Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-09-30
RECRUITS never
HANDLED A GUN
Archibal Hunter has Charge
of 100000 Novices in the
War Game.

Aldershot. Sept. so.-Meutenant
General Sir Archibald Hunter is IN
charge of 100000 Aldershot rockies"
nine-tenths of whom never handled a
gun. When this army goes to the
continent, if it does go, he will doubt
less be in command of it.
In ordinary time of peace $4,000
men are as big a. force as the army
barracks at Aldershot are strained to
army is living in bell tents" although
long rows Of wooden huts are already
under construction and will be COM
pleted before this army or any part
of it leaves Aldershot, and then if the
war lasts at least 100000 men more
will take its place.
The camps at Aldershot spread
over the plains throughout an area at
least five miles square. Almost every
branch of service is represented, even
the aviation corps. forty bi-planes
and monoplanes being in the service
at North camp. In London the cry
is for more recruits. At Aldershot the
cry is for more non-commissioned Of
ficers to act as drill masters. Even
those on pension are receiving regular
pay as well as their pension If they
will help train the recruits. There are
often 200 new men under one mon
COM" and the commissioned officers
apparently do not take any personal
part in the drilling of recruits.
Well Housed.
The recruits at Aldershot are COM
fortably housed and well fed, what
ever complaints to the contrary may
appear In London papers. Each man
receives three-quarters pounds of
beef daily, and of ten men who were
personally asked about the commits
sary by the writer every man cordial
ly stated that he was perfectly satls-
fled with what he had to eat.
The only disappointed ones in evil
dence We're those who were being sent
away. In the rush Of enlistment many
were taken on with rather superficial
examination and are now being weed
ed out For example, an officer with
200 men from Glasgow came to Lon
don on the same train with the writ
er. The men had all failed on eye
tests and the officers assignment was
to pilot the Scotchmen to London and
to get them aboard a train for Scot
land, not an altogether easy job. 1t
Scotch surgeons received half crown
for every man they passed for enlist
ment.
The recruits are earnest and are
worked very hard. One basic princi-
pie Of the training seems to be the
order that every man shall walk at
least fifteen miles daily. Since large
proportion Of the recruits come from
offices and other indoor employment
this alone is a weary process. Very
few of the men have any desire to
kick about the footballs which are
provided for recreation and the six
moving picture shows or "cinemas' as
they are called here, are not all
crowded. The pubs" close in Alder
shot at each evening and by 9
o'clock the town is as quiet as any
rural village.
AS FOR the immense amount Of de-
tail necessary to equip the troops
that are now being raised in England,
some idea of tho undertaking may be
CLEANED from. two acquisitions issued
by the war office yesterday, the first
for one million and half Of blankets.
the second for five hundred thousand
razors. Evidentally the British SOL
dier is expected to shave himself, in
stead of enjoying the attentions OF q
company barber.
The German prisoners at Aldershot
are In barbed wire enclosures lighted
at night by arc lights. About two
thousand Of them had arrived in AL
dershot on September 16, and they are
having precisely the same fare as the
English soldiers. AS one spectator
paradoxically expressed it, they are
perfectly happy but thoroughly dis
contented." Leapfrog Is apparently
their only recreation. At present they
are not permitted to correspond with
people at home although they had
that privilege until few days ago. In
the house Of commons yesterday a
representative of the war office said
that such privileges "have been tenn
porarily suspended until such time as
the German government sees At to
grant similar privileges to British
ed his explanation of the situation
with this expression II hope the sus.
pension will be of short Duration"