The farmer and mechanic., 1915-11-02
5 100 AME ERICANs
IN ALLIES ARMIES
Ambassador Page Frequently
Asked To Send Home Youths
Who Have Enlisted
London Correspondence }

w
,a the British Army and seeing that
,uxious parents in the United States
have them back home again.
During the last few months the Am
hssead0r has discovered no less than
fO0 such Americans in the ranks of
the British Army, all OF whom en-
listed ais Canadians SO as to get to the
frort and fight for the Allies. In each
instance these ambitious soldiers have
bepn under the age Of eighteen, but
nave deceived the war authorities by
nutting themselves down as of the
requisite military age.
The Ambassadors efforts have been
confined TO the invest CATION Of where
ahouts Of youths whose relatives have
asked him to find them; they do. not
concern hundreds Of other Americans
who. of military age, have enlisted but
of whom no inquiry has come. To at
tenlpt to dig out every American citi-
zen who is fighting under the British
or he French colors would be job
go entail establishing a separate de-
uartment for the Embassy.
Some time ago General Samuel |
HugheS in command of the Canadian |
forces at the front. estimated that |
ne fewer than 1000 of Uncle Sam |
citizens were enlisted with the Cana |
dian troops Since that time more
have arrived while still others have
come direct to England and on Vafl-
ous preteXts enlisted as EngliShmen
SO a- to get into the war.
Taken all together, it is a fair esti-
mate that 5000 Americans are now in
the trenches to help the Allies defeat
the Germans AS u matter of fact the
number may be far above that one
estimate heard here this week was
that 900 Americans were enlisted
under the British and French cOlors.
When Ambassador Page gets let
ter from an American mother whose
son has disappeared from home and
from whom word has come that he
has taken up fighting with the Allies,
the Ambassador gets immediately into
touch with the War Office. Speedy
inquiry is made, and in {. few days
the Ambassador invariably receives an
official communication that the run
away American boy has been found
somewhere in France and that the
commander of his regiment has been
ordered to send him back to London
forthwith comes the prO-Ally SOL
dier to London where, at the War
Office he receives an honorable dis
charge from the army. An attache OF
the American Embassy is on hand to
see that the cx-warrior is started on
his way home. The Embassy buys
him a ticket on a steamer to New
York and the Embassy makes sure he
takes the liner
Oftentimes the runaway soldier in
terposes a stout objection to having
his war career cut off, but the EN-
bassy is obdurate. 1t is pointed out
to the sympathetic soldier that only
Englshmen are allowed to serve as
soldiers in the British Army and that
his Well-meant deception having peer
discovered. Great Britain, much as sht
might like to keep him, cannot do II
The writer a few days ago came
strand. Both had the insignia of
Canadian regiment. They inquired Q
the writer how to get to Victoria sta
tou and when he spoke one of then
t'.'rved with a smile:
on, you're an American?
oe writer confessed WnefeIpo
h,tA soldiers in a breath replied Wit
aNtity.
So are we"
developed that one came froi
Gr"nd Forks, Mich. the other troi
Minneapolis and that both had enlist
ed IN Canada natives of Canad;
| They knew of more than twenty oth<
Americans from Michigan and MIME
sofa, who had done the same as the
did in jumping over the border III
ana enlisting AS Canadians
These American soldiers IN kha
nave fixed idea about the GerHla
and what would happen to any de
man-Americans in the United Sial
who might try to rebel if the Unit
states got into the war against S'e
many
I've lived in a German communl
in my town in America FOR years
said one of them to the writer.
got - lot of friends of German extra
ton, and I've always liked 'em, roo,
10 now. But l can say thIs-that
lncle Sam gets into the war aSali
Germany and any so-called Germa
Americans try to start trouble, they
lind out America isn't going to Il
with them. They'll have to be slml
americans, then, expect sn'
shrift
Uncle Sam would have concentl
tlon camps waiting for any Germs
americans who didn't be careful n