The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-05-08
FIGHTING FROM
BRITISH TANK"
Graphic Account of Work of Remodeled
Tractors Told by Canadian, Who
Was Participant

LONDON, May THE first recount
of fighting as viewed from the inside
of British ''tank'' is contained in
letter, just released by the censor, from
! Sergeant f. L. Divall, a Canadian who
has been attached to oAc of the tank -
companies since the big ears were first
sent to the French front. He says:
''The order to advance is given.
Steadily the long, powerful shapes
move forward in the gray mists of
dawn. As the Weird-looking forms trav-
el over the front trench the troops
therein rub their eyes in wonder at
the stranga cube-impressionist coat of
many cOlors which the tanks are
wearing. Inside the tanks are the
keen-eyed fighting men strangely
Igarbed, as becomes their strange craft,
while around them is a complicated
mass of machinery.
Now we are passing oyer she'll
holes, tree stumps and many other
Itrities, which fill the ground of NO
Man 5 Land The deck of the tank :
rolls and pitches like y torpedo boat
i'm storm. The crew hold Oh to any
thing within reach to steady ourselves
While we rush down large shell hole.
But we come safely through without
Iseasickness
Suddenly the gunnerv officer gives
the order To action. His voice is
only Just heard above the noise of the
whirling machinery. A few sighting
shots and we have found the range.
We succeed in putting cut two ma
I,l. L.. a.. =
; which have been worrying our infan-
try for some time. And now the action
begins in earnest. Hun bullets are re-
bounding from our tough sides like
hail from q glass roof, while inside the
t tanks the whole crew are at various
guns, which break forth in devasta.
ting fire, under which nothing can
: live.
And now we are on the parapet OF
5 the first Hun trench, just on the out
7 shirts OF the wood which is our oh
- iective and as we 90 humping on tC
= the other side We land with q terrif,
bump. \ can Of petrol has slipped from
its pigeon-hOle and come gathering
down on 10 the armored deck, with it,
p stopper shaken ont and the dangerou,
: spirit running over the floor However
y we cnfladcd that trench. followed "
! the reueating Huns for minute O
two, cleared out the nearest dugout ant
Re- went on our way to tho next trench.
+ by this the fumes from the hua
+ Idrtds o. rounds which we had fired
q with the heat from the engines an,
0 the waste petrol and oil, have mad
. the air quite oppressive and I'm
u comfortable to breathe. Now we an
luearing the next enemy trench aud w
!. hear the deep report OF bursting bombs
n above the pattering OF tha storm O
3, bullets, striking our armor.
oi ''Soon we find ourselves on the cdg
e Of the Hun trench. This proves to b
a composed Of shell holes Of all size.
: just linked together, showing how St
we're our previous bombardments ha
been. The Huns show fight here and "
have Il warm 10 minutes before the
give signs OF retreatiug. We leave thcl
for minute or two in order to RAJ
4 machIne-gun emplacemeut, which
still threatening our rapidly advancin
: infantry. We just crawl Offer the en-
- bankment, guns and all; it is not nee
: essary to fire q single shot
Now it is time for us to advance {
: the next and last position. We hav
. the good fortune to strike road while
has escaped serious damage and nal
~ ing all speed along this we make L
: to the Huns who have escaped fro
- the last trench. But they have ha
= enough of the an-devouring monstt
II and are ready to throw down the
d arms and make their way 10 our i
:, fmtry, glad to be prisoners.
~ 1.-The last trench proves to be Il
- worst for just as We are crossing
u large hole our bus stops. Two or thr
g Hams, seeing our difficulty, crawl o
y of hole like rabbits and are bra