Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-14

Fritz trench as our first line" lie began.
"Oao night / saw what looked like
Dig flares going up. some way behind
the German line. When my officer
Namc along J reported this to him. i
guess they're clearing out he said.
III tell tho colonel
Next morning three piatoons were
sent forward to Investigate. ana as
thcre WAS no rcsisyancc. the whole of
tltat part OF the line moved forward.
lt was bit of Il surprise. and every
body was more or less muddIcd for "A
timc. NO mans land was Il swarmirg
mass OF bombers, Lewis gunners. artil-
lcry observers. pioneers anu every
other branch OF tho service.
Il went across, and just al / got
there. l noticed In tho German front
line one Of their duck boards cut clean
in two. man went un ana put his
foot on it. and Immediately about five
yards Of the trench went up with a
hug" hang. woundins several. 1t WAS
- now kind Of man trap. After that
We found a fcw more of the same sort
N the communication trenches. so an
officer made us explode them with
heavy stones. We found there were
just two bombs under most Of them.
Our infantry rot forward about half
a mile. and was sent back with a
message To the GUmners.
Il was just getting back to our old
front line when % burst very close"
lie saw tho Hash and woke up in
hospital, deaf and dumb, bu; without u
scratch. lie got his speech back more
f. OF les; in 'hrc" DAYS. but as you might
jude ~ Was SIN stainmcrug "A bit.
Si'iU:.' or .n;0iEUs
SURPRISES p!tussIAHS
3rnny ~ the pr,iasiam officers who
. w"r" taken prisoners Ia tho charncl
7 house Of ------- were amazed that our
troops could laugh and 1cst whilst
hunting IN the broken, battered and
Dangerous area.
une. . l'russian Guards officer. was
extremely of onsivc in his criticism OF
'fn"'ish Nipnancy' and tho inability
britain 10 regard war seriously"
/ still remCmbci that Hun colonel.
lie took everything. including himself.
50 seriou'iy that often he would forget
/ ard shout out orders TO his conuuercrs
/ Fritziof But never mind, he soon got
+ ov,- that.
lie had terrible charge which he
wanted TO have registered oncially
. th. these efficient super Huns-they
must have everything done officially
and accorG!nr; 10 tape rncasurc
/ His chief complaint. 1t appeared. was
/ TO tho craze for sport" and foolish
/ lcvity' IF our troona. and when This
charge vas examined in detail, II was
found that som, Of the lads involved
IN the hEbtinS at ------ had so for for
gotten war and its horrors as To laugh
and make tests with each other
The Jumkcr colonel was puzzled and
arsry. We should not allow oar mon
. II act like that" he said War is
serious business II the poor Hun had
thought Il II earlier hc would have
saved millions OF lives. Including;
Fvitzics.
My ten days up--twcnty DAYS I'm ell
I i reported TO my rag!lncnial head
+ Quarters and asked for ms company
assignment. OF course. IL was not Il
surprise TO III" when learned that
willie was doing time" at the ncld
: hospital ny company had been re
formed severn! ;.incs. This was a
/ terrible blow to me. but yea know. II
assigned to one Of the North County
regiments. which is Familiarity known
. az IN" iitiee. But tho Frttz!cs
call them "skirtcd devils"
/ Ana was pleased TO join the boys
/ from the old country?
You bet was,
/ Tho ,errors of the huns That's
! what the lSiIties arc, Perhaps could
ell sou tic reason why, and perhaps
couldn't.
y, any ratio, tho fact remains. and
u you like IN give YOU one or two
+ ttHF''o 10 illustrate ~.
well. about the kilties Here's a
strange episode, and a true one. which
+ has never been related, SO far as I
know.
CA one occasion whom We were sc,-
Tied down IN The trenches at ---- ana
Things had been going their Numdrur
round for days, ~. got word mo mat
/ ter how--thot Fritz was assembling
IN some strength 10 attack w.. lie
n I'm !,
The small salient that we occupied,
rather close To his lines. but. small
Enough II was, y HAD moro value for us
ma" for him. aid we were detcrmi ned
I" hold it.
In fact, We had to.
I've said VIC had got word OF tho
attack but the bother Of The NM
was that we had no time to summon
assistance. We would haze to look
after ourselves. for q time at least. and
I from all We could gather it would be
a stiff job
Hut az events turned out. that at
tack never came Off after ali. or ra,hcr
never developed, and If YOU guessed
form hundred years. you would never
guess the real reason
Our colonel did thn trick.
~ was the funniest escapade ever
took par; in.
llo was game one, the colonel.
iHe tTlt"lcH hat just inaGsel and
were beginning 10 top their paran.,
for the charge. when. TO our utter
amazemcnt ana terror, the colonial
errang mp the ladder, and in = ,ri.,n
was ont on our own parapct for all tho
Germans TO sec. Then. before we coulI
realize what had come TO him" no.
suddenly raised his arms. and. waving
them wide, yelled at ;hc pitch OF hj,
voice: Come on. Gordons, Cancrons
I sScn!OrthS, como ont
For moment We didn't tumble TO +,
but when his purpose dawned upon us.
we let out such ycll and lot drive
such a vollcy that--wcl!. what immo-
dtately happened viii give YOU an idea
or the uproar Tho I7vit2ics, like on.
man, turned tail. and before You coull
have said Jack Robinson" ever,
mothers son Of thorn was back again
in the trenches The charge was off"
and the colonel stepped down s,niIine,
CALLING on IIfGHLASDERs
TIIRHIEIE1I THE ENEMY
| That may seem an incredible storv
but it's true. The Germans, we knew
had good cause TO fear us, for we had
given them an awful drubbing some
! time before, but it was the colonnra
wit that suggested turning the terror
! iZlnS name of the 1Iighianders to nd
Had The (,nr,napc co,,o