have been laid low
eight times including five + times
wounded with shot and shell. but 1
have bagged AS Germans If on my
return to France should fail, all
lean say is that I have had my day.
and the enemy will have got their
! own back.
Altogether, 1 have had three years
| service in the British army, and + am
| lust having a short leave before re-
turn to the front again. for you see
| 1 have Joined up again for 81 years
| or for the duration of the war.
| The first time the Germans hit me
was at La Bassee, at the commence
ment Of the war. Not long after
wards I got plugged again at Mes
sines, and had hardly got going de-
1cently before had shrapneI planted
in my back.
/ At Hill go my head got in the way
4 of a. well-aimed bullet, which passed
through my head and came out at
the neck. I managed to defy this i'll
hammered Hui, but came eropper
again, this time returning to hospital
I with three pieces of shrapnel in my
frame.
4 At the time was felled I was car
rying Captain Skinner on nay back.
we had got an order to capture a
/ wood. SO off we went, loaded with
j bombs and grenades. We had no
i sooner got into the wood than the
machine guns began to speak. lost
i my platoon officer and sergeant, and
Il I called upon our boys to halt. The
/ brave lads yelled out, go on, Georgie
l-we'll follow We anywhere!"
4 r took them on. and at last got
II to the outer side without losing q
4 man. ...s
! Not long afterwards, whilst acting
! as platoon officer. Twas asked to trJ
LAND get connected with another com,
:. pany, and. whilst making my way
L - .J,,If Hxr1r.e
n right in front Of me-. and over Wen
) on my back. When Twas brought IL
; my senses found I had fallen int
a deep shell hole. ~.
: I shook myself and felt myself t.
: make sure I was alive, and as I swai
alive, and as I was doing SO anothel
} tsheile burst at the back Of me. Thi
reused me, and I decided it was tifn'
: to- clear out. Et sit +
II On getting with my boys again tn
, Huns gave us it thick. Jack John
sons" ''Whizz Bangs" bursting shells
gas shells. in fact. every kind of shel
the German arsena1s could produces
, were poured upon US. In the mids
, of the inferno I heard someone cal
t out. I yelled back, who are you?
$ and, rushing forward with my riff
: and bayonet, I called upon tn
:
a ed out to be Captain Skinner of an
e other battalion. II
: He told me that the Smelling .ha
d broken his line. told him 60 jun
y into a shell hole with me, ana he di
8 SO. He had no sooner got under coy
i er than a. naughty one'' burst owe
e us, knocking about ten Of us out. M
g steel helmet was shattered to piece
# and I got some of it planted in m
l, back and neck. I also received a bi
cash in my arm, but my injuries wei
= slight compared with those of til
g others.
Buried Alive for Four Hours
II On regaining my senses, I pickle
- Captain Skinner up, but 1 could n,
~ get him through the densely- woode
'. lines. I, however, managed to NAL
my way through the shell holes, al
=, when I saw that it would be unwi
"a to take the gallant officer any fu
4 Their, I left him in a shell hole, al
:, then ran as fast as I could for Il
. observation-disclosures.
~ When coming back a shell tore.
- hole in my back, and, as I was IA
:. ing a tin fell on the back of my han
"a which completely knocked me oil
How long I remained unconscious
I'll cannot say, but when I came to
youngster was standing over me sa
ing, You're all right, George"
I asked him where the officer W
whom / had tried to rescue, but
couldn't tell me. The last I saw
e. the inferno was when I was bel
carried away on stretcher.
s. Apart from actual wounds ha
to received, I have had several Mario
o. escapes. I remember onee day, viii
IN on a bombing expedition, sh
g. burst above, the shrapnel brealki
p my wrist watch to pieces, tearing
Ia one of my badges and stripping t
In skin off my right hand.
ly 1t was some time later when I h
at the most terrifying experience of a
is was buried in dug-out for 70
ed solid hours. A shell demolished e
no erything, and before I knew where
u was a large piece of timber fell up
nd by back and pinned me to the grour
be Three of my comrades were laid o.
us and it was a very trying experien,
Id At last / managed to get the timh
IS off my back, which was just abo
of broken, and then I set to work
ly grope my way to daylight had
SO such a thing as a pick or shovel, b
ng determination made me work as
IL have never worked before kns
of that it would be impossible to Ii
.ly very long in dark and gloomy ca
- orn whora No air could ero%