Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-21

shells. and often we had just to bcsin
all over again.
/ Oh: Johnny Allcmand-by the way.
the Huns arc seldom referred TO as
Fritz nowadays out thcrc-reouircd no
/ tips when II camo to real dirty tricks
/ We usually had a rather hard time
/ Of il when tho Prussians or tho Ba-
Varian3 were up against us in this
sector. for to give tho devil his due,
/ the "Procsians" and the proud Ba-
rariane can put up a jolly good fight.
II was different when tho Saxons
! were in the lines against Us. This
section OF the Germans most nearly APP
| Droach TO tho British in charactcristics.
and have had many interesting chats
! with Saxon prisoners, who surrendered
more readily than most OF tho others.
One Fine-LookinE saxon.
/ There was ono hnc-looking Saxon
! --he was "a nice. fair-haircd young
fcliow--who could speak almost per-
feet English. and this soldier knew
/ Glasgow very we'll. lie spoke 10 nc
about the different ;hcatcrs and music
halls. and judged hc had not been a
/ tcctotaicr when nc IauEhinElv in
/ Quircd II the Grosvcnor and LADDERS
/ bar were still standing at the same
spots lie mentioned that he had been
member Of the German club whose
. premises were in Sauchichall Street.
and said he wished the d war was
| finished. "a he was fai. sick OF the
whole CHASTITY business.
This Saxon told me that while he
/ WAS residing in Glasgow before tn.
war he was in lodgings in Buccieuch
street. Garnc,hill. and that he was on
.r L.s
atrical boys" who used 10 visit Glas-
/ gov with their companies.
German Refuscs 60 Return TO Own Line.
There was another Saxon who sur
! rendered 10 us in tho Ypres sector and
/ this man mentioned that he knew Lon
don. Manchester and Birmingham very
I We'll before the war. He offered me
. his hcadgcar as souvenir. but de-
clined, and remarked that il he cared
. 10 return to the German lines and
fetch me nice pair OF field glasses, I
would readily accept these as SOU
( venir. But this stout Saxon soldier
shrugged his shoulders significantly,
and indicated that he would rather
! remain where he was. Beyond men,
tioninE that he was utterly fed up''
. with lighting. this German did not
venture any opinion as TO how the war
aS ilHc!E 10 Gnu.
Sort of Travelling He'll
One OF our most terrible experiences
was when the Germans brought up
their flame Jets and sent a sort of
travelling he'll around our position.
The result was tina, We were in the
center OF a circle Of famc. and il looked
az though We were going TO be eaten
UP in IL. We had TO set TO work with
a dodge We have for checking the
spread OF liquid fire, dodge that was
taught by colonial who had gained
experience in !ocal!zinG prairie fires
out West. We were doing nicely in
that way, when Fritz started to send
more hell fire a; Us. That was TOO
much.
We left our trenches, charged the
enemy. and captured the outfit. Imme-
dia.cly we turned it on those of the
enemy who hadn't seen what was hap
pcninc. and fairly caught them. They
fancicd il was their own mates who
were doing il on them. Tho battalion
WAS attacked continuously by odds OF
more than six TO ono. but it beat back
all attacks.
Caught in Trap.
VIC were SO close in tho wake Of
our own barragc that we could scarcely
.
rocked and swaycd beneath US Some
OF US had a bit OF luck. We got up to
a piilbox. Tho top had been smashed
in, and the whole of the garrison had
been killed. Wa thought il best to
get in and say nothing.
Sure enough, our discretion was re-
wardcd. AS tho attack developed. the
Germans were reinforcing their line.
and along came big force to occupy
the line Of which this pillbox was one
of the defcnscs. We got ready. and
when the Germans were right UP to
tho blockhouec we opened fire on them.
Never were men SO neatly trapped.
They had no chance of getting away.
Nearly half OF them were shot down.
and the remainder lay down on the
ground TO take what cover they could
set. Our barrasc was dropping over
them. and to make matters worse for
them. their own barrase caught them
behind.
Who WouId:
They didn't enjoy it very much. It's
not very pleasant TO be caught like
that. and old Fritz soon found that it
was dashed uncomfortable.
Using the pillbox as our base, we
were able to undertake a series Of raids
right along the line. and we fairly
messed up the whole affair for the
Germans. We rakcd them with ma
chine guns. and finally drove them int
one corner of their first line. There
they prepared to make a stand. but we
were not idle in the meantime. We
moved up our boiling oil outfit and az
ter driving in the whole Of the ad-
vanccd posts. VIC got ready to give
Fritz good sample Of what hell is
like.
We sent great shoots of LIQUID fire
into the air, and these descended just
where Fritz was. We had the whole
section OF the trench converted into
a lake of fire. Fritz holted 10 the
duGoute, but the fire Travelled after
him. ] heard their agonizing screams,
and felt a bit sorry for them.
Still, war is war. and they brought
this on themselves by introducing
poison gas and other horrors.
IIcroIsm of Three Men,
But the engagement was not over
yet. Just at our loft flank three men