The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1919-02-27
PAT HERO
VISITS SAUK CENTRE
JAMES KENNEDY, ONE OF FA-
NOUS II SURVIVORS,, TELLS
GRAPHIC STORY.
saw ACTION AT VlMY RIDGE
THE ORGANIZATION WERE FIRST
VICTIMS OF GERMAN
. GAS ATTACKS,

James Kennedy, British subject,
now living at Battle Lake, Mimi,
spent several days in Sank Centre
this week, visiting friends.
Sergt. Kennedy was color bearer for
the famous Princess Pat regiment,
who covered themselves with i'm
mortal glory while being cut to rib
bons at Ypres, on the Somme, Vimy
Ridge and other parts of the Western
Front in the early days of the war.
Front, in the early days of the war,
and is one of the seventeen survivors
of the original 1850 men enlisting in
1914.
The Princess Pat regiment were
real men. Mr.. Kennedy weighed PIT
pounds and stood 5 foot 9R inches at
the time and barely made the grade in
this famous organization. He enlisted
in early August, 1914, four days af-
ter Germans declaration of war. The
regiment reached England in Septem-
Der. Before the out break of [hostili-
ties the Princess Pat regiment was
largely imaginary, so that the 1850
men sailing in September were made
up of raw recruits. After receiving
intensified training at Salisbury
Plains in the southern part of England
they were sent to the front in Novem-
Der and were brigaded with the 9th
Div. Imperial British troops at St.
Julien. s
This regiment, the first victims
of the hellish German gas in 1915.
Following this attack only $50 of the
entire regiment were left to answer
roll call.
Mr.. Kennedy went through the
Somme campaign without scratch
but he was severely injured in the
legs with shrapnel at KENNEL Hill
in May, 1916, and again at Vlmy
Ridge when the "Canucks" threw the
fear of Gods vengeance into the Hun
in retaking and holding this famous
battle ground which had previously
been gained and lost by both the
British and French armies.
The Vimy Ridge battel was the
last active service seen by Mr.. Ken
nedy as chrapnel wounds in the head
put him out of business as far as
military service was concerned.
The gentleman talks modestly OF
his military service. Of course he is
proud of the Princess Pats. On being
asked by the Herald relative to the
fighting qualities of the Allies ne
said that as far as he could see there
wasn't any difference. The English
Tommy and the French Poilus, the
New Zealander and Australian deliver
ed all the time. He said the work OF
Britain is not generally appreciated.
They stood like rock Of Gibraltar
all the time and were the big factors
in winning the war.
Upon being questioned as to the
bravery of the Boche, he said that
they fought like fiends as long as they
had superior numbers and the
advantage. Once this was wrested
from them they were yellow to the
core.
GLOW about the German atrocities )?
Mr.. Kennedy was asked. 1t was at
this point that Mr.. Kennedy became
somewhat excited. After having as
sisted in taking down two OF his
| comrades who had been cruciffed by
the Hun, in removing women ano
children from quarters where the Hur
| had raped and ravished; In seeing
| many little Belgium refugees in tlrs
| early days with their hands cut off
| and many other acts of wantor
| brutality and vandalism, he is con
| WINGED that the world will never know
half fof the brutal acts committed BY
| the Hun.
When his regiment first encountered
| the Germans in 1914 they showed
mercy to the cry of "Kamerad." HuI
treachery soon taught them, however
that "Kamerad" was the signal tt
shoot to kill.
After his somewhat strenuous con
tact with German "lcultur" Mr.. Ken
nedy is quite convinced that the world
can very well get along without it.
When the Princess Pat were given
the gas attack in 1915 the gas mask
was unknown. Mr.. Kennedy stated
one was developed in a couple OF
weeks which made it possible for men
to live in the midst of the attack.
They were crude affairs going on over
the head. They were saturated with
. combination Of carbolic acid and
other disinfectants. Il kept on long