NETS FOR SHELLS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XL, Issue 12537, 7 May 1915, Page 7

NETS FOR SHELLS.

INGENIOUS DEVICES OF CAVE DWELLERS. SIGNPOSTS FOR THE STRAND AND PICCADILLY. [The "Eye-Witness" present with General Headquarters • continues liis narrative of the British Force and the I'Vent-h armies in immediate touch with it.]

After recapitulating the countermeasures taken south of the Ypres Canal against- the enemy's "sapping, bomb-throwing and other offensive measures,"'the "Eye-\A ituess" tells how a few of the enemy, established in the line of -our trenches, have stretched wire netting across the top of the trench fixed at a. slant so that bombs will roll off it. It may be imagined what lite under such conditions 'must, mean for the occupants cramped in a narrow excavation within a few yards of the enemv tin dot*- a perpetual" rain of high rxplosivos. BREAKING UP THE ENEMY'S (A VE. Early 011 Sunday. February, -S, a very dashing exploit was pertornied bv a detachment from one ol our battalions in the neighborhood ol St. Eloi, southeast of Ypres. A sudden' attack was ,delivered 011 a German trench, and II or-th'e occupants were kuied and live- wounded. Some of ouj- men tlu n p. ocecded to till ill the trench to rentier it useless, to the enemy, while others advanced up the communication t-e.:clus and blocked-, them, repelling all the enemy's efforts to interle; e w.tli ti:e work ol '-lestl' net ion.

So completely,, u ere the • enemy surprised by tliis Midden and well-planned assault that we eniy sullered two casualties in capturing the trench. A tew more wore i• it i' l t!if retii'cuient, but the losses "ere very slight iu comparison with the i'i sill is gained. The whole operation- onlv took 20 minutes. A LITTLE WOODEN RTTZ IN PICCADILLY.

Long living in' trenches makes the cave-dwellers e-xpert- in contrivances 3 .some of wir.e-h the "J£ye--\Vitness' 1 describes. . In many places where the.. windings and turnings are most intricate and a stranger is liable to lose his way, signposts are placed at the points ul junction. Passages and sections are given names, probably taken from the battalion which dug it. or the officer in charge of the work. Often the names are more pretentious : a plank pathway through a r.iuddv wood may be "Piccadilly" or "The' Strand." A little log-cabin or a dug-out under a ,breastwork of sandbags wifl be honored by the name of "The Bitz" or "The Carlton."

Whitewashed posts at turnings serve as guides at sight.

At places which are dangerous owing to being commanded by snipers, warnings arc posted up that the passerby will know where to keep his head down.

Of the rival sharpshooters the "EyeWitness" tells how they signal the result of their shots to one another. One sharpshooter tires; immediately, over the enemy's parapet, appears a white flag which is waved, signalling, say, a miss. 13ut in spite of this common bond of professional marksmanship, each knows well that one false move on hi.s part will mean instant death at the hands of his unseen .opponent. THE CURSE OF PRUSSIA.

A prisoner confirms the fact that t-hc troops opposed to us in the Cuinchy brickfields were demoralised after their reverse on February 6. He states emphatically that they had been ordered not to take English prisoners. Officers and men now salute one another with the phrase, "God punish England." The Germans are not quite so well off for food as they were formerly. For the last few weeks, instead of getting one loaf for every two men, the bf'ead ration lias been reduced to one loaf for three men. ' All this does not alter the fact that many prisoners still express their conviction that all is going well, that the Russians are decisively beaten and that the Western Allies will be crushed in three months' time. No naval news is ever given them. Most of the prisoners bear witness to the accuracy of our rifle and shell fire. Extracts such as these occur in diaries: "We were subjected to a severe shelling with high-explosive; 14 killed in the first platoon and eight in the,9th Company. "The enemy shoots very well and Jias much artillery. Jt is to be hoped that we shall soon make ;t start so that we ean smash him to God knows where." The-civil population behind the German lines are compelled to mend the roads, to dig eiitrpnchments and to thresh corn, and in exchange they are ; given tickets' entitling them to draw army rations. "Without this they would j starve. They are, however allowed to | sell wine and beer to the troops at a penny a. glass.