The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-09
British Daring.

helped many hundreds of Allied prisoners to escape. In addition, I had to arrange for the passage of British officers to make observations behind the German lines
 The general public at home can heardly realize the extent to which the average British and French of heer risked his life in making the most daring reconnaisances behind the German lines. T
 One day was in the shop of a Madame Jacques in Lille. a very es- tiunable lady of whose work for us may have something to say later. A German officer walked into the place.
 "You are MT. Maxwell?" he said in French. 'tI am MT. Maxwell" I repeated, wondering at the same time what new troubles this meant The German burst out laughing, and said-"I am glad that my dis guise is good enough to deceive you. My name is Hall. am 8 British soldier, and have been told to seek you out, because you can be of as- sistance to me-"
 It was even as he said, and this officer moved freely about Lille and kept 8 close watch on the German movements. He was subjected to in suits by the townspeole, who really
 
 one occasion so well did he act the part of the angry Hun that the mil itary police arrested a number of civilians for offering insults to him, ! and the Captain agreed to appear | before the Court the next morning | to give evidence against them. I think the man would have been | daring enough to have done this
 thing, but fortunately he was called back to the British lines.
 I saw him on my next visit to Lille. He had come back on another mis- \ sion, and for about four months af- | ter that he was continually coming and going, sometimes using the un- | derground road of which have spoken, and at others travelling by air.
 This officer Is now serving in the | Army of Occupation in Germany. I | have seen him on the streets of | Brussels being saluted by German l soldiers and returning the salutes as ! naturally as though he had worn the | Kaiser's uniform all his life.
 Amazing Goodness.
 There was one story of this officer | that I would not believe were it not | vouched for by a cold and matter | of-fact official document, which was
 
 l reposing with the Director-General of Military Intelligence. One day when the officer was wandering about in Lille he observed two Ger
 man soldiers conveying French of f1cer along under arrest He recog- nized this officer as belonging to the l French secret service. and quickly 1 made up his mind how to act. 1 He stopped the two soldiers, and
 said-'"There has been a mistake. I | will take this prisoner back to the Brigade Headquarters. You will go
 back to your officer and tell him that
 an escort is to be ready to convey l this prisoner to Turnai by the next | available train. When you have de- l livered the message, come and report | to me at the Brigade Headquarters. B
 The soldiers saluted, and went away, without the least suspicion that they had been tricked. The officer l brought his prisoner to me, and the l two men remained in hiding with
 us until the following night, when | sent the prisoner with 8 safe guide
 to be conducted through the under. l ground passage to Lens I heard that he made the journey in safety, and lived to render very good ser l vice to the French Government. | For some days after this incident | there was a hue and cry after the Britisher in Lille, and the Germans circulated a description of him, while patrols frequently made surprise visits to houses suspected of harbor- ing escaped prisoners in the hope ot finding him. They failed, but had
 they been a little more df1igent they
 might have found him. for he was
 still to be seen in the streets, openly 0T, off
 even mixing with other Germans. The nerve of the man was amaz-
 ing, and he was certainly cut out for this work, if ever man was. He
 told me himself that he had discussed his own case with German officers
 and once had actually agreed to gc
 along with another German officer
 who was positive that the wanted man was in hiding in a house outside the town. The visit was made, but needless to say, the German did no find the man he wanted.
 At the time of the second British naval raid on Ostend was sent int, , the town to give aid in effecting tn rescue of prisoners captured in thi raid in order to get hold of the in { formation they would be able to af ford of the effectiveness Of the worl 5 done by the raiders.
 F When the firing opened therefore made my way down to the shore ] being careful to keep account of tn , heavy shell fire from the sea an
 , also from the German guns, the lat
 ter falling short of the targets fixed } It is eloquent of the confusion tha = reigned among the Germans on thi . moving down to resist any attemp 7 of the British to land in the harbo l were vigorously shelled by their ow f guns, and repeatedly had to abando t the attempt to get down.
 l From my hiding place could hea e the commander cursing the gunner 6 and afterwards I heard him orde 6 one fo his men to go and tell tn e battery commander to correct hi B range or cease firing altogether. n I was lying all this time in tn
 garden of a house not very far fror s the inner harbor, and I knew ths = any prisoners taken were likely k be brought along that road. I ha q with me four trusted companion n but was by no means certain tha 8 they would be enough to effect tn I recue of any prisoners should it | I necessary to rescue by force. Whs