Show BRITISH SOLDIERS TELL STORIES 0 OF THRILLING experiences AT FRONT 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 gement off helgeland Hel goland london A noncommissioned officer in the dragoons has sent to a relative a fine description of the work being done by british cavalry all our men in tact fact the whole british army are as fit as a fiddle and the lads are as keen as 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 or of the lancers dra dragoon guards was a thing ne never verto to be tor fsr gotten we lost very heavily at mons and it Is a marvel bow some of our fellows pulled through and positively frightened the enemy we did some terrible execution and our wrists were feeling the strain of 0 heavy riding before sunset with our tunics unbuttoned 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 off from their main body we killed nine wounded six and gave chase to the remaining five who in rejoining their unit nearly were the means of trapping 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 I 1 me to reconnoiter recon and we e went too tar far ahead and cut off in a part of the country thick with uhland As we rode in the direction of two wounded men were limping along both with legs damaged one from t the he middlesex and the other from froin the lancashire fust leers and so we took them up cure a grand sportsman corporal took one behind his saddle and I 1 took the other othe r 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 and hospitality pita lity he seemed charmed to find a friend who was english and told me that the germans were dressed in the uniforms of british soldiers which they took from the dead and from prisoners in order to deceive e french villagers who in many places in that district had welcomed these wolves in cheeps clothing we were warned that the enemy would be sure to track us to the village the cure said he would hide the two wounded men in the crypt of his chur church ch and put up beds tor for them it has a secret trap door and was an ancient treasure house of a feudal lord whose castle we saw raw in ruins at the top of the hill close by then he hid bid away our and uniforms in the root roof of the barn and insisted upon our making a rest chamber of the tower of his church which was approached by a ladder which we wore to pull up to the belar belfry Y as soon as we got there he smuggled in wine 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 resented our intrusion no troops passed through the village that night in the morning the cure came around it at six and we heard him say mass after that we let down the ladder and he came up with delicious not bot chocolate and a basket of rolls and butter our ur horses be had placed in different FI S a mile apart and put french fittings on them so BO as to deceive the enemy he thinks we are well away from the main bo body dy of the german army moving in the direction of if paris but will not hear ot of our leaving caving here tor for at least three days but I 1 cried cure we are deserters the old man wept and said eald deserters no no saviors saviors you have rescued france from the torments ot of slavery however we have now secured complete disguises as french culli baggy corduroy trousers blue blite 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 can pass anywhere a as s 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 fou our will push our way out somewhere on horseback and get to the coast the sacristan at once offered to bs be our guide anait 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 we can nothing could be kinder hinder than the people here but this Is not what we came to france lor for and hanging about in a french village Is not exactly what 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 or towns round harrogate and scarborough built like char a bancs bames carry the ersin batches of 60 so that they are as resh fresh as paint when they get to the front but in point of numbers I 1 think one of 0 our side elde is a fair match tor for tour four of the enemy I 1 hops 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 or blood corporal F of the ninth lancers in a letter 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 part ten days we have had about fourteen hours sleep and of course we do not feel up to much we had a terrible day last monday week when we charged the german guns we were under heavy shell fire for or 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 trap and I 1 thought ray my last day had come it was hell on earth we had nothing to do but to run the gauntlet three times during those few ho hours urs I 1 had tour 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 if 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 ne had a brush brus 1 with two destroyers it was misty and they were practically invisible but I 1 believe they were hit twice before disappearing in the mist alter after that we turned and steamed out ot of it but were recalled by an urgent wireless message from one ot of our ships which was in difficulties of 0 course the ship was immediately turned and we proceeded at full speed to the scene of 0 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 0 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 ot of five every ten seconds and six inch at that the shells have a terrible effect and fumes fu mes from them kill anyone within a range of 0 60 yards while they set on fire everything near them presently she was seen to io be on fire and a few ew minutes afterwards a beautifully placed shell put paid to two of her tunnels 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 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 comers some on their sides in fact her whole upper deck was chaos the to wall 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 dech and what looked like a couple of officers standing under what had been the to many ot of them had jumped overboard and of course were rescued but these only totaled seven officers and 79 out of the crew of or after this heavy firing was heard hear d 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 gave us a broadside which was replied to with interest to the effect that she left suddenly 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 cama in all the ships marine manned the side aud and cheered like madmen |