The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-26
NOTABLE RELICS
OF BIC BATTLES
BEHIND LINES
Interesting Collection of Sou
venirs Which Will Tell of
Great Conflict.

Behind the British Lines in France,
Oct 24-In q quaint old place some
miles behind the battleline are hous-
cd many interesting souvenirs of the
Great War, curious relics from world
famous hattlefields and illustrations
of phases OF daily life in the trenches.
German trophies for the most part.
Many of these exhibits are destined
An due course to form part of the Ma
tional War Museum The old First
Corps nag carried by the heroic and
ill-fated Cough at Ypres is one of the
notable relics.
Here also one may see the carved
oak table from shelled Arras used by
Field Marshal Sar Douglas Haig at his
headquarters throughout the battle of
the Somme. There Is the First Corps
headquarters flag which he carried in
the Mons retreat, his first flag as COM
mander of the First Army. There
are several other flags of great in
terest--of which one must not forget
to mention the first Tanks flag-the
first Portuguese flag in the trenches,
the first American nag to fly in France
after the American declaration of
war.
There are German flags, too. as for
instance. large one unearthed in the
Hotel de Vile, Peronne. another from
Beaumont Eamel
After fia&,e, which are but symbols
OF our army. some captured guns.
But there is only room here for the
mortars, minenwerfers and grenade
mortars, rnineenwerfers and grenade
throwers, with few machinery
damaged in battle. There Is great
urGalnly ninenwerfer captured at
vimy by the Canadians : Il.
There are shown two German par
achutes,s souvenirs OF q brilliant battle
In the air and dozens of enemy flies,
inscribed with the names of villages
in the Somme or Arras region where
hand to hand conflicts were waged.
German material is here in profusion
shells Of every calibre, shell cases and
basket carriers, fiammenwerfers.
bombs, axes. knives. pistols, wire-cut-
ters. and unique collection of trench
clubs, including one with a flexible
handle and q heavy steel head posi-
lively devflish in its ingenuity.
Scattered through this museum are
life-sixe mannequins attired In enemy
raiment- One affords striking rep
AEH%AAt&Lx0&Ae ~ q AAAI1<G 80 WcA&A ASA
even though he is clad only in the
steel arnor and casque OF A. D. 1917.
0xer his shoulders he carries a cross
bow which discharged grenades in
the winter of 1s14-15, while behind
him is a British catapplt which saw
service at Neuve- Chapelle.
There are the German proclamations
On. the walls. German prints depicting
our scldiers. enemy maps captured or
the battlefields. and sometimes stained
with blood German officers note
books and sketch books. Nor car
the realistic models OF the batt1eields
now no longer OF direct military
utl3ity--fafl to enchain attention from
the one of Neuve- Chapeile to the --latest
miniature.
The COLLECTION Is only q recent un,
dertakfng-when it comes to find {
resting place in London. 1t win brint
home, as thousands Of pages Of his
tory books could not. the ferocity and
the kindliness, the brutality and poe
try. the humour and tragedy and al
those thousand lttl aforementioned
acts which made up for millions o
Britops the daily life In the trenche
and bi1lets OF France and Flanders.