Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-06
CAPTAIN FALLON TELLS
OF FIGHTING IN FRANCE

Addresses Intensely Interested Audi.
n cnce at the Academy Of
Music.
URGES SUPPORT OF WILSON
Calls President Greatest Man In
World To-Day, and Says England
Is Behind Lloyd George TO Man;
X U. 8. Should Not BE Less Loyal.
NJ Fighting Through He'll" was the
subject OF vivid and dramatic word
picture OF a soldiers life on the bat
tie fields OF the present war by Cap
tain David Fallon. to an intensely in
terested and sympathetic audience at
the Academy OF Music last night. Cap
tain Fallon saw service in the Aus
ITALIAN anu British forces and was in
Gapactated for further service b. the
loss of his right hand. due TO the ex-
plosion of Roche hand grenade.
a Although he related cruesome and
Horrible incidents OF his experience on
the battle front Captain Fallon at all
times by his eloquent and pleasant
tnanncr OF speech held his audience
literally spcl!bound. Many OF the most
fearful tragedies were CLOSED over
with peculiarly individual humor and
handed to the audience as a sugar
coated pill However. this did not pre-
vent the horror and grim realities OF
the tragedy OF the war from sinking in
the minds of the intent listeners. Wax
ing eloquent, .orccful and enthusias-
tically passionate when speaking on
some delicate aud tender recollcctions.
q slight and pleasant accen; Of the
I-.-A 11A =, had
his speech.
TRYING TO AWAKEN
AMERICAN PEOPLE
Captain Fallon said IN the conclusion
OF his speech that the keynote and fun
danental basis OF his lecture tour was
to awaken the American people and
force them 10 realize that the only way
to deal with the beasts" was TO place
them In such a position that they would
never be able to let loose the dogs OF
var again.
Get behind your President, for You
have the greatest man IN the world
You can't reason with the beasts. When
you get behind your government and
you give your every dollar and cent
your strength. your all. and when the
American boys get over there, and ali
the ammunition and resources viii be
ready for use then We Will blow the
make war possible
Turning to the listeners. ne e1-
claimed, You boys can do Il / know.
because you come OF my stock. IL
took one German King to separate US
and II took another 10 bring Us to-
gethcr."
I'm England we arc behind Lloyd
George TO man. in America YOU
should be behind the President because
you have the man who is the dictator
of peace; the man TO whom Ensland
is ready to turn over the further
prosecution OF the war
The entire speech OF Captain Fsllon
was punctuatcd with hearty ana appr.
ciative applause. Although painting
the most rcpulsivc atrocities the world
has ever heard of or imagined. the en-
tire audience sat waiting for the -cla-
ton of the next incident, hanging upon
the words OF the speaker.
TELLS OF DISASTROUS
GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN
In the beginning of his speech he
told OF how the Australians had VOL
nntecred AT the outbreak OF the war
and how they had been sent 10 CAL
lpoli tho most disastrous page in the
history of the war. rcplete with TRACE
dies indescribable. However, he said
that the evacuation OF the forces Of
Gallipoli, practically without a single
casualty, atoned for the entire loss.
1t was camounage on Z large scale.
ari the British and Australian forces
got away with 1t. In his character
istic humorous manner he told OF one
incident he remembered the morning
after they had evacuated. and the Turks
awokc at a loss to know what had
happened. The trenches were empty.
except for the signs that the boys had
posted for the attention OF the Turks.
One ~of the signs read: AN rcyo!r
Brother Turk! You have given us
damned good fight. but we expect to
return and. give, you hell"
Captain Fallon was then transferred
to the British forces on the western
front. He was ordered TO lead a bomb
squad over no mans land" lie de-
ecribed how they took three trenches
and how they drove the Germans GU,
by the use OF hand rrenadcs There
be met an officer who proved to be
an old Australian colleague, who said
ms they ran charging the next trench
Fancy meeting IN this hell OF (. holc"'
HARDEST WORK rs FACING
s. GERMAN COUNTERATrA OK &
~ Continuing, Captain Fallon said that
the greatest work was not in taking a
trench. but in holding il, because the
Germans were sure TO make a counter
attack. In order To hold their recently
captured trench against a counterat-
tack and 10 shield themselves against
the fearful shell fire they were forced
to make parapcis out Of the dead bodies
OF their own soldiers and tho dead
Germans by piling them one on the
other. In this trench they hung on
for twenty-five hours uu,il they were
relieved by rc-enforcc5neutS. and then
only four OF the sixty that ne had taken
on the charge could walk TO the field
hospital.
Captain Fallon told ~ one incident
OF an Insect which had saved the life
OF a soldier. The mosquito, Of the kind
that swarm the trenches was eating
the leg OF the soldier and, as he bent
down to remove the source Of trou-
BILE a shell came of the parapct and
took away tho steel helmet, and the
soldier looked at the mosquito and
said: You little begrar, cannot give
you Victoria Cross. but can give YOU
good feed" And the soldier replaced
the mosquito 10 the former position.
At this point Captain Faiion c3clain-
ed that The men who get killed are
the most fortunate. The ones who
arc wounded are less lucky, and the
ones who are taken prisoner are
stu less fortunate, For the wound