Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-10-23
TWO BULLETS THROUGH
HEAD BUT STILL ALIVE|
Young American Fights At
Vnmy Ridge--Conles Out
With Dozen Wounds.


part of a "whiz-bang' went through
his head, with his left Jaw held to-
gether by silver WIRE, with half
dozen sears and deep holes in his left t
arm and bullet wound in his leftj
knee, besides a scar from a bullet that
entered the left cheek bone and came
out on. the left side of his neck, H. L.
Boston, of the Canadian army, is Wis
lifting his mother, Mrs. K. NJ. Cook, for |
a few days at the Capital hotel.
1t was in the summer of 1916 that |
Mr.. Boston enlisted in the Canadian |
army at San Francisco and was sent |
to Victoria. Within a few months he
was in the trenches in France as a |
Lewis machine gun man.
! Now machine gun man rather lines |
up as member of the suicide club as
he is ready in advance of the infan-
try in all action and in every kind Of |
fighting on the front line. The gun
used by the Canadians weighs about |
2S pounds and can be shot from the
hip or from any support besides the
ever ready tripod. s
/ 1t was at the famous Vimy Ridge
that Mr.. Boston planted the American
flag on the breastworks of a German |
trench. While passing through London,
an American woman presented him
with small silk American flag. He
kept it until one night in raid across
the German trenches at Vimy Ridge,
he stuck the U. S. flag in sight on yhe
trench after the raiding party had been
ordtred back to their lines. This was
about five months before the United
Estates went into the war, but even
then the sight of the U. 5. flag SO
lpeeved the Germans that the british
trench opposite where the flag was
placed was severely bombed.
Mr.. Boston said that when the Ca
nadians went out on bombing and
1raiding expedition at night, that they
blacked their faces, crept through the
German wires. and at the sound of a
whistle given by their officer in
command, jumped into the German
trench, giving them the bayonet. At
the sound of the whistle, the raiders
would then beat it for their own
trenches and it was in one of these
raids that he left the American flag
that the Germans tore down and it was
five months before we entered the war.
1t was at vimy Ridge in the capture
of German pill box thattMr. Boston
got the first real touch of war. AS his
party were getting close to a German
|pill box, German officer shot him in
the knee while at the same time Ger
man private lunged at him with q bay
onet. Mr.. Boston lodged the bayonet,
shot the private through the heart
while his pal put the finishing touches
on the German officer, first smashing
him on the head with rifle and then
ito make sure Of the job, applying the
bayonet. They got the pill box.
I As real instrument Of war, Mr.. Bos-
ton says the hand bomb does the busi-
mess. 1t is made Of iron and the size
of an extra large lemon and about the
shape. 1t is filled with an explosive
much more powtrful that dynamite. In
throwing the bomb at a safe distance
Eof 35 to 40 yards, Mr.. Boston says, the
safety pin is first removed and the
fingers placed on leverJ which is re-
LEASED as the bomb leaves the hand.
I'm four and half seconds 1t explodes
and if there is good luck, ten or doz-
en- Germans get what is coming to
them. That is, the bomb is good for
|. that many who happen 10 be in the
neighborhood as it eXplodes.
9 After. being in the service on the
e front and at the great battles Of Vimy
Ridge, Mr.. Boston got in mix up
t with a German" whiz-bangn that put
him out Of business. With his Lewis
e gun company he was cleaning up q
t German trench when one of the big
shells exploded directly over his com,
r pany. Now a German withholding
! contains about 200 small bullets and
r they scatter pretty well when it ex-
] plodes
? just as the German trench had been
: cleaned up, the shell came along and
tlkilled every one Of Mr.. Boston 5 ma
lchine gun company. One shot. struck
: him over the left eye, another on the
left cheek, half dozen on the left side
and on the arm. After the first shock,
he attempted to walk back to his lines
but got no further than shell hole
lwhen he dropped Unconscious.
The next thing he knew was when
: he awoke m a French hospital and was
= told that one of the bullets had gone
entirely through his head and was
7 ready TO be taken out at the base OF
1.-The neck. The one that entered the
left cheek bone wandered around in
/ his head until it appeared on the left
side Of his neck. These were removed
Q by the English surgeon who told the
nurses that Boston would last about
0 four hours as there wasn't any chance
: for man who had let two pieces Of q
: sswhizz-bang wander all around in his
: head and then come to the surface to
, be removed.
Notwithstanding all these conditions
2 Mr.. Boston Z time had not come and
after spending II months in the French
and English hospitals he was sent home
! to rest at the Canadian hospital at Vic
, toria. B. C. He is now on IA days
: leave Of absence from the hospital.
, He says the only time a soldier gets
nervous is when waiting for the zero
hour. the hour when they are TO be
ordered over the top. After once in the
fight the tension is such that one only
thinks of fighting. The Prussian and
Bavarian troops he found good fight
! ers but they lost their courage when
the Canadian troops cameo on with the
bayonet. Then the Germans would
! throw up their hands and yell "Kamer-
Tloatf bv+ foy +hoee who fought from