The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-05-16
ON THE FRONT
THREE YEARS
Hedley Editor With the
British Ambulance
Service.

| FRIDAY last A. b. Stanley, of Hedley,
arrived In town on his way to Nelson
b. Z. Formerly Mr.. Stanley published
the Hedley Gazette, but some three
years ago, feeling that every Canadian
Oh service age should be at the front
lending assistance in downing the
Hun, he closed down the Gazette.
sought recruiting office and offered
himself in any capacity in which he
| could be useful, his one request being
that he should be sent to the front He
was assigned to the ambulance CORPS,
and in that service he was required to
be close up to the fighting line, where
ne saw the gruesome side of war in all
Its unpleasant features.
owing to- defective eyesight Mr..
Stanley feared that he would be I'M
able to pass the most casual examina-
ton, and as he was determined to get
in he had to sharpen his wits in order
to pass that part of the examination
When his eyesight was being tested
he complained to the physician that he
was taking advantage of him by hav-
ing the lettered card hung up in a dark
room, and requested that it be brought
out in the light. The doctor moved
quite deliberately and as the card was
held quite close to Mr.. Stanley while
the change was being made he was
enabled to see the letters and
commit them sufficiently, even in that
brief time, to make a fair stagger at
|deciphering them, or pretending to
decipher them and he was passed.
Mr.. Stanley tells interesting stories
Of his experience at the front, for the
ambulance unit was switched around
from place to place. 1t was his duty
to pick up the wounded and convey
them to the dressing stations, and
there was an awful lot of that kind of
work to do. He was exceedingly for
tunate in escaping without serious in
jury either from projectiles or gass
although he had numerous very close
calls. Probably the most trying ex-
perience was on the Ypers sector,
where the most vicious fighting of the
war occurred. With their constant and
persistent efforts to break through at
that point to the channel the Huns
we're launching attacks at all times,
with only short intermissions, and the
casualties on that front were appall-
ing 1t kept the ambulance units hump
ing TO care for the unfortunate boys
who were victims to the high eXplo-
sives and machine gun fire.
As anillustration Of the efficiency
of the Hun, Mr.. Stanley described
pill box captured by the Canadians, in
which he took shelter from German
fire for some time This particular pill
box was large enough almost to be
classed as fort. 1t was constructed
of reinforced concrete, there being
heavy iron PLIERS every few feet, with
the addition of iron bars at intervals
Only the highest explosives wluid
make any impression upon a protec-
zion thus constructed. One OF the big
English shells had made a lucky hit,
knocking out one corner of the pill
box. and a few doses of shrapnel sent
the Hun occupants scurrying to other
quarters. The engineers repaired the
injury, and the box came in handy Tor
the Tommies when they advanced
over the ground.
Mr. Stanley was asked if he had per-
sonally seen any one who had suffered
from the atrocities inflicted upon
many of the inhabitants OF northern
France and Belgium. He stated that ne
had not. but that he had seen things
that convinced him that the Hun
would not hesitate at any parparlty
while carrying on warfare. lie men
toned one instance that came under
his observation. The soldiers OF the al
lied armies soon learned that When
they made an advance over territory
that had been held by the Germans 1t
wac not safe to touch a single 'hlhs
left behind by the retiring enemy Inc
ingenuity of the savages in preparing
death traps is beyond belief. In rooms
wiras were attached to articles that
men would naturally pick up, and
when the unfortunate soldier touched
one of these articles a Domp Wouiu
axplode destroying every one IN the
vicinity. Bridges and roads, ana puliu-
;nos we're mined to explode either
rom contact or time CLOCKS. Wheh
Tho English entered the remnants OF
ens that place was sown thick win
these death dealing arrangements
and if was at Lens that Mr.. Staniey
was a witness of one of the dlapoilcal
mathods of murder that could nave
haen conceived only in the brain OF
Hun Several soldiers entered mousse
| where thev saw a cat hanging by the
| tail from a wire. Naturally the animal
was emitting wild caterwaullng, aho
| ,s naturally it was for kind hearte
Tommy to cut the wire for the purpose
of releasing the cat. The moment the
| weight of the cat was taken from the
wira detonating bomb exploded
killing the poor fellow whose humane
i'm nstincts caused him to rescue the an
imal and wounding two or three oth
ers who were present and VINO Wer'
rushed to a dressing station by MI
| Stanley. Men who would set suct
trans as that would certainly be guilt!
of any and every crime that the Ger
man had been charged with having
committed while overrunning con
ouored territory.
Mr.. Stanley paid high tribute t.
the bravery of all the allies, except
ing the Portuguese troops He said tha
the self sacrifice of the Royal Engin
GERS was something SURPRISING under