Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-07
k|TCHENER'S ARMY
NOW IN TRENCHES
New Men Maintain Cheerful
Spirits and Are Eager
for a Fight.
BANDS LEFT BACK HOME,
BUT THE BAGPIPES PLAY
Graduates of Universities Dig
Trenches and Chum With H.
literate Comrades.

uLerdCc COuTdQeS.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS. France
July 22.-The "keecheenaires." as the
French peasants call the new army
have Joined "Tommee Atkeens.' this
regular, and the 1tereetoreeals" at the
front Tommee begins to feel like the
Oldest inha bitant. BY the way, he doe,
not like to be called Tommy" though
the world persists in a word which is
as Objectionable to him as "Jacky' is
to the American bluejacket.
The British regular did all the fight
ing for the first five months of the war
He had his joke at the expense of the
territorials. who are about the same
~ the American National Guard. when
they arrived. The territorials thought
that they were made soldiers when the
war broke out, but they were drilled
for months at home before they were
sent to France, where they were drilled
some more and set to digging reserve
trenches behind the line. In the spring
thew had their turn. and the Canadians
too.
Don't be downhearted. There are
stiII some Boches left" the terrltorlals
Join the regulars in saying to the ne"
army. Beside the new army the Ter
ritorials feel like G. A. K. men.
ITS kind of you, We knew that you
could have killed them all off. If you
had wanted to-" the kitcheners reply
Don't charge too fast! Wait for US
to catch up call the regulars.
We'll wait on the Rhine! answer
the new army.
Brings a New Element.
Well named is the new army. 1t has
hroupht a new element into life at the
front. They bear the stamp OF long
route marches over English roads ana
~ the merciiess formal training of the
drill ground.
On seeing three or four hundred sol
chests and the fine play of their mus
Giles told that they were OF the hrs
hundred thousand which answered. the
call to arms last August.
II the average old-timer OF the trenches
had to run five miles against the aVeIast
~ army man he would be blown hall
way and the new army man woula tro.
mast the goal an easy winner. olttihe
in a dueout under shell fire is not exercise
When men come out of the trenches they
want to sleep and eat. The tendency Is
to grow fat. a
trench-hardened, but not muscle-hardened
THAT ia the reason why the officers en-
courage cricket and foot ball and other
sports 1t saves the men from drudgery
Of compulsory exercise to keep them IN
condition.
The other night when one heard some
soldiers billeted in barn singing one
was certain without asking that they were
new army men. The British regular
rarely sings in camp or on the march
Neither elated or depressed he plugs along
doing his days work. AS the new army
COWS in he will be outnumbered, but I'M
changed.
New Men Are Singing.
Those new army men are singing God
Save the King before they lay down in
the straw for the night in the land OF
France, which was all so new and strange
to them and so commonplace to the vet
Grams. Their fresh young voices were
pleasant to the ear.
Every one hopes they will keep on sing
ing mere layman did not know but
that they might bring their bands. At In
tervals one asks himself what is missing
in this British army, anyway? Then he
answers music, of course.
If band were to start playing in the
trenches there would be shrapnel bull
let through the drum and high explosive
In the mouth of the horn in short order.
Bands may have no place at the front. but
that does not rule out the Scotch bag
pipe When you hear THE Campbells
Are Coming" at the head of q company
marching back from the trenches-well
for want of other music, the bagpipe be-
comes sweet to other than Scotch ears
No modernization of war will separate a
Scotch regiment from its pipes.
The bands were left at home to aio
recruiting" say the new army men.
I'VE will not know but your officers
might bring along their swords re-
marked the old-timers
There the veterans Were having a dog
at expense of the young Junior officers
many of whom were at school when
the war began. If there is any orna-
ment which is obsolete at the front il
Is the sword.
The sword is the officers symbol oil
authority; the sign that he is on duty
In place of it the officer at the from,
wears his sword belt. Only one fresh
to the front would see anything odd il
countless officers with empty frogs fol
holding their swords at their hips
However. if ali wore their caps will
band and visors and no tops it woult
soon seem commonplace.
Carries a Walking Stick.
The young officer of the new army
who year ago had no idea of ever be.
Ing an officer, also has the empty fros
and carries a walking stick. His SWORD
along with countless other swords Ia:
been checked outside the cloak O.
war. along with his umbrella, which
no one thinks of carrying at the front
You cannot tell him from the other of
fcers except by his eagerness and nj!
battalion insignia.
II had studied trenches and dug prac
tice trenches and Witnessed trencl
demonstrations, said one of them
but when ! came to go into trenci
for instruction under fire | found tina
II was not like what | had ina gined
I wonder why nobody has yet been abb,
to describe trench so you can reall,
see it Even the photographs deceiv,
you. They are always taken of SOM
show trench.
For ten months the new army ha,
waited for its mecca It's soldiers hav,
read all about the effects of modern
shell fire. They know what they ar
in for. Learners they came among ex
perts, expecting to he ragged grea
deal as novices by the old hands, an,
except for the veteran regulars littl
jokes at their expense they have foun,
everybody very kind.
I'VE need you and there can't be to
many of YOU" say the old-timers 1T
you who must finish the job which w
have begun.
There are men in this new army VIII
have incomes of ten thousand yea
digging trenches beside a man who ha
not shilling when he enlisted: uni
versity graduates taking their ba Mt ar