Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-23

The heavy enemy losses are accounted
for, first, by the fact that the original
attack was completely beaten of on the
greater part Of the front involved, and,
second, because when forced back by
the oounter-attack the Germans became
entangled in the flooded areas. In the
confusion of the retreat the enemy
became hueldled UP before the advancing
Belgians in culs-de-sac among the marches.
Great numbers were shot down before
the remnant of 700 surrendered.
The whole incident was as costly and
humiiating failure, in proportion to
its size, as the German arms have suffered
IN this war
MEDICAL CORPS HEROIC.
Equally heroic has been the conduct of
the Royal Army Medical Corps, the nurses
orderlies, stretcher bearers and ambulance
drivers In the whole withdrawal no
spot afforded them more than a temporary
resting place, and again journeys had to
be resumed To search positions further
back, where most of them still are.
In this retreat every patient from every
station was got away. The method
of evacuation was, 80 far as time per-
mitted, extremely orderly and thorough,
SO that as little as possible was left to the
enemy.
All the stations had women nurses on
their stafis, and only one was wounded.
The regular procedure was, however,
for the nurses to be moved first on an
ambulance or lorry Then every patient
who could walk had TO take to the road
on foot The severely wounded were
loaded on ambulances and the staff then
turned to the work of destruction or
salvage before following
MEDICAL STORES SAVED.
The huts, in most cases, were destroyed,
and tents were either taken away or
burned All medical stores and appli-
ances like N-ray apparatus and so forth
were got away All surgical Instruments
were saved it is believed, the officers, IN
several instances, having put them on
wheeled stretchcrs and trundled them
off along the roads at night.
Some officers were so worn out with
the ceaselcss care of the wounded and
OF marching that they swayed about tho
road like drunken men.
The casualties were heavy heavier
In those few days than IN all the course
Of the battle OF the Somme-and most
OF the members of statfs lost their personal
kits, but the testimony Of everybody
shows the magnificent spirit IN which they
worked.
The officers all praise most highly
the work of the strctcher bearers and
StafTs and the transport of the advanced
dressing stations, who, as the battle went
on, got back the wounded to the casualty
clearing stations, wherever they hap
pcned To he.
BABooN MASCOT LOSES A LEG.
A curious detail of the casualties is
that In one base hospital there lies.
with other honorably wounded heroes,
Jack the Baboon, the mascot of the
South African Brigade. He lost a leg
and is wounded in one arm, but he has
stood surgical operation and treat
ment well. and is said to be q most amen
able and gentle patient.
In the failure of their attacks on the
Bailleul area and on C;ivenchy and
west thereof, on April i7-lS, II is quite
certain that the Germans lost heavily
Apart from what we know ourselves
this is the testimony Of All prisoners
We know, for instance. from regimental
rolls that the 22d Regiment Of the Nth |
Division was reduced fnom full strength
10 $50 Of all ranks
Captured officers Of the 18th Divi- |
SION say that advance was impossible |
against our artillery and machine gun
FIRE, and their division never got for /
ward at all The 22d Reserve Division !
suffered very severely, and Of the lo3d |
Regiment Of the SD Division, all three
battalions were put in and smashed to ,
pieces.
4 certain British officer said yesterday |
he himself fired 800 rounds from rife |
and knew he had killed or hit 500 Ger |
mans, because with each shot II was I'M
possible 10 miss.