The Washington herald., 1915-07-04
By W. ORION TENSION.

ny :" ILNSONs
London. July S-Tommy Atkins-that is
the Tommy Atkins who has been in the
trenches of Northern Francois fed up
with war. He admits this not only as an
individual but in platoons and COM
panies. in fact, wherever he may be met
about the streets of London or in its
parks and recreation places. Every
wounded soldier who is convalescing in
London has fresh tale of horror to
tell
This does not mean that Tommy Atkins
will not go back. 1t means that he is
disguised with the shirkers who pass by
the enrolling places with averted eyes
and refuse to 60 back with him. 1t
means that he feels that the country
does not appreciate his sacrifice. The
man who has been at the front has be-
come a soldier. quick TO respond to dis
cipline and with only the Union Jack as
his fetish, and he cannot see why the
thousands of able men who daily walk
the streets of London are permitted to
do so.
Not Anxious, hut Ready.
A private of one of the London regi-
ments which was first to leave for the
front was found sitting in Hyde Park
nursing a wounded thigh.
How is the hurt?' he was asked.
Far better, now, he replied.
Then you soon will be ready to return
to the front. l suppose you are anxious
to get back into active service"
He stared at the questioner. There
was nothing of resentment in his gaze.
1t seemed rather one of pity as he said:
You are a Yankee, j take it. | don't
know if you have ever been a soldier,
as / was long before this war. Aye.
I'm ready to go back when I'm sent.
That's what / took the shilling for. But
when you say anxious, i guess you don't
know what it is over there. | had forty
days of the trenches before l got this
and two days after before they got me
out And while ! lay wounded, my head
jammed against the back of dead pal
and the blood from my leg ooZed down
into the face of another who lay staring
at me all the time as though l was re-
sponsible for being only wounded while
he was dead All the time | was wishing
that it was me instead of him.
Different from south Africa.
It's like a continual nightmare over
there. In South Africa we could see
who we were fighting. We had target
for every shot and could see and take
heart when We made hit. In France
We fought with shovels and we couldn't
see anything to shoot at, even when we
knew that the enemy was near that
head raised inches above the wall of
the trench during the day would mean
a dead body to keep us company until
night
Here the veteran was joined by a group
of wounded and convalescent comrades
not all men of the same corps or from
the same section of the battle line-and
as he continued his tale of the horror of
42-centimeter shells and howitzer fire. of
schrapnel and high-power rifle bullets,
they broke in continually with cries of
assent and when he added: I'm fed up
with the whole bloody business" the
aye. aye" of his audience was unani-
nous.
Scientific Recruit Duty.
The effort to obtain additional recruits
goes on at almost every street corner
and recruiting offices have been estab
lished in every center. One of the bust
est is OH the Strand. next door to Mar
conf House. Here a service tent has
been raised and a detail of troops is on
duty during the entire day. The climax
of the work comes during the noon hours
when a band plays during the intervals
between speeches made by officers and
men from the front urging Londoners to
enlist.
Generally there are women on the plat
tons in time with the music. or empha-
sizing with the colors the telling points
made by the orators.
These speakers do no spare their hear
ers. The difference between the man
who goes and the man who stays is
pointed out as the difference between
bravery and cowardice. The danger of
invasion is pointed out, and the POSSIBLE
ity of German revel at which English
mill he he iS al htlt
the response is slow and not enthusiast
tic.
At one of the meetings. where a band.
fife and drