True Stories of the Great War, Volume 1 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 1 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Arrived in Egypt, and once more in my own proper person, I visited
the British military authorities at Alexandria, who referred me to
No. 5 Indian General Hospital at St. Stephano. Here, being a medical
student, I secured employment and remained for some time doing Red
Cross work under Colonel Pridmore, the officer commanding that
institution, to whom, and to Mrs. Pridmore, I am much indebted for many
kindnesses. Later I went to No. 2 Australian General Hospital at Cairo.
Subsequently I was transferred, at my own request, to London, where I
enlisted in the Army Service Corps and became a British soldier. Since
then I have had the pleasure of appearing before many thousands of my
soldier comrades as a female impersonator, amusing them with my songs
and the story of my adventures.
It is one thing to act the part of a woman for the sake of amusement;
it is quite another to do it in an attempt to secure one's liberty,
with death as the price of discovery.
TALES OF GERMAN AIR RAIDERS OVER LONDON AND PARIS
"_How We Drop Bombs on the Enemies' Cities_"
_Told by the Air Raiders Themselves_
The first stirring sensations of the Great War, which aroused the
imaginations of the people, were the sailing of the fleets of ships
in the air and under the seas. The world was indeed startled when
the squadrons of Zeppelins rose from Germany, crossed the seas,
and hovered over England, dropping bombs on ports and cities, and
hurling death from the clouds. Here are two stories of German raiders
in which they tell how it feels to drop bombs from the skies on
European capitals. The German authorities permitted the publication
in a Hamburg newspaper of a very exciting and detailed account of a
Zeppelin raid upon London by one of the crew of the airship. This
account was designed to arouse the enthusiasm of the German nation
for the daring and difficult work done by the Zeppelins, and to
make them realize the havoc and terror they created in England. A
translation of the narrative follows:
I--"HOW WE ZEPPELINED THE HEART OF LONDON"
_Told by Commander of a German Air Fleet_
Our Zeppelin received orders at 6 o'clock in the evening to fly from
our hangar in Belgium for an attack on London.
The giant airship slipped easily out of the long shed with noiseless
motors, and after rising to 8,000 feet, the altitude most suited for
steady flying, our captain steered by compass straight for London.
Our true German hearts beat high this night with the hope of doing some
great and irreparable damage to London....
Perhaps we should destroy their House of Parliament ... or their War
Office ... or the Foreign Office ... or the official dwellings of the
Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.... Well did I know
the location of all these places from my long residence in London.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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