Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1918-12-13
SNAP GUNS UNDER
THE ENEMy'S FIRE
mo DANGER LOOMS so LARGE AS
THE DANGER OF MISSING A
GOOD PHOTOGRAPH"
REAL PICTURES OF The WAR
British Correspondent in France Tells
of Risks the almost
Soldiers" Run.

London-No danger looms so large
IL the nature of the war photographer
as the danger of missing a good pho
tograph, says w. Beach Thomas, a
London correspondent with the British
army in France, in expressing admira-
ton for those almost soldiers" who
Grend their days not in fighting but
i'll taking pictures of those who night.
they run a soldiers risk, if not daily,
at any rate once a week; and on oc-
casion the risk is very great indeed.
Sometimes this is the fault as well
as the virtue of the photographer.
He tells of the preparations made
FIR taking photograph of the destruc-
ton of a German blockhouse.
AN officer turned his ingenuity.
learned in shooting big game in India,
to the work of finding and organizing
Il hiding place for the photographer.
a loophole was punctured at night in
the front parapet, which was perhaps
100 yards from the target. This hole
vas then carefully blocked SO as to
be invisible; and the photographer in
stalled behind it was ordered not to
oLen it till after the first heavy shell
was fired and the enemy were taking
shelter. But photographers. in my eX-
Gerience, are not made quite like other
people. No danger looms so large in
their nature as the danger of missing
good photograph.
$50 il was with the artist on this
occasion. nervous terror possessed
him that the first shell from the 81
would do the deed and render further
shots unnecessary. His photograph
er's nature gave him no alternative,
and he opened the loophole at once.
OF course the enemy saw, and, OF
course, turned guns onto the spot.
Happily, our SO was punctual. The
photographer was forgotten in bigger
things and he got an excellent picture
of the dissolution of the blockhouse,
which shot up in dust and ashes under
the stimulus of the eighth shell.
often on such occasions the ner.
vousness of the photographers work
has been increased by the complete
clearance of the trench. There Is al
ways the danger of mine or shell
kicking back, so for a short period in
certain circumstances the front trench
may be cleared. But the soldiers
withdrawal is occasion for the pho
tographer's advance. To miss taking
the explosion of a big mine, such as
that of the Hawthorn Redoubt on
July 1, would be as serious as a sol
dier's failure to take strong place.
1t was while holding such trench
alone that the garrison of two pho
tographers had one of their machines
crippled. A fragment of a high-eXplo
sive shell cut the leg of the camera
off.
"One of the most disagreeable facts
of the war for photographers and
some others is the enemy's unpleasant
habit Of sniping with artillery, even
heavy artillery. / have seen a shell
pitched within 10 yards of two OBJ
servers who had exposed themselves
On hilltop in Flanders. At least as
good shooting was made at a camera
81 own above the parapet in the neigh
borhood of Hebuterne. Possibly the
Germans thought they had discovered
SINE new mortar or internal ma
chine.
AT any rate, they began almost at
once to snipe with their So. The ex.
cellence of the shooting suggests that
the spot had been already registered.
Ire first shell fell just in front. II
was followed by another within few
yards, and the third hit the parapet
just as the two were packing up their
,lparatus. Like wise men, they fell
on their faces at the first sound of
the whistle; but even a recumbent
position has its dangers. One of them
was covered up with mud and needed
his friends help to get clear.
II have met the official photograph.
crs in many places. There is nothing
in or behind the lines that escapes
their ministrations. Indeed, one is
inclined to feel that the future history
Of the war should be photographs a.
to good half of it's contents. But
the most vivid picture l have is of a
buoyant figure. equipped, of course,
with shrapnel helmet and gas mask,
picking his way between German pris-
oners and our wounded in the neigh.
borhood of Mametz. He was, think,
on the track Of captured guns in the
wood, but on his way was busy with
prisoners. He had a great way with
prisoners. His refusal to speak Ger
ian impressed them and did not seem
to interfere with the crisp clarity OF
his instructions, which were obe,ed
10 the letter.
"All the official photography, kline.
matograph or other, is done by men
who fly about with extreme activity
from one part Of the front to the otn-
er. One of them has been up in aero
planes over the enemy lines and all
# them have enduced almost the
worst thing in war. trench under
III avy bombardment, besides, O.
course, the common danger OF
'whistling Percies' and other far.
duua eballaS