n the 21st August,
1917, and Passchendaele, and in each of these engagements, alongside
the remaining Battalions of the Brigade--namely, the 27th City of
Winnipeg Battalion, 29th Vancouver Battalion, and the 31st Alberta
Battalion--never failed in gaining all of the objectives which had been
set for the Brigade to carry. Whenever any special raids to obtain
information and identifications were called for, the 28th Northwest
Battalion invariably volunteered for such duty, and their efforts were
always crowned with success. In fact the record of the Brigade
throughout the campaign has been an outstanding one, and the various
matters which Private Jack O'Brien refers to in his book will be of the
greatest interest to all members of the Brigade, past and present, as
well as to the general public in Western Canada.

The feat accomplished by this young soldier in escaping from the
Germans, whilst held as a prisoner of war, is in itself worthy of
special notice and he was only successful in his third attempt. His
conduct and record in the field is one to be proud of, and I have no
hesitation in introducing him to the readers of his most interesting
book. As a soldier he has done his duty and is deserving of every
support in the circulation of his war story.

H. D. B. KETCHEN,

_Brig.-Gen. comm'd'g 6th Can. Inf. Brig._

10th April, 1918

INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH

CHAPTER I

"Well, boy, how did you do it?" "What are the prison camps like?"
"Are the Germans as cruel as they are painted?" These are the
questions that I have been asked thousands of times since coming home.
I have answered them from scores of platforms, for all kinds of Red
Cross organizations; and now I have been persuaded to try and put my
answer on paper--and if when I have finished, there are a few points
cleared up that you have been wondering, and perhaps worrying about, I
shall feel repaid for the writing. They say that "the pen is mightier
than the sword," but my experiences of the last ten years have given me
much more practice with the latter than with the former. I shall not
attempt a flowery story, nor exaggerate anything to make it sound big,
but I shall, as they say in the Court, tell "the truth, and nothing but
the truth."

My story begins when this war broke out in August, 1914. I was working
with a survey party at the time not far from Fernie, British.
Columbia. I remember the day that I made up my mind to enlist. I had