The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-01
murdered by a Hun.)


 Cree at last! None knows the magic of the phrase better than the British soldier who has been delivered from the clutches of the Huns.
 For considerably more than year I have been a captive in Germany, and today I feel almost as if my deliver arce were only a glorious dream.
 My capture was effected on that fateful September day in 1915 when the Battle of Loos was fought.
 I had enlisted in the Royal Scots about three weeks after the outbreak of war, and when trained we were despatched to France in May 1915. The Battle of Loos was the first big engagement in which my battalion took part.
 At six o'clock on the morning of that fateful 18th Of September we went lover the top" and almost with out resistance reached the German second line, seeing only fleeing Ger mans clearing from our path. We overlook the main party of these fugi- tives rounded them up, and sent them back under escort to our lines. After that we swept through the German
  ing in the open ground beyond. We were then just at the foot of Hill 70. Strong enemy endorsements coming u2 later. we were driven back into the third-line position.
 The line of trench here had been flattened down near the centre by the bombardment, and our men were crowded together at both ends, avoid ing the open space into which the Germans were hurling bombs.
 was told by my company comman- der to run across and tell the men at the other end to move further up the trench so that we could have more room. In a crouching position, I was going over this exposed part, when an exploding bomb came over and struck me on the left elbow, shatter- ing the joint.
 My arm was all covered with blood, and my company commander told me to go down into one of the deep Ger man dug outs and dress my injuries with my field~dressing as it was case of every man for himself at that time. I went down accordingly with two other fellows, but when we re- turned to the surface an hour later the trench was deserted-our com radcs had been forced to retreat.
 Da, -kness was coming on rapidly and in our helpless wanderings about the maze Of trenches I lost my two companions.
 When it was quite dark I scrambled over the parapet, and eventually reached the German second line posi- tion. I fell in with a bombing party of another regiment in this trench who were on their way to bomb some German dug-outs close at hand. They told me to wait till they came back and they would lead me across, but waited in vain-the party never re- turned. I think they must have beer trapped in some way. After much fruitless wandering I found myself later back again into the very trench in which I had been wounded.
 Desperately I made another effort to reach haven of safety, climbing over the parapet into the open, but firing recommended, and l had to lie still, surrounded on all sides by hun dreds of dead and wounded-Britisf and German.
 Through that terrible night tht moans and cries of the wounded mer rang in my ears, but no help came. In the morning I returned to the Ger man trench. Here l was startled t' hear the sound of voices. The speak CTS approached, and I saw that it Wal a party of 15 Germans-I think they were Saxons from their uniforms They were sappers and miners eVi cd plosives.
 The officer in command spoke Eng fish well, and ordered his men tt bathe my injuries with water Iron their flasks and also sent man bacl to get me a tin half full of cold cof fee with biscuits and some bully-beef This food and the dressing of m! wounds refreshed me greatly. A Ger man soldier also put cigarette Il my mouth, lighted it, and left m with two cigarettes and two matche before the party went on. Betor leaving they assured me that the would return at night.
 law there until evening, but tn party did not return that way.
 Towards night a German soldie came along with a British soldier wh lad been wounded in the leg. He say me lying there, and shouted some thing to me in German. Then h came up and shook me roughly, say ing "Sweinhund-E -Englander," and a the same time urging me to go on.
 All at once he noticed several let ters and photographs which had talk en from ny b1ood-stained torn tuni before throwing it away, sticking ou from my shirt.
 He seized several of these letters and glanced over them with stupi expression. I gestured that. he shoul return them to me, but his only ar swer was to snatch away another pho +ograph I had in my shirt.
 I lost my temper over this impuder action, and, swinging round, l gay him a blow on the jaw with my r1gf fist. sending him reeling back again; the side of the trench. He came bac mad with rage, and honestly be lieve he would have shot me rlgf away except for the fact that th trench was so narrow he had not rool