The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-08-06
ORLANDO CAPTAIN
ON FIRING LINE TELLS MANY
INTERESTING TALES
Orlando Reporter-Star.)

Mrs. F. Beardall has received a
second letter from her son, Capt. H.
M. Beardall, which is full of inter-
est, and with many vivid descriptions
of life on the British front, where he
has been the guest of the officers Of
a British Field Ambulance Co., as a
part of the training for active duty.
1t reads in part
Have been at the fighting front
as guest of Field Ambulance Co., to
get line on things, and see if we are
"gun shy" 1t has been most de-
lightful change; not only have the Of
fcers treated us royalty, but they have
done all in their power to give US all
the information possible pertaining to
our future work. I find that they
live well. Food excellent, white table
linen. We arise at $3.50, and are
served tea at p. m. Some class to
these boys.
I'VE have visited all the. posts, and
night before last we spent at an ad-
vanced dressing station, existing only
by the grace of the Lord, as shells
we're falling in every direction, only
two or three hundred yards away. AT
that, no one seemed worried. The
explosion of the shells was terrific,
and following them we could hear
pieces of she'll flying and buzzing all
about.
EARLY yesterday morning we visit
ed the relay station, and from there
went on up to the battalion dressing
station and on into the trenches. l.
was some crawl through the wheat
fields, down bitches and along hedges,
over dead horses and unburied Ger
mans, with their equipment. We
passed through a now famous first
line trench, where in the past few
days (letter is dated July 9TH, the
British have advanced over mile
The ground was literally covered with
all manner of German helmets, rifles,
machine guns, ammunition, ETC.,
which they left behind when they
were kicked out. The whole place
was simply knocked to the devil
Shell holes every few feet and houses
all down, tree tops blown off, and in
this big forest not tree that had
not been hit by pieces Of shell. The
fields are full of fresh vegetables, po-
tatoes, peas, etc., and we have had
plenty of them to eat.
you soon get used to the shell,
and really get more of fright from
your own guns which you cannot see.
1t Is quite shock to be walking or
crawling along, and have one Of your
own guns, so camoufaged that you
have just passed by without seeing
ii 60 off right under your coat tails.
You cannot help but hop it.
1T is great at night. You suddenly
hear a German plane (they are easily
detected by the engine exhaust), and
from every corner of the camps flash
forth powerful searchlights, which be-
gin to comb the sky for him. Soon
they locate the scamp, and you can
see him as plain as day then the guns
open up the fame Of shrapnel begins
to dote the sky all about him, and he
soon turns tail, and begins to twist
and duck 1t back for home.
Talk about fiying-you should see
the capers these fellows cut. Loop the
loop is mild. I have seen them roll
over and over like a horse, fall hur-
dreds Of feet like a drifting leaf, then
right themselves and sail calmly off
1t is a wonderful sight.
"The weather is beautiful today,
Just like winter in Florida. We had
a good laugh at one chap here last
night during chat among the Off
GERS One of the men who was in the
recent retreat asked another IL he had
ever been in retreat. Retreat
h, he said, L walked across Bel
GUM and all the way around it. He
had been in the retreat from Mons in
1914, and was at that time sergeant
major in the ranks.
I'VE have absolute control of the
air here. German planes are never
seen except at night.
1.-THE Boche is very methodical
about his Smelling and always shells
the same place about the same time
every day, so you can keep a line on
him. Yesterday when went up to
the front line, 1 went by path at 8