THE BEE: OMAHA, WEDNESDAY. MAY 1, 1918.
GERMANS SUFFER
BITTER DEFEAT
IN KEMMEL AREA
Allies Inflict Bloodiest Repulse
Yet Experienced by Ene
my; British and French
Stand Firm.
London (Via Ottawa), April 30.
The correspondents with the Brit
ish army agree that the enemy yes
terday suffered nothing less than a
iisastrous defeat.
It was the first phase of the battle
n his desperate attempt to capture
:he line of hills held by the allies,
which endanger his possession of
Mont Kemmel. The Germans have
wobably used 13 divisions from the
tast of Ypres southward in line of
battle, with two more northward, and
the violence of the gun fire was never
greater of more unceasing at any.
eriod of the war.
The successful allied defense made
the day the bloodiest yet experienced
by the enemy, as attack after attack
was smashed by artillery and infantry
fire. The Germans had already suf
fered heavily on Sunday, when their
concentrations, of troops were caugtn
and shattered by gun fire. Their waves
yesterday were mowed down and the
British wings and French center
neither bent nor broke.
SHELLPROOF MACK
A Common Soldier's
Recital of Thrilling
Adventures in the
Terrific Struggle for
World Democracy
By ARTHUR JAMES M'KAY.
(Copyright IMS, by Small, Mynrd Co..
Inc.)
Arthur James McKay, "Shellproof
Mack," of Scotch-Irish parentage, was
destined by his parent, who lived at
Northampton, Mass., for the priest
hood. His spirit was too adventurous for a
career of that character, however, and
after his graduation from the military
school at Norwich, Mass, he became
an actor, and finally a movie producer.
He weighed less than 100 pounds,
and at the sinking of the Lusitania he
felt sure that this country would en
gage immediately in war with Ger
many. He was disappointed, and, pen
niless, he went to England on a horse
boat and, after several rejections,
finally got into one of the bantam
regiments of the British army. He
underwent a period of training and
passed his first night in the French
trenches under harrowing experiences.
After the first trip over the top he
was wounde". and applied for dis
charge on ground of being an Ameri
can citizen. He tore up papers and re
turned to front The nickname, "Shell
proof Mack," was given because of his
immunity from shell shock. After
some time Mack was seriously
wounded by shrapnel and forced to
seek a dressing room by going "cross
lots" to the rear, no communication
trenches being handy.
A wound received while seeking the
dressing station necessitated the plac
ing of a silver plate in Mack's head
and shortly after his recovery he was
shot through the thigh by a "type
writer" while carrying stores in the
rear of the trenches. This was his
fourth wound. Mack declared that
"It's a great life and you can't weak
en" and went back.
CHAPTER IX.
My Nickname and How I Got It.
Last Christmas Eve, just after I
got home to America, I was sitting
with a bunch ot fellows and one of
them said,
"Come on, Mack, Tell us a nice
cheerful Christmas Eve story about
the trenches."
It was a large order and it couldn't
be done; for Christmas Eve in the
trenches is rarely a pleasant occasion.
Friti sends over too many Christmas
presents. To rear there may be good
food and merriment and rejoicing of
a sort, but not up there in the front
line.
I have spent one Christmas on the
firing line and it was not pleasant.
There is very little Christian spirit in
the trenches at any time, and rather
less on Christmas Eve than at any
other season.
Still and all, the British Tommy is
cheerful always. He finds the heart
to make light of his troubles when
they are the heaviest. So I am going
to set down the thing that happened
to me Christmas Eve, 1916; and if it
reads like the story of a railroad
wreck it has, at least, the merit of
being true and absolutely without
(camouflage. And I am glad that I
was able on that night to accept the
happening in the spirit of irrepressi
ble good nature that is the outstand
ing characteristic of the London
Cockney.
Without wanting to get over-personal
I think I may say that I am
a true Cockney. When I left the
United States I was an American,
born and bred here. When I en
listed in London they told me that
I was an Irishman. After two years
with the 23d battalion of the London
regiment I found I was a Cockney of
Cockneys; and I suppose I shall re
main so until American life remod
els me again.
Well, to resume. When I began,
all hands insisted that there must have
been something happen to me on
Christmas dav or on the night he
fore and that I ought to tell it. Which
I did. And I am setting down here
the yarn that I told then of how I
came by my nickname in the batt
where I was known to officers and
men -s "Old Shellproof."
December, 1916, our batt was lying
up at Dominion camp, near Popper
inghe, about eight miles behind the
lines and about six miles from Ypres.
We had been on this sector ever since
October, when we had been moved up
after the Big Push (that's the battle
of the Somme, you know). During
those months we had been in and out
from the trenches at Hill 60, taking
over for a week and then coming out
to the Dominion camp billets for a
week of rest.
Along about the 19th or the 20th
of December rumors began going
around that we were to go in for
Christmas. We had been in billets
for only five days and there was the
usual grousing. There is no place
like the army for rumors. The aver
age battalion has got the average
stwing circle beat seven ways for
gossip. You can hear anything that
you want to listen to; so when the
bad news came we all hoped for the
best and trusted to luck that there
might be nothing in it. This time it
happened to be right and rumor ped
lers had the real story. On the morn
ing of the 21st we got orders to take
over Hill 60 for 10 days, to be followed
by 10 more days in support.
The weather was just like spring
in New England, warm and sticky,
especially sticky, with mud up to the
knees in most places and up to the
ankles everywhere. We spent the
whole day cleaning equipment and
grousing. We had one old fellow in
my platoon named Tuffnell, who had
been in the service from the begin
ning and who had never had a leave.
I call Tuffnell old. He was 40; and
that is well along for a soldier. He
had just had bad news from home,
and thought sure that he would get
a furlough for Christmas. But he
didn't and was well discouraged.
