Our Despatches from the Front (No. 108).
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With An Ambulance Unit in the Vosges.
THE END OF THE LINE.
September, 1916.
Since I-last wrote life has settled down to a common, round, and occasionally we havea whole day free ; the Somme fighting has taken all the Boches' attention of late weeks. What it has been there I do not think can be imagined. I have met some of the crack French infantry battalions who have been in the thick of both the Verdun and the Somme fighting, and they generally pronounce in favour of the Somme for hard knocks. It may be that the Somme is freshest in their minds, for they carry a lively memory of what the German artillery did at Verdun, despite the fact that they have had some days of the Somme fighting since then. As one man described it to me in simple words so that I could undersand, " les obus tout Ie temps, comme la pluie," and his concluding gesture was in itself a sentence.
Watching the Boches Shelling Our Trenches.
However, we have reaped the benefit down here, and our spare time has passed very pleasantly, giving the peasants a .hand with the harvest, and, in the cool of the evening, playing football. There has not been any real fighting, occasionally bowling parties have exchanged compliments, and most evenings the gunners let off a few vounds of hate. A few days ago I was away at one of the advance field hospitals. and walking up to one of our observation posts I had a magnificent view of the Boches shelling our trenches.
Rounds of Hate.
At one moment we were watching an apparently peaceful countryside, the next instant puff balls of greyish-brown smoke sprang into being and drifted slowly away into the air, and immediately,afterwards we heasd -the muffled boom of the explosions. Our own guns replied immediately, and in a very different manner to the desultory shelling of the Boches.
For some reason rifle and ma chine gun fire started, and, thinking we might be required, we returned to our vehicles, but it proved to he nothing after all. Later that evening I had to run up the military road through the forest, and it was dark before the " blesses " were brolight in and as we returned we bad continually to draw into the passing bays to allow the supplies to come up. The jingling of harness and chains from a dozen or so horse vehicles
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is positively alarming when one is only protected from Boche machine guns half a mile away by a belt of saplings, but not -a single shot came over, luckily.
The Occupant of An Observation Post.
By one of these passing bays is an observation post, and in the daytime its occupant wears a weird Inquisitor's, robe, covering head and figure, with only two eyeholes, and painted to represent the foliage of the trees. Not unnaturally his coat of many colours has earned him the nickname of Joseph, but he is a brave man, and so far. I am glad to say, has not
been harmed. In this well wooded. district we make great use of the foliage for hiding material from aerial reconnaissance. Vehicles, guns,, tents, piles of wood, wire, etc., are all covered with green branches, and it must be a most effective disguise.
Aerial Activity.
Aerial reconnaissance is going on continually, of course, when tho weather permits, either by means of aeroplanes or the sausageshaped observation balloons. One of our ambulances had a narrow escape a few days ago when passing over a stretch of road in full view of one of these Bache
balloons. Evidently it was observed to pass on the outward journey, and deliberately waited for on its return, for no sooner had it reached the exposed road again than an explosion and a cloud of earth showed where a high explosive shell landed some 50 yards to the side of the road. Happily the ear and driver were untouched, and before the second and third shells arrived it was well on the way to cover.
A Narrow Escape.
A vehicle of a neighbouring French section had an even more narrow escape, for a shell pitched
straight at the bonnet, passing out at the right-hand side and taking most of the sparawheel with it, bat doing no vital damage to the engine and leaving driver and " mecanicien" unharmed. Although 1 have not seen the actual car I have seen a, photograph and can vouch, for the incident.
A Good Word for Austin Ambulances.
We have had a notable addition to our convoy within the last few weeks in the shape of seven 20 h.p. .Austins, and very admirable they seem for the work. The springing is a strong point, and also the easy starting, while the whole chassis seems strong and well up to the work. The engine is powerful and flexible, but one has tti use the ignition lever more often than would be expected on this type of car.
A Useful Criticism.
have heard unfavourable comments from vehicle drkers, but they, one and all, are apt to forget the very different work the ambulance is called upon to do, and to my mind the chassis is a strong, sensible design. The only real trouble has been the maintaining of pressure for the petrol feed, but this seems due to unsuitable washers for the filler cap, and if these are smeared with engine oil ' occasionally the trouble is overcome.
Ease of Gear-changing On the Austin.
The ease of gear-changing on a model such . as this, which may, and, indeed, is likely_ to, fall into the hands of a more or less inexperienced driver, is another strong point, while both foot and hand brakes are excellent. At present we are in more or less flat country, but should we go back to the mountains, I have no doubt that the Austins will show up well at hill-climbing.
Quality of Petrol Varies.
It is sometimes difficult to get the best results from a car out-here, as the petrol seems to differ in quality from day to day. Indeed the difference in specific gravity is sometimes so great as to make readjustment of the level necessary in order to prevent constant flooding. In one way only is the " essence " consistent, and that is the,amount of fine sand and foreign matter carried in it, to say nothing Qf water.
Poor Lubricating Oil.
Lubricating oil, too, is occasionally of poor quality, and in such a case instructions are given that crankcases are to be washed .3ut every few days. On one occasion a supply of rather thick oil was received, and one would-be genius added a proportion of paraffin to it before replenishing his crankcase, the result was, as one would expect. new..big-end bearings.