FOUR TYCROES BROTHERS
WITH THE COLOURS. P5

The above are the four stalwart sons of Mr. David Rees, Tircoed, Tycroes, who are loyally serving their country. Two of them – Privates Ivor Rees, and Rhys Rees – are on active service with the R.A.M.C. and the A.S.C., respectively, attached to the Second Cavalry Column of the British Expeditionary Forces, while the other two are Private Emrys Rees, with the 9 th Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Weston-super-Mare, and Private P.J Rees, who is with the 14 th Swansea Welsh Regiment at Rhyl.
Their native village is naturally proud of them.

---

LLANDEBIE RECRUITING MEETING. P5
English Officer's Testimony to the Excellent Fighting Qualities of Welshman. An excellent meeting was held at the Llandebie Schools on Tuesday night, to endeavour to place before the villagers the position, and to enlist further men for the colours.
Mr. A. E. DuBuisson, J.P. (Glynhir) occupied the chair. The speakers included Lord Dynevor spoke, to a crowded audience. He reviewed recruiting form the commencement of the war and urged all men who intend to enlist to remember the Welsh Army and particularly the Carmarthenshire Battalion, which still requires a large number of men before it will be up to strength. He sincerely hoped the Battalion would soon secure the required men, so that it could proceed into camp at North Wales, where the other battalions are training.
Mr. Towyn Jones, M.P., who spoke in Welsh, urged all men fit to bear arms to join immediately, and complimented the Chairman upon having a son among the forces of the country. He thought there was still a large number of men available in Llandebie yet, and he hoped they would follow the example of other patriotic sons and enlist now.
The Vicar, who next spoke, wished it to be made quite clear that he was an enemy to war of all kinds that have taken place, but this present war was a religious on which he as a minister of the Gospel was bound to uphold, as it certainly concerned the future of worship in this country of ours, which is the country of freedom and liberty. These gifts would certainly be destroyed it the enemy conquered.
He was greatly surprised to have young men speak to him and say that “If the Kaiser came here and ruled they would be no worse off than at present.” He wished to say that those men did not fully realise the gravity of affairs. Would they like to be treated the same as the Belgians, or see their mothers and sisters and their homes destroyed, as surely would be the case should the Germans land here. There is no country hated by Germans more than our own. If they value their freedom, surely they cannot mean what they say. He was particularly pleased to state that close upon 150 had gone form his parish to fight for the right in this religious war.
Mr. W. N. Jones congratulated Belgium on its brave soldiers who were admired all over the world for their gallant deeds. Mentioning that it was Belgium who prevented the onrush of the German army into France, allowing time for our brave soldiers to get into France, and help the French soldiers, he said they (the Belgians) saved a very serious situation by defending her freedom and honour. This was the best meeting of the series in the parish, and he was pleased to be able to have the pleasure of taking part in it.
The Chairman asked for volunteers to give their names to the Recruiting Officer who was present. He then quoted an interesting passage from a letter from a personal friend of his who is an officer and is in hospital. This friend gives wonderful praise to the Welsh soldiers now at the front. He writes :—
“I hope recruiting with you in South Wales is progressing. I may tell you the Welsh soldier is a splendid fighter, and when hi is in the trenches, the Germans cannot move him. They are brave men indeed.”
A splendid meeting terminated with the singing the National Anthem.

ZEPPELIN RAIDS. P2
Chances of Reaching London.
M. Frantz Reichel, the famous French aeronautical expert, who has been interviewed in Paris, is of opinion that Zeppelins cannot possibly come over London or Paris as long as the aeroplane service is well organised.
“Of course,” said M. Reichelo, “although what I am going to say will surprise quite a lot of people, while it is absolutely impossible for a fleet of Zeppelins to fly over Paris successfully, it is quite easy for them to get as far as the English coast without being detected. But it is quite a different matter bombarding the coast from making a successful raid overland. So long as they can travel low over the level of the sea, a Zeppelin, or even a fleet of Zeppelins, can navigate without being seen.
As soon as they come overland, however, they will be immediately detected during the day-time, no matter how high they fly. At night time to be successful they must wait for a perfectly quiet night, when there is no rain or wind, but even then, if the people on land cannot see them, they will be immediately detected by dogs, which always bark when an aircraft passes over them.
“If there is a moon they cannot possibly be missed, and it is my contention – and in this I hold the same view as practically all the experts – that once seen and pursued by fast aeroplanes, they must either turn back, if there is still time, or go on towards certain destruction.
“If you realise that a Zeppelin cannot travel at a greater speed than 52 or 53 miles an hour without wind, and that it cannot go much higher than 9,000 ft., you will see what a fine chance it would have to approach London in following the Thames Valley, which is generally very windy, and which is the only normal course, and that after having already travelled some 400 odd miles. To do so they would have to consume a great quantity of gas, and waste at least half the quantity of ballast which they can take at the start.
The ideal height for a Zeppelin is about 2,000 ft., and this is entirely out of the question in time of war. To be perfectly safe aeroplanes must remain above 5,000 feet.
“These are the principal reasons that lead me to the belief that the people of London may sleep in their beds at night, but if they are safe I do not think it is on account of all the lighting precautions they have been taking. If a Zeppelin ever came as far as London it would be perfectly guided by the Thames, the water being the thing that you distinguish most easily while in the air.
“I believe the Germans will again try to intimidate our English friends by sending their Zeppelins over the English coast towns. They might even go farther inland, as far as Manchester, Sheffield, or Lincoln, for instance, but for them to go as far as London or Ireland, as they have boasted, is I think, entirely out of the question.
“As far as I am concerned, I only wish they would attempt to come to London or Paris, as I am absolutely certain that the day they tried it they might add a few crimes to their record and kill a few more non-combatants, but not one of the Zeppelins would safely return to Germany.”

---

AIRSHIP OVER AMMANFORD? P4
The magnitude of the sea battle and its results have so completely over-shadowed the Zeppelin raid upon Yarmouth and other towns along the east coast, that little or nothing is now heard and read of that flight of the Teutons.
But for a day or two that was the chief topic of discussion. The authorities found it advisable to take certain steps in the seaport towns of the Bristol Channel with a view to exercising control over the public and private lighting in case of an aerial raid.
Some people were pusillanimous enough to believe that a visitation from above was imminent, and, even in Ammanford several residents aver that an airship passed over the town in the early hours of Friday morning.
There is no limit to man's creative genius.

---

---