New Britain herald., 1917-10-30
BIBLE AND BOMBS
 PRIESTS EQUIPMENT
Lamb Tells Of Clergyman Un-
 SCathed in Midst Of Battle

William F. Lamb, son of Vice Pres 1 ident Joseph F. Lamb of the Landers, Frary & Clark Mfg. Co.,, is helping to make history thousands of miles away from home but while he and millions of others are attempting to remould the map of Europe, he has found i time to write of his thrilling experi- the fray. at Verdun, and the ambu- lance section with which he has been serving has had it's machines shot away from under them. He has ex- perienced gas attacks and has seen bombs drop like apples while men gave their lives to check the Prussian torrent.
 An interesting incident, sidelight on the war, Is described in the letter received from Lamb by his parents He tells of a priest going into battle with a Bible in one hand and a SUD- ply of hand grenades within reach, comforting the dying around him and heaving the grenades at the enemy The men worship him and believe he bears a charmed life. Lambs letter follows:
 -les-Dames, Oct. 6, 1917. My Dear Father and All:-
 'I have certainly got lot to tell this time but it would be quite impos- sible to write all about it. We had charge of three posts at Verdun on the right bank of the Mouse that you must have been reading so much about. Over fifty per cent. of the Di- vision we were assigned to were lost and all are back here en repos now. All three of our posts were around the Cote de Poive', the hottest hill (Pepper HilD in the Verdun battles, and in the rear of Hill BOA. We were gassed every night and shelled con- tinuously. We just missed section citation but were given four Croix de Guerres for the unit which were voted for the three officers and another who was wounded in the leg with a piece of shell. It is marvellous that this was our only casualty. It will surely be something to tell you about when I get back. The American officers have been here. Five signed up. Nine Americans have arrived already from Allentown. Pa, but this does not re- lease anybody as we have many va cancies already. Soon the, rest will arrive however, to release the whole section. Not before we go back again in three days to the Champagne front where I hope we will get a section ci- tation. I have some pictures taken which I am praying will come out good, of the things you read about at home. One of a gas attack and an- other of three shells bursting a few rods away in front of our worst post. 1 The gas is awful stuff especially at l night when you can't see thing | especially with your mask on. It makes l your eyes and nose run for hours and your voice hoarse. We carried over three thousand wounded. Our rest cantonmen was in Glorieux, a suburb of Verdun, as it is sure death to live in Verdun proper. 1T would like to have the facilities for sending home enough stuff to fill
 the den with but of course this Is inn possible. Our cars are all shot up
 and we are fixing them pto start back to the Champagne front. I only hope we are there long enough to get 1 a citation before we are released. 1 "I received your letter of September l 9th out there and am wondering now what you will think about my second l trip to the Bar-le-Duc hospital. I kept both my ears well plugged at the l front of course. I wrote you the day
 before I left the hospital but that last night we were bombed awfully by Boche planes 1t being very moonlight. 1 They swooped right down and fired | their machine guns in the windows fSyiro n st
 their searchlights against the bril-
 liance of the emoon. Four were killed
 and ten wounded. rode on a loco-
 motive with American engineers as far l as Iandrecourt and got a ride on an l auto the rest of the way to my sec ton. The train doesn't run any fur
 ther as the track is swept by fire. Our
 roads were a great deal in sight of the Boche and especially when their | balloons were up it was most dan-
 gerous in the day time The land was | like a honeycomb with bomb holes
 and covered with unexploded shells,
 bombs, etc. Two Frenchmen were
 walking to the post in front of the car
 at night, one stepped on grenade
 and it killed him and blew both legs
 off the other.
 ''There were a couple of priests at
 the posts. One in particular-he had
 every citation possible. A wonderful
 man whom the soldiers worship. He
 goes with every attack with Bible
 in one hand and a dozen grenades in
 the other. He gives the last rites to
 the Poilus falling around him and
 beats off the Boche at the same time l Although always in the front line he
 has never even been touched and the Poilus regard him as supernatural He says, however, that he has lost his re- ligion and thinks 1t only natural. He has a new religion now-simply tc help the men which he certainly is
 doing. I don't think our Champagne
 section is going to be as active as Yer. dn,, h11t hnna 1t will he for this 9hOr1