The Washington herald., 1914-09-20
EAGLE
TO Go TO Front.
Kitchener's Recruits Show a
Burning Desire to Taste
Actual Fighting.
FEW ARE UNEMPLOYED
Small Proportion Enlist Because Of
Lack of Work-Recruiins De-
scribed by a Rookie"
seiai cAbls 10 The wsshin1tOu Herald.

London. Sept 1a-Just how it feels to
enlist Is described as follows by one
Of Lord Kitchener's men:
There were three Of US, who stepped
forward together to interview the re-
cruiting sergeant on the Horse Guards
parade-one a boat-builder from some
Thames-side yard-another a clerk,
rather pale. from a city ONCE STOOL and
myself.
Don't want to stay at home and guard
railway lines?" the recruiting Officer was
saying TO the man before me
That's what nine out OF every ten
Of them say. Don't you worry abour
that. my lad. You'll be abroad and
bashing the Germans in no time. II
you're a good soldier. And IL you do
stop at home for a little while, WY.
perhaps you might see a German soldier
or two over here to have q round with.
So cheer up"
This was to the clerk, who was already
burning with martial ardor.
And now my turn. The recruiter en-
tered my name and address on a blue
paper. my age. the place where was
born. my trade, and inquired il I was
married. This was comforting. because
my wife will get a separation allowance
while / am in Kitchener's army. What
corps did l want to join? was not par
tcular. so that was left for decision
after the doctor had measured me. So
was given the blue paper with par
ticulars Of myself entered, and told IS
go and see the doctor at the central
recruiting ofice, Old Scotland Yard.
Doctor q Busy Man.
The doctor was a large man, bronzed.
cheerful and alert. which was somewhat
surprising. for he had been inspecting
recruits steadily for six hours, he told
me. and at times the work had its draw
backs.
The doctor is very thorough. The only
physical qualification on which he is not
quite so strict now is teeth. "As long
as you have enough mOlars to chew bis
cults and beef. he says, that will do
Then he tests the sight of each eye sep
arately, measures you. punches you in
one or two places, sounds you, and. II
you are lucky. passes you as fit for
service
The rest is plain sailing. magis-
trate waits upstairs to swear you in.
He proceeds to fill in your papers-those
indelible records of your fate by which
in some war ONCE pigeon-hole you will
henceforth be Identified. II you have
had previous service in any armed force.
IL must now be disclosed. Also. there
are a few other points on which the
government requires understanding
about you. Have you ever been impris-
oned? Are you willing to be yaccinated?
And, finally. are you willing TO serve for
the period Of the war?
Well and good, satisfied a paternal
government on all these points, and
swearing with uplifted hand to defend
his majesty. his heirs and successors.
in person, crown, and dignity, against all
enemies. became at last a soldier OF
the King.
There is a free and easy camaraderie
about Us, for are We not already fellow
soldiers in arms? Two things strike me
as the results of conversations with hun
dreds of my fellow-recruits. First. the
burning desire they all have to go to
the front as soon as possible: secondly.
the very small proportion who have join
ed because they are out of work Mostly
they seem to be men who have Joined
| Just because they could not bear TO be
out Of it, and one hears on all sides of
1 men with two or three brothers already
in the army, and who are soldiers sons
I in addition. II is the call OF their blood
as well as their country that they an
! swered.
The Army Servants Corps"
The courtyard Of the recruiting depot
where We went teens with interest.
| can draw their husbands pay are fire.
! quent arrivals. Il don't know what he
has Joined. sir says one to the oficial
! in charge. but l think it's the Army
| Servants Corps" She means the Army
! Service Corps.
All day long a hoarse-voiced sergeant.
whose vocal chords must be made Of
steel, stands on a chair and shouts the
names of men who are to be drafted
away. They form in groups of a dozen
or twenty. receive warrants for travel
ing. A sergeant is placed in charge, and
away they go, cheering. to Aldershot.
woOlwich, Salisbury Plain, or else
where
Yesterday morning my turn came and
in company with dozen others. l came
to Woolwich. Here the plain is dotted
with many camps Of twenty or more
tents, where the gunners Of the new
army are to begin their training. With
one blanket apiece We sleep ten in
tent, and are too full of good spirits
to notice the minor discomfOrts Of the
new life. Indeed they amuse US.
Last night for instance, 1 saw a re-
cruit apparently on the strictest watch
over nothing in particular. But he told
me he was guarding the camp towels
You see" he said, we have only two
towels in this camp. and the blooming
field gunners over there have only got
one. so when we hangs our towels out
to dry. l have to watch EN-"
However. the food is good and plenti-
full. Today was salmon for breakfast.
plenty Of meat and potatoes for dinner,
and tea and bread and jam for tea. We
get up at S O'Clock and turn in at go.
During the day there are six parades.
at which We are learning marching drill,
and a lecture, at which We are told how
soldier should behave himself. In the
evening we play games and have camp
sing-songs-