For cool pluck a story I was told in France of Captain Wardell, 21st Punjabis (attached 58th Rifles), is hard to beat. He was one day in the trenches, which were being heavily shelled, and the men were getting somewhat jumpy under the ordeal. He was writing, when he suddenly discovered that his seat consisted of a bunch of fifty bombs. Some of the men knew this, but Wardell, in order to set a good example, pretended to make light of it and went on writing. Such examples are worth a lot in war. I often recall the story of a sergeant in the Connaught Rangers, who was so determined to let the Huns know that that gallant Irish Corps had no respect for them, that he crawled up one night close to their trench and shouted: “Ye’ll not lie there and die in peace of old age as long as I live.” What waste of energy, but what a plucky fellow! An officer who had been severely wounded in the head, and carried away unconscious, woke to find himself in a large hall with Germans, all talking. Hearing no English he concluded he was a prisoner and proceeded to try and crawl away, when he was relieved to hear in broad Cockney, “Where is that officer with the ’ole in ’is ’ed?” The Boches were prisoners. During the battle of Neuve Chapelle a batch of German prisoners, under escort of a few Gurkhas and Garhwalis, were suddenly caught by the German guns; the prisoners all lay down flat, but the escort, determined to set them an example, stood strictly at attention. This is an authentic story and a very good sample of legitimate pride and good discipline. An amusing incident occurred during the same battle. Lieut.-Colonel Sir F. E. Smith (now Lord Chancellor), our Recording Officer, had pulled up his horse by a roadside and was watching some German prisoners pass escorted by Indians. Suddenly one of the Boches rushed out of the ranks, and going up to F. E. said: “Mr. Smeeth, oh, Mr. Smeeth, I am so glad to see you again.” F. E., not recognising him, asked who he was. “Oh, Mr. Smeeth, do you not remember you saved me in (naming the law case) in London. Well, a few days ago I was sleeping quietly in my house when I received the order to come to the war, and before I could realise where I was I found myself near this horrible place, and suddenly we were fighting, and I saw Indian soldiers right over our trench, and when I looked back more Indian soldiers behind us; and I looked along our trench and saw all our soldiers throwing away their arms, and so, Mr. Smeeth, not wishing to be in any way peculiar, I also threw down my arms, and so, Mr. Smeeth, here I am. Oh! save me again.” Lucky fellow to have been taken prisoner so early in the war. Saved him a lot of trouble and discomfort.