South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-08-23
BRITISH CONTROL
NORTHERN FRANCE
CoIOne Gazette Prints interest
ing Account of IAN ExCur-
sion to England.

YERLTN. Aug. 23.-In the Cologne
Gazette there is appearing an account
OF IAN excursion TO England" by an
unnamed author. Of which the follow
ing are extracts:
The nearer you come TO the sea In
France the more does the district be-
come Anglicized. England has appro-
priated this stretch of so kilOmeters as
a war zone, and intends TO keep 1t.
This is seen by the conduct Of the Eng
Iish mercenaries. who today rule
northern France. In Staples many OF
the troops have settled down in the
empty railway cars. The parties /
saw were all busting about in shirts
and trousers in the carriages, which
were fitted out in gypsy fashion. The
kitchen smoke curled happily from
the improvised tin chimneys in the
roof of the carriage. In the back
ground the troops We're engaged in
digging up lime kilns beside Port
land cement factory obviously these
materials are being used in the prepa-
ration Of field works. Here and there
appear long rows OF round, snow
white bell tents. or large metal bar
racks or again, brown, bOX-like huts.
BolOgne is the center of the excel
lently organized English sanitary
system our train cannot get right
into the dock station, for hundreds of
olive brown hospital motor cars block
the way. I leave the train in order TO
see the look OF the latest fights in
Flanders close at hand. In most of
The cars had been put four biers Moth
ing moves there; hidden under the
dark coverings lies severe suffering.
Can Force "a Smile.
The more lightly wounded sit in
open cars. but even they can only
force a smile when a sympathetic pass
er-by offers them a cigaret The nor
rible pictures of pitiless war has caus-
ed deep burrows on these youthful
features. only the drivers are unaf-
feccted by all this misery for then it is
only a repetition of the same neces-
sary work.
Seven or eight hundred wounded
men," one OF them said 90 me. lis the
smallest number who come daily to
BoulOgne."
At that time we were just at the
hot days on the User fighting. A
few dozen luXuriously fitted out hos
pitaI trains hourly brought in their
melancholy burden. and the many
motor cars. with the Red Cross paint
eel on them on every side. supported
them for all they were worth.
Two blindingly white hospital ships
lay ready side by side TO receive the
burden.
A signal from my steamer remind
cd me of the necessity of passing the
French customs Indeed. apart from
the customs officer. / saw not a single
Frenchman: every soldier or work
man came from England. The Eng
fish have already settled down so
thoroughly in their sphere of interest
and feel so much at home there. that
only a clear sign viii cause them to
20 ayvav from here pr.9f N
Hundred Guns Hidden?
The steep cliffs between FOlkestOue
and Dover rise like natural fOrtifica-
tons before the spectator as he ap-
prOaches. You have the feeling that
hundreds Of hidden guns are being
directed against you. A cutter with
a red flag arrested my attention.
"A 1000 ton steamer was sunk
here the day before yesterday eX-
planned q sailor. The insOience aCti
Right i'm front of the mouths of the
protecting CdnnOns Yes. they are
brave and thorough. these damned
pirates-ycu've got TO admit that"
There were about 40 women in uni
form on board. Their clothes were
OF the same olive brown military stuff.
which has now been introduced in
the English army A short skirt, a
closely fitting jacket adorned with a
red cross. a knapsack. and a military
cap. fastened by means OF brown
veil-these are the essentials in the
outfit of these ladies. Many of them
have also shoulder straps with regi-
mental numbers. and also leather
straps So that outwardly they are
hardly behind their male compan-
ions
Their sunburned faces. determined
features, and confident behavior east
" showed that they had passed
through other campaigns, e. G., in
India and South Africa
Take Duties Seriously.
In any case these ladies take their
duties more seriously than those
white-clad coQuettes. who inhabit ev-
cry station in France, and palm of
their gaily colored flags with a few
entiCing glanCes on the travellers. but
who do not deign in the very slightest
way 10 help the poor wounded men.
on the approach OF darkness in
England the curtains of the railway
cars must be let down. For protec-