Show BRITISH SOLDIERS TELL STORIES 0 OF THRILLING experiences AT FRON english cavalry gave good account of itself at mons cutting through much heavier mounts and heavier men than its personnel contained vivid description of naval engagement ga off helgeland Hel goland goold london A noncommissioned ot of fleer in the dragoons lies has sent bent to a relative a fine description of the work being done by british cavalry all our men in fact the whole british army are as fit as a fiddle and the lads are as keen as aa mustard there Is no holding them back at mons we were under general chet and horses and men positively flew at the germans cutting through much heavier mounts and heavier men than ours the yelling and the dash of the lancers and the dragoon guards was a thing never f fo 6 be tor gotten we lost very heavily st at 4 and it Is a marvel how some of our fellows pulled through and positively frightened the enemy we did somo some terrible execution and our wrists were feeling the strain of heavy riding before sunset with our tunics un unbuttoned but we had the full use of our right arms for attack and defense after mons I 1 went with a small party scouting and we again engaged about twenty cavalry cut oft off from their main body we killed nine woun wounded ded six and gave chase to the remaining five who in rejoining their unit nearly were the means of trap ping pang us however our men dispersed and hid in a wood until they tell fell in with a squadron of the and so reached camp in safety after that a smart young corporal accompanied me to reconnoiter recon and we went too far ahead and worst cut off in a part of 0 the country thick with uhland As we rode in the direction of two wounded men were limping alo along na both with fill legs damaged one from the middlesex and the other from the lancashire fust leers and so BO we took them up cure a grand sportsman corporal Coi took one behind ill nd his saddle and I 1 took the other ather the men were hungry and tattered to shreds with fighting but in fine spirits we soon came across a small village and I 1 found the cure a grand sportsman and full of pluck andhor vitality pita lity lie ile seemed charmed to find a friend who was english and told me that the germans were dressed in the uniforms of 0 british soldiers which they took from the dead and from prisoners in order arder to deceive french villagers who in many places in that district had welcomed these wolves in cheeps clothing we were warned warned that the enemy would be sure to track us to the the cure 13 said 1 d lie he would hide the two woun wounded ded men in the crypt of its bis church and put up beds for them it has a secret trap door and was an ancient treasure u re house of a feudal lord whose castle we saw in ruins at the top of the bill close by then he hid away our and uniforms in the root roof of the barn bara and insisted upon our making a rest chamber of 0 tile the tower of 0 his church which was approached by a ladder which we wore to pull up to the belfry as soon 0 as is we got there he smuggled aled 01 ol in na wine 1 no and meat and bread and cakes fruit and cigarettes with plenty of bedding pulled up by a rope we slept soundly and the owls seemed the only other tenants who iho resented our intrusion no troops passed through the village that night in the morning the cure came around at t six bis and we heard him say isay mass after that we let down the ladder and he came up with delicious hot chocolate and a basket of rolls mid olad butter 10 our or f ories he had placed in dai differ a amile mile apart and put french fittings on them so as to deceive the alie enemy he thinks we are well away from the main body of the german army moving in the direction of paris but will not hear ot of our leaving here tor for at least three days but I 1 cried cure we are deserters the old man wept and said deserters no no saviors saviors you have rescued france from the torments of 0 sl slavery ayery however we have now secured complete disguises as french culta culli baggy corduroy trousers blue shirts boots stockings belt hat cravat everything to match and as we have not shaved for two weeks weeks and are bronzed with the sun I 1 think that the corporal and myself calpass can pass anywhere as french peasants it if only he will leave all the talking to me one thing I 1 must tell you the two wounded soldiers dont wish us to leave them because I 1 am interpreter and not a soul speaks english in the village so we have explained to the cure that we shall stay here until our comrades are able to walk and then the party of tour four will push our way out somewhere on horseback and get to the coast the sacristan at once offered to be our guide and it is arranged that we take a carriers wagon which travels in this district and drive our own horses in it and pick up two additional mounts at a large village on the way to the coast french people very kind we must get back as soon as ever I 1 we can nothing could be kinder than the people here but this is not what we came to france for or a and nd hanging banging about in a french village is not exactly what nhat a soldier calls cricket you cannot imagine how complete the germans are in the matter 0 of rapid transport large automobiles such as the railway companies have for towns round harrogate arrogate ll and scarborough built like char a banes bancs carry the soldiers in batches of 50 60 so that they are as fresh as paint when they get to the front but in point of numbers bers I 1 think one of 0 our side Is a fair match tor for four of the enemy I 1 hope that the british public are beginning to understand what this war means the german is not a toy terrier but a bloodhound absolutely thirst thirsty for blood corporal F waskin of the ninth lancers in a letter leiter to a friend describes the action in which the cavalry took part on august 24 this last two weeks he says we have had it very hard for the past ten tea days we have had about fourteen hours sleep and of course we do not feel up to much we had bad a terrible day last monday week when we charged the german guns we were under heavy shell fire for five hours and could not move the longer we stayed trying to get cover the more guns worked round our flanks we were in a real death tra trap P and I 1 thought my last day had bad come it was hell on earth we had nothing to do but to run the gauntlet three times during those few hours I 1 had four different horses each being shot under me but I 1 escaped without a scratch tells story of naval battle A member of the crew of H al S southampton which played such a valiant part in the fight off helgo land writes to his parents as follows we started the first thing in the morning when we had a brush with two tuo destroyers it was misty and they were practically invisible but I 1 believe they were hit bit twice before disappearing in after that we turned and steamed out of 0 it but were recalled by an urgent wireless message from one of our ships which was in difficulties of course the ship was immediately turned and we proceeded at full speed to the scene of operations the enemy turned out to be a three tunneled funneled cruiser somewhat larger than us we immediately opened fire at a range of to yards the enemy replied and steamed away from us but eventually we ran parallel things began to look lively as we were putting shells into her at the rate of five every ten seconds and six inch at that the shells have a terrible effect and fumes from them kill anyone within a range of 60 yards while they set on fire everything near them presently she was seen to be on fire and a few minutes afterwards a beautifully placed shell put paid to two of her funnels all amidships was now a raging fire and the end came when her mainmast went by the board we immediately ceased fire and altered our course going doge close to her ship out of commission my what a sight she was the fire amidships had made two of the funnels and flames and smoke were pouring out of her her port side was like a sieve every gun was smashed and bent some looking round corners some on their sides in tact fact her whole upper deck was chaos the was a tangled mass of ironwork while the wire stays from the foremast were swinging in the air what she was like inside heaven alone knows we passed within two hundred yards of her and the only living beings on the upper deck were one man on the quarter deck and what looked like a couple of officers standing under what had been the many of them had jumped overboard and of course were rescued but these only totaled seven officers and 79 out of the crew of or atter after this heavy firing was heard ahead and we shot off again the enemy this time was another cruiser similar to the previous one and steaming in line we repeated the operation era tion only she blew up and sank before anyone could be saved while this was going on another ship approached pro ached and save ave us a broadside which was replied to with interest to the effect that she left suddenly tor for a previous appointment in a sinking condition it is believed and in flames this makes three ships in about one hours actual fighting after this we shot away out of the danger zone and proceeded to home and safety when we came in all the ships manned the side and cheered like madmen |