Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-10-23
ax HERBERT coREYl

/ LONDON, Eng.-This il the way
that Lord Kitchener makes soldiers:
Hammer EN-! Hammer 'em! Ham
mer 'em some ore. Break those that
can't stand 1t. Those that live through
are fighting en-: .....@ ...~..- -.
Eight hours day over the roads
carrying full service kit. Sometimes
a test march OF so miles, with 80
pounds and rifle on aching shoulders
Now and then q 24-hour watch to teach
them how to keep awake. Any sort
of weather. No sort of roads at all.
Smash 'em through mud and bracken
and rain. Feed 'em and work 'em.
They begin as little. greasy faced.
thin checked, stoop shouldered slum
men. They come out thick chested,
big muscled, brown, rugged he-devils.
But they are not soldiers yet Six
months in the training camp is the
Kitchener prescription. Then month
or so somewhere near the front doing
the routine work of war-making, guard
ing prisoners and railroad lines and
bridges. The knowledge sinks in that
somewhere ahead better men are be-
ing permitted to do their fighting for
them. ~
Then one day "Kitch" turns 'em
loose. ~ ..-.. -. \ II.
1.-The very best thing for a recruitie
at this stage said one of Kitchener's
old sergeants, SIS to see few other
men broken and bloody. How they
fight them" - ~. -. -.
The big forge for making soldiers
is at Aldershot. There 104 900 men
are hard at 1t every day. One sees
them in every stage of development,
from the thin shanked factory lad to
the erect husky who Is almost ready
to be sent out to XIII. There are q
dozen or so training camps scattered
through the, island. Half million
men perhaps more ARE being ham
mered into soldier shape. Not one of
them will take the field before green
grass time. +.
1T takes months to make soldier"
says Kitchener. 1T isn't enough to
teach him how to march like q soldier
and how to look Ike soldier. He
must learn how to. think like a sol
der -.
Z So Kitchener isn't IN any hurry
about his job. He. told the houses of
parliament the other day that his 590,-
600 new men would not be ready be-
fore spring. That seemed queer to
me, and I went to Aldershot to find
out why. France Is putting men in
the field with no more soldieriy ex.
perience than our militiamen own. So
Is Germany.
1--WE can't put as many men In the
field as the other nations, Is the army |
.heory ESQ we must put better men
n.
England has 100000 regulars in the
leld In France. They are to be Joined
by 10000 Gurkhas and Sikhs. There
ire only enough men available In the
regular establishment to patch up the j,
loles that will be torn IN this line.
cngland's, reliance for the future must I
De upon the volunteers
Nhat Aldershot 10.
AIdershot isn't at all what thought
{ would be. had pictured q huge,
,are plain, five miles square. Scatter
ID over 1t we're to be patches OF drill
ng men. In reality it is woodland
md moor and hill and valley. muck
md sand and turf. The motor car
aced along the roads. Every time it
opped a hill one saw in the valley
,elow bodies Of drilling men. In every
title wrinkle of the hills men were
or riding or playing with the
liz guns. Every vale held them. They
Yere on every level patch of turf.
Think of it! There are 100000 men
icing taught there to be soldiers.
Aldershot town has permanent pop
llation of 10000; other villages are
catered through this vast barren
ract that makes up Aldershot camp.
here are permanent quarters in which
1000 men are sheltered in times of
,eace. Now there are great fungi Of
White conical tents growing against
he brown of the hills. Here rattle
i drums breaks out. A squad OF
RUNNERS are being taught how to
landle the sticks by frankly pessi-
nistic instructor. Now an uncertain
anfare rips ones ears. 1t Is q trum-
,eter learning to Zip" and tongue. :"
Iext comes the crack of rife practise.
Companies of 'trookies" came march
ng along the roads. Perhaps two men
nut of Ave wore the khaki The others
we're still dressed in their civilian
lothes. They were learning how to
zeep step; they had been at il all day,
md they we're pathetically tired. Their !
,oor, thin shoulders dropped. Their !,
aces were pale. Not one man in a
Iozen could keep his chin up. Their
leavy army shoes scuffled dejectedly
through the dust.
I'm a week. said the gray old ser.
cant. as his men rested, "they can
eep this up all day. But this is their
Irst march" -
in Mud.
It had been raining all day. The
andy roads were dry enough, but the
urf fields were wet and cold to the
ouch. We came to green field. per-
APPS half mile square. Dotted over
were companies of so men, all In
william clothes. An hour struck They