Page 2 THE DAILY MIRROR
September 14, 1914
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TRAGEDIES OF WAR
IN A HOSPITAL.
Dying German Who Had Been
Shot by His Own Officer.
SUNS’ SILENT PRATERS.
“BULLETS ALL ROUND ME.
American Who Saw Battle from Tree
Says British Are “ Just Great.”
HOW UHLANS WKRK DOIKJKD.
(From Our Special Correspondent.)
A n t w e r p, Sept. 12.— I wish I could forget a
certain little bit of the war which T saw a few
<ays ago.
Three of us had been trying to get to Ter-
monde, and had reached a village beyond which
we were not allowed to paas.
The commandant received us in the village
caf6 and, after discussing the impossibility of
proceeding, told us they had some wounded
German prisoners.
One of the officers said, “ You may see our
hospital if you like, but I warn you it is an
ugly sight.”
He was right It was not a nice, clean,
orderly hospital, with .model cots and clean
sheets, but a whitewashed village schoolroom
and an adjoining farmyard, which had been
con vert ed into an emergency hospital for those
who were too badly wounded for removal to
Antwerp.
The kindly doctors and nuns were dt>ing their
utmost under difficult circumstances.
The first wreck of humanity was a German,
who had just been brought in with only a
rough field dressing. He had been shot in the
head at close range by his own officer, pre
sumably for cowardice. Too weak to be un
dressed, he lay on a mattress in a shallow box
BELGIAN CARDINAL IN LONDON.
Cardinal Mercier. Archbishop of Malines, who
has come to London, was present at St. Georpe's
Cathedral yesterday. The picture shows him
sprinkling noly water on the Bishop of South
wark before entering the building.
made of rough boards naiied together. One
foot was bare and the other shod with a heavily-
nailed boot.
It was little the doctors could do for him;
his time was ebbing away.
In this yard there were altogether eight Ger
mans, including an officer, and a number of
Belgian soldiers and a sad old grey-bearded
peasant, who had been too slow in getting away
from the battle.
DYIXG SOLDIER
Needless to say, the enemy were treated with
exactly the same attention as the Belgians, and
one of them showed his apprciation by a faint
smile of thanks when his bandage had been ad
justed.
The little schoolroom was full of bad cases.
Just inside the door three nuns were standing
round a bed. their lips moving in prayer and
their rosaries faintly clicking.
The dying soldier was a handsome young Bel
gian of about twenty-two. While he lay dying
another wmmded man tried to struggle from his
bed and reach up to a crucifix hanging on the
wall.
The doctors hurried to him and gently laid
him down again.
As we left that village schoolroom our feelings
were summed up by somebody, who said, " I f
ever a man deserved the hate of the whole world
that man is the Kaiser.” T. E. GRANT.
GERMAN POSSESSION SEIZED.
How the British flag was hoisted by an Aus
tralian landing party in a German possession is
told in the following message issued on Satur
day by the Press Bureau:—
The Secretary of the Admiralty announces that
a telegram has been received from Re^r-Admiral
Patey. com rrt tndin*? the Australian Squadron, an
nouncing the occupation yesterday iFrid'y) of the
town of Herbertnhohe, in the inland of New Pom-
mern (I te Ne v Britain), the largest island in the
Bismarck Archipelago.
The British flag was hoisted without oppo
sition.
A nwal landing party under Commander J. A.
H. Beresfcrrd. Australian. Navy, established them
selves on shore without enemy’s knowledge; in
proceeding to destroy the wireless station its pro-
Cress wits stoutly opposed.
Our c tsualtie^ are as follow :—Killed : Lieu
tenant Commander Charles R. Elwell, R.N.; two
seamen, Australian Naval Reserve. Wounded:
Three.
Two German officers and five non-commis
sioned officers are prisoners, also thirty native
poliee.
A grim little story of the war was told to The
Daily Mirror yesterday by Mr. A. de Young, an
America!., who has just returned to London
from the fighting area round Meaux.
Mr. De Young, who was out seeing what he
could see, suddenly came across thirty-eight
British soldiers, who had become separated from
their fellows and lost.
“ They were composed of all sorts/’ he said.
“ Queen’s Own, Grenadier Guards, Royal Field
Artillery, Irishmen and Welshmen. They had
been wandering about for a long time, and their
plight was all the worse as seven of them
were more or less badly wounded.
I joined the party, and we nearly all came to
an untimely end. I or suddenly we espied a party
of about fifty Uhlans riding towards us. I ike
lightning: some of us scrambled through the hed^e-
ro.vH and hid ourselves in the Ion* growth in the
fields. The tThJLina did not see us. Unfortunately
some of the BritL.ii tried to cro*s the fields on the
other side and the U h lan spotted them-
Mr. De Young had another narrow escape
when he saw the historic fighting at Meaux from
a tree. He said :—
I heard the booming of heavy guns close at
hand, and a little later I saw Germans. As I
d d not wish to add to- the li«t of casualties, J
climbed up a tree with heavy foliage. .
T had a splendid vie* of the subsequent flrhtin
Some of the Germ ?n trnnpa passed within * 2 0 1 1
yards of me* and the bullets were whistling all
round me.
Jud-dng by the fighting I did see, I take my hat
off to the Brithdi troops. They are just srreat.
They are the coolest tknftg that ever happened.
1 1 I have some pretty idea of the debt that
France owes to them- -it’s a bigger debt than
most people think. For things have happened,
terrible things, which can only come out af;rr
all the fighting is over. But, anyhow, the British
soldier is just wonderful/’
SEW MOVE lev UNIONISTS
Lord Lansdowne’s Bill to Postpone Contro
versial Legis'ation.
(By Our Parliamentary Correspondent-)
A situation of considerable delicacy confronts
the Government to-day, when an announcement
concerning the Home Rule and Welsh Church
Bills is to be made bv the Prime Minister.
On the Unionist side of the Bou^e there is a
strong feeling that all controversial legislation
should be postponed till after the war, and this
afternoon Lord Lansdowne will introduce a
measure in the Upper Chamber to suspend pro*
ceedings on such measures till hostilities are
over.
But the Government are determined to present
both the Home Rule and Welsh Church Bills to
his Majesty for royal assent before the session
ends.
Both measures have now been befqre the Lords
for more than a month ber ore the end of the ses
sion. and it is claimed that, the other requirements
of the Parliament Act having been complied with,
the meiaures only need the royal approval to be
come the law of tne land.
But while the Government will enforce their
right to put these measures on the statute book
before the prorogation, it is regarded as probable
that short Amending Bills to each measure will
be introduced immediately.
A new Amending Bill will delay the operation
of the Home Rule Bill to a certain specified date.
A small Welsh C hurch Amendment Bill will
postpone the operation of the disendowment pro
posals till the end of the war.
REST FROM RECRUITING.
Enlistments Fewer During Week-End
Owing to Farewell Visits.
32 FBOM FIVh FAMILIES.
Although fairly steady, recruiting was quieter
during the week end. Some of the officials arc
getting breathing space after a time of extra
ordinary pressure.
One of them told The Daily Mirror that there
were several causes to which the slight slacken
ing could be attributed. The chief factor is that
young fellows who are going to join drew their
money on Friday night, had a good time on
Saturday and 8i>eiit it, went to see their friends
yesterday, and will roll up in thousands to-day.
Another cause is the raising of the height
standard of recruits for infantry of the line from
5ft. 3in. to 5ft. 6in., and the chest measurement
to 35iin.
The 60th Rifles and the King’s Royal Rifles
can take another 4,500 men, and many Lon
doners are being sent to their headquarters at
W mehester.
Hcrsham (Surrey) has enrolled 30C men out of
a population of 3 J5 0 0 . Five groups of brothers,
drawn from five families, contributed thirty-^two
towards this total. 9
Recruits for the reserve regiment 1st County
of Loudon Yeomanry (Middlesex Hussars) are
wanted at once. Preference will be given to
applicants who can ride and 3hoot and are will
ing to serve abroad if required.
Applications should be made in person to
Officer Commanding Depot, 1st County of Lon
don Yeomanry (Middlesex Hussars > , Duke of
York’s Headquarters, Chelsea, S.W., between
10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
TO SAVE t’OOH HOMES.
Mme. Clara Butt to G ve Concerts on Behalf
ol Queen’s Fund for Women.
Have you sent your donation to the Queen’s
Work for Women Fund ?
Money is flowing in—up till noon on Saturday
the total sum received was £39,577—hut much
more is needed to back up adequately her
Majesty's splendid effort
Amongst the subscriptions received during the
week-end were the following :—
The Duchess of Devonshire............ £100
Sir Francis Trippel (first contribution) 1 0 0
Mrs. W. Rierson Arbuthnot ........... 1 0 0
Women’s Soci * 1 and Politic 1 Union (half profits
Dpera
S*pt. 8). £75; Lady Fitzgerald. 150; Mrs. George
of meeting held at the London Op^ra fiottse.
Moaenthal. £50; A Sympathiser. £50.
Mme. Clara Butt and her husband, Mr. Kcn-
nerley Rumford, will give a concert at the Royal
Albert Hall on October 10, the entire proceeds
going to the Queen’s Fund.
Mr. and Mrs. Ilurnford will have the assist
ance of the Queen’s Hall Orchestra and the full
chorus of the Royal Choral Society. Sir Edward
Elgar, Sir Frederic Cowen and other eminent
conductors will assist.
In addition to this concert Mme. Butt and Mr.
Rum ford, who are resting in Scotland, will give
patriotic concerts in Aberdeen and Peterhead,
devoting the proceeds to the funds.
The Queen has sent a letter thanking them for
their '* kind and generous proposal/'
Subscriptions and donations to her Majesty's
Work for Women Fund, however small the
amounts may be, will be gratefully acknow
ledged by Lady Roxburgh, acting hun. treasurer,
Foley House, Portland-place, W.
e/
All communications respecting the work of the
Central Committee on Women's Employment
must be addressed to the secretary, Wimbome
House, Arlington street, W.
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The large map thows the position of tHo Gorman armies in Franco; the small
one tho distance from Pari# to Bordeaux, the temporary capital.
SALUTING WOUNDED
HEKOES IN STREET
How Frenchmen Convey the Hom
age of Their Hearts.
SOFT EYES FLASH PRIDE.
(From Our Special Correspondent.)
Havre, Sept. 13.—Every wounded soldier in
regarded as a hero in Havre.
There is no mistaking the admiration that
gleams in the eye of every woman and child
who sees a wounded man. Their sad faces—for
they probably have a loved one in the thick of
the fight—suddenly light up as if by magic.
Their look is one of pride and gratitude.
Nor is this admiration confined to women, for
men salute the wounded. It gives one quite a
little thrill to see some elderly man come stiffly
to the salute as a wounded soldier passes. This
salute is a most gracious and expressive act—the
delicate homage of one who is too old to fight to
the soldier who has fallen fighting his country's
foe.
B RITISH T0!WWY,5 . ^ i ^ p aiSE.
I saw a verv charming incident this evening—
a French soldier saluted an English Tommy
who limped painfully along. He had been left
behind here in hospital. It was a delightful
little incident, and the Er
surprised as well as pleas* rp _ ^ _
Tne Englishman was wounded about two
weeks ago, and was out to-day for a “ trial
run," as he put it.
When I asked him what struck him most
forcibly about the Germans, he laughingly re
plied, “ The bullet that hit my calf. '
Then he went on to say that the machine
guns of the (Vnnans impressed him most.
4 4 Why, they just turned the tap on us,” he
said. * * Those Germans know one thing, and
that is the use of a Maxim gun.
• 4 They seem to have thousands of them, and,
after all, when one comes to think of it. what
good are us chaps with rifles against all those
Maxims, that just sweep around like a fire
man’s hose?
** But, mind you/’ said the wounded soldier,
f‘ we don’t sit ~&till. I expect if you asked a
German about us he’d admit we were pietty
useful with our little lot of guns.
“ Oh, yes/’ concluded Tommy, “ we’re on a
good egg, sure enough." HORACE GRANT.
Engli
ased.
YVAK CHASE IN THE AIIL
Famous Belgian Pilot Who Faces Shrapnel
in Reconnoitring Enemy's Position.
(From Our Special Correspondent)
Antwerp, Sept. 7.—*'The Germans have sent
many shrapnels at me, but they have never come
near."
It was in this matter-of-fact way that
Belgium's most popular airman, Jean Olies-
lagers, told me to-day of his dare-devil work as
an air scout.
Olieslagers, at the beginning of the war, volun
teered for service, and since then there have
been so many reports of his death and daring
deeds that he cannot even take his coffee on
a cafe terrace without a crowd quickly gathering
“ What is it like to be an airman in war
time?" he said. "W ell, before the war I did
what you call ‘ the stunts,' but now the Germans
with their shapnels give me the emotions with
their ‘stunts/ Yes, it is fine."
If an aeroplane is over a battle you may be
very sure they are trying to shoot you; if over a
bivouac, you can see because the soldiers always
form into groups to fire, I suppose because a »er-
gennt is sivin# them the ran^e.
When it is shrapnel you can always see the burst
of the shell and its little cloud of smoke.
u What are your sensations,’* I asked, “ when
you know they are trying to kill you? "
4 1 Well/' replied the smiling airman, 4 4 I say,
* Jean, my boy. that is for you; jnst 1 0 0 metres
more, Jean/ and I bo a little higher/’
M. Jules Tych, another volunteer airman, told
me how he was chased in the air yesterday by
a German Taube aeroplane armed with a
machine gun. He said :—
It was over Termonde that we sighted each
other, and he started after me, but I knew I
safe because I could fly as fast n s he could, and it
was only necessary to keep well in front and * 2 0 0
yards lower.
I knew the construction of his aeroplane, and
that as Ioni; as 1 kept in that position he could
at me. and so come into range of our guns.
“ But the German saw the danger and gave up
the chase." THOS. E. GRANT.
Wi»c\ THE WAR IS 0ER.
n
While the immediate war news of the day ab
sorbs everybody, there is a general demand for
a connected story of the world-changing events
that are in progress.
The sixpenny weekly parts of "The Great
W ar" fill this want. They form an accurate
history of the thrilling combat of the nations,
written by an expert and illustrated by photo
graphs direct from the various theatres of con
flict.
Intensely interesting to-day, this wonderful
record of the titanic struggle will be in the days
to come, 1 1 when the war is o'er," the standard
history of happenings which can never be for
gotten.