Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-07-24

adde's bhNGQ NY LlLC OhSS AA
France-not from starvation, but
from a big Jack johnson shell, casu
ally declared Private de Young TO .
party Of Honolulu acquaintance
( Friday afternoon just before he sailed
: on q liner bound for a Canadian port
: Young is one Of the 70 survivors OF
the Princess Pats" Canadian regt
ment, which was wiped out by gas
attacks and a charge at Ypres early
IN the beginning Of the European war.
He PASSED through here yesterday as
A member Of the F1jian contingent
bound for the third time to the front.
although he has twice been dischar2'
ed for wounds received in previous
encounters with the Huns.
"You see, 1t was this way" de
Young, who 10 q California, explained:
81 and two companions were out On
scout duty with an armored car. We
had been retreating for three days
and were near the Franco-Belgian
border, About all we were getting to
eat was what we picked upin deserted
villages. We were passing an orchard
A which were some big red apples
We knew that the Boches were only
about q quarter Of o mile away pu:
We thought we were well concealed
and that we could escape anyway
With the armored car. Grabbing g.
sack. which had been used for bully
heefs we made for the orchard. While
filling the sack with apples-we heard
( shell explosion not far off. One OF
the fellows remarked: Bet that red
harm got II this time We had conf
nented on the fact that the barn, tho
most conspicuous thing IN sight, was
stili standing as I'VE passed It Re"
moments before.
aBut 1t wasn't the barn. When We
not back 70 where we left the car the
only thing we could find was rear
hind wheel Can you beat that Tor
luck? But the apples were worth H.
ouay we had to throw most OF them
away 10 keep ahead Of the Germans.
Who were getting mighty near oy tnai
time -
AZ sEm with 1ayonets -
And A n IN. this casual, joking tone
That AZ Young tells Of his experiences
- the French front during the first
~ear ~ the war, when things were
sosns nooriy for the Allies. He was
$500 - teli An detail about the charge
= vnres that proved 30 deadly 20 the
E1rircess pats" "Oh, there Is nothing
!, feI we had to charge. Tneir
heavv artillery was wiping Us out
- - mn and at 'em' with bayonets.
Thst 4 the story Of that great
,.,s,-sganI,r charge, 40 he tells It
Nnt one suggestion that the Pfin-
cess Pats" could have retieatse.
etiil more unthinkable 70 MS soio,e.
mind. surrendered. When inc -
cess Pats could no longer oie .ne
Selyes IN from the German artinery
fire. there was only one thing 70 ~
eup and at EN-
Firmly fixed In de Youngs mlho
/. the belief that the Germans naa
orders to take no Canadian prisoners
a Ypres. sThey wanted to 90 the
canadians from the beginning. u they
could they knew from Africa tnat
chew could fight. And why coulon
fhev. Most Of them had used guns
ever since they we're boys ana knew
how 10 shoot.
nf the horrors and priyations OF war
sae young has little to say. There Is
onlv one thing, he says. that is utterly
imnossible to stand. That Is the odor
from the bodies Of dead companions IN
IND Mans Land between the
trenches. ssYou can stand the cold,
- Without food and bear the sting
~ YOUR own wounds, but no one can
Stand unmoved the smell OF the dead
he says.
Between the Lines
After de Young was wounded ne
wis between the trenches OF the Ger
mans and hts own lines for Q day and
= half before he was removed to |
hospital. or this he does not com
n1ain. but remarked: at didn't take
the maggots long to get at those
wounds" Then he laughed, and said:
,sThat reminds me OF chap near me.
He was rather badly wounded, but
could walk. He took the first aid
bandares Off Of his wounds to wrap
about HIS feet. Tommy. had no shoes /
left and he wanted to keep his feet
from getting cut up while he liked
back TO the hospital
aDonf you believe those Germans
are suffering much Every time we
fo0l 4 trench and prisoners we found /
fhem well supplied with jellies, cigar
haots certainly are better than ours.
This remark again reminded de
Young or another funny occurrence,
And a. though to remove any depres-
riol caused by his reference to the
rufferines OF the wounded, he insisted
- feIIing Il, unconseiously using the
accent and some Of the slang OF the
English soldier.
eTwo Irishmen," said he, were on
.sentrr-ro.' One OF them noticed that
the other had on pair OF crack-up
new boots.