The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-01-31

Morrow county people had the war
brought to them in a clear manner
Tuesday evening, when Major F. B.
Edwards and Captain E. ]. Cook, of
the Canadian army spoke before 1900
people in the Fair Pavilion.
Major Edwards and Captain Cook
have been making tour Of the state
of Oregon, speaking in the principal
towns and cities and on their journey
have been accompanied by Bruce Den
mis-, director of work of the state
council of defense. 1t was through
the efforts Of Mr.. Dennis that the
state council was able to secure these
men, "to bring certain sections of
Oregon out of their lethargy" regard
ing the war. The speaking tour will
end next week.
The men were greeted at the train
by reception committee, headed by
Sam e. Van Vactor, chairman Of the
local defense council, and taken to
the Palace hotel, where a banquet had
been prepared in their honor. Two
hundred men sat down and ate with
the distinguished visitors and after
dinner, both Major Edwards and
Captain Cook made short talks after
they had been welcomed to our coun-
ty by District Attorney s. E. Notson.
In opening his speech at the Fair
pavilion, Major Edwards paid high
tribute to the manhood Of Oregon
when he said, while travelling over
your state have been sizing up your
young men. Being connected with
men as l have, / have made special
study of faces. In your young men I
can see that frankness and firm re-
solve which is going to make a damn
rough time for the Hun when the
men from Oregon get over there In
France"
Trench warfare in all its details
was graphically described by Major
Edwards from the time the position
is marked off until the trench Is fin
ished and occupied by its defenders.
AS Captain Cook said, "once the Can
adams capture a trench now, they
never give 1t up"
Both Major Edwards and Captain
Cook told of Hun methods of warfare,
their use of the deadly gas, dunn DUN
bullets and acts of treachery, which
made 1t exceptionally hard for the
Canadians in their first contingents
that went over.
Major Edwards was a lieutenant
in the Canadian militia regiment,
3Oth British Columbia Horse at the
outbreak of the war. When the reg
iment arrived in Flanders 1t went in
to the trenches in the Ploegstreet Sec
tor, then the Dickebusch sector, fol-
lowed by service at Hill So. The
Major (then captain) told his au-
dieince how his battalion received
orders to capture and hold this po-
sition at all costs. His men fulfilled
the orders, but the cost was enormous
almost the entire brigade being wiped
out in the terrific fighting at that
time.
Major Edwards was wounded for
the first time during the Sanctuary
Wood action, being shot in the hip
Upon his return to his regiment 1t
was moved to the Somme. At Re-
gina trench, the gallant officer was
wounded for the last time and per-
manently retired from active service.
Both his arms were torn off by high
explosives. So terrific was the ex-
plosion that Major Edwards was
blown completely out of the trench,
and a number Of men who were
standing near him just before the ex-
plosion were blown literally to pieces.
A noticeable feature Of the talks
made by these men was that they
made no reference whatever to the
wounds they received while in action.
Utmost modesty marked their every
utterance. Yet their message was
filled with intense interest and their
audience was with them every min
ute.
Major Edwards has now been re-