New Britain herald., 1918-05-18

lie said that when new man goes into the trenches for the first time he does not realize his danger and is apt to be careless. In fact he said a new man is apt to somewhat scoff at the veterans who duck and dodge a t every shell. Time proves they are wrong, however, for in a mixed unit of veterans and new men the heaviest casualties are always among the new soldiers. On October 13 and IA of 1916 the soldier was moved to a camp about eight miles from the front and during these days he passed through many ruined villages, some of which were even then being battered by the German artillery. None of these towns had any military value and housed no troops, but were destroyed because of the intense German ha- tired. It was about this time that the French troops first took Vimy Ridge, paying a toll of 7O,O00 lives, the sol dier said, and added that later the Germans retOok a part of it and it was not until April, 1917, that the famous hill was again retaken, this time by the Canadians.
 Telling of his first experience in the front lines, Private Uptegrove said that he widowed in mud and water up to his knees. It is at the front as soon as the men leave the trenches they are supplied with everything they need, such as socks, towels soap, sweaters, etc., and during long periods in the trenches the Red Cross sends these materials up to them. He told of bomb ping parties and patrols sent into No Mans Land and while he carefully avoided the use of the first person in spea king, 1t was evident from his intimate knowledge that the young soldier himself had been one of the volunteers to go over the top and get the necessary information which preceded the capture of Vimy Ridge.
 Telling of the assault upon Nimy Ridge, Private Uptegrove said that a complete system of German trenches, extending back for six miles, were constructed from photos taken and for three weeks before the battle the soldiers were given ines sant drilling in taking these trenches. By early morning of April 8, 30 Can adian divisions and 10 British divi- sions had gathered for the fray. At dawn a machine gun fired the signal SJlOL ana 1uSIdHtly dll l1I6uSe dIIll- lerv bombardment began along a 12 mile front. AS the artillery swept the German positions the infantry moved forward and before the battle was over had taken 3O.0o0 prison CTS This, the soldier said, was the greatest stroke of the Allies, and was the most carefully worked out plan or any until the famous battle of hrai rol1caC he said the Canadian artillery was so con- centrated that the wheels of the gun carriages touched each other and millions of shells were fired. The Canadian soldier also saw action at Fresny and Hill No. 70 at Lens and was wounded at Passchendaele village
 Declaring that he knew of count less German atrocities which were true, the young soldier said however, that he would tell of only a few in stances of German brutishness he himself had seen. He said he had seen German soldiers rush about the battlefield and jab bayonets through the prostrate bodies of wounded Can adians who could not defend them selves. He has seen them purposely dump wounded Canadians off stretch CTS that their wounds might be re- opened and they would bleed to death. He has seen angered German prisoners audaciously spit in the faces of their Canadian captors. These and other things they do when they are being watched and can be punished leaves but little to be inn agined of what they do to the poor soldiers who are captured and taken behind the German lines where they have no friends to take their side.
 Private Uptcgrove told of the fiendish inventions of the Germans in this war, enumerating the various gases he has used. He declared that
 in all this fiendishness the Germans take the initiative and thus the AL lies have to adopt the same methods.
 In conclusion Private Uptegrove