There is a lot that seems like injustice,
but it is all for the great cause, and
a chap has to take it with a grin. Old
Tuff found it hard, and ht couldn't
heln showing it.
The rest of us kept more cheerful
than we had any right to be, and
there was a lot of joking and horse
play when we fell in at 6 o'clock for
the eight-mite hike. It is a queer
thing about Tommy that he smothers
his grouch and starts joshing the min
ute he gets in action, no matter how
cross he had seemed a little while
before. There was a lot of talk
among us about the turkey dinner we
would have in the trenches, and some
cheerful betting that some of us
would never eat another Christmas
dinner in the line or out.
According to custom we got away
by companies at about 15-minute in
tervals. We marched this way until
we got to the outskirts of what had
been the city of Ypres, where we
broke up into platoons and wen! along
that way until we hit the duck walls,
about two miles from the front line,
where we went single file.
I have been through Ypres many
times and never got entirely hardened
to the frightfulness of war as shown
by the desolation there. Here was a
town of at least 30,000 or 40,000 peo
ple one great hopeless ruin. Judging
from the remains of the old Cloth
hall and the cathedral and of the
many churches it must have been very
beautiful; and here in two short years
the labor and art work of centuries
was reduced to broken junk.
After passing Ypres and getting on
the duck boards on this particular
night we were supposed to go quietly,
as Fritz was busy and the shells
whistled overhead all the time, and
the typewriter were sending over
plenty of bullets; we were still in a
mood for kidding, however, in pite
of the danger, and every few minutes
somebody would fall off the boards
with a clatter of equipment and all
hands would holler, "Hurrool There
goes Clubfoot Dean."
Clubfoot was one of those fellows
that fall over their own shadows in
the daytime and can't keep their foot
ing it all night. He was a nuisance.
Nobody wanted to march behind him.
because every time he went down the
fellow behind would pile up, too. It
was worse to march in front, because
he always made out to thump the man
ahead when he took his header.
We used to threaten to shoot GUub-
foot and wished him all kinds of
bad luck; but he was dangerproof and
never seemed to get hurt by bullet
or anything else.
Well, in spile of old Clubfoot, we
got up to the front trench and relieved
the other batt. We tried to pump
them as usual, as we wanted to know
who were in front of us the Prus
sians, the Bavarian or the Saxon.
A usual we got mighty little informa
tion beyond laying that it had been
quiet and to look out for the sniper.
It was alway the way. When yon
THREE MOOES
KILLED IN FIGHT
WITH SUBMARINE
American Steamer Chincha
Beats Off U-Boat Attack in
Thrilling Battle; Several
Seamen Injured.
Washington, April 30. Three mem
ber of the American steamer Chin
cha' crew were killed, the Navy de
partment announced today, in the
ship' fight ith a submarine March
21. Previous reports had said teveral
men were injured, but made no men.
tion of any having been killed.
The Chinch beat off the submarine
after firing about 30 thot. One thot
from the mmarine (truck the Chin
cha aft, killing Seaman A. S. Ed ward
of Augusta, Ga, and two other
not named.
Oa January 18 the Chincha escaped
from a submarine and the armed
guard wa commended by Secretary
Daniel for a excellent work at the
time.
are being relieved you ere in a harry
to go. If the German get on to the
fact that a change U taking place,
thev will make it a noint n ahull
blaze out of the approaches and the
tenow gomg out get it good. So
they want to go quick and they have
n't anv time to swao Ilea with the
relief.
(Contfaved Tomorrow
' J i
Because we have just discovered how to make bread containing thirty per cent of other-than-wheat flours, and
make it of wonderful texture, color, volume and flavor, we have been accused of not using any wheat-flour substitutes
We wish to say right here that while we regard such statements as complimentary to our ability, they are nevertheless untrue. - s
; We will pay $1,000.00 in cash for the American Red Cross to any person or committee who can or will prove that this wonderful bread
contains less than 30 per cent of other-than-wheat flours or in any way fails to conform to the Food Administration's requirements as to
the proportions or kinds of materials used! Our mixing rooms and all other rooms in our plant are open for inspection and investigation at
all times.
Let us assure you again that Holsum Victory and Kleen Maid Victory Breads contain not only the 25 per cent of snbsttfate flours v&
quired by the Food Administration, but that we have gone the Administration one better and have put thirty per cent of other-than-wheat
flours into these breads.
No one could be more delighted than we are over the outcome of our long, numerous, costly experiments which' Have resulted fax
our being able to produce bread containing 30 per cent substitutes bread so light, of such wonderful texture, color and flavor that it Hfej
been mistaken for all-wheat flour bread!
Our only regret is that we cannot make enough of it to go 'round.
We have said to the thousands of people who Have visited our plant during the last six months that there is no way in whlcH we
stay-at-homes can render greater service to our country and better back up our brave boys across the water than by saving flour eating
less bread using other cereals instead of wheat. And we desire to reiterate those statements here.
Furthermore, this advertisement is not written to sell more Holsum and Kleen Maid Bread. We want to do our utmost to Help to de
feat the kaiser, and therefore we are not advertising to sell bread.
We don't want'more bread business now. We could not take care of it if we got it. We may not be able to take care of what we now Have.
The output of our plant will be limited to our allotment of wheat flour. We may not have enough flour to last out the season. In
that case we will have to reduce our production. N
The sole purpose of this advertisement, then, is to correct this false rumor before it can grow to a point of injury to our reputation
and the future of our business.
JAY BURNS BAKING COMPANY
"Holsum" and "Kleen Maid" Bread
"Holsum" Victory and "Holsum" War Bread OMAHA, NEBRASKA
-V.V f .
" V -
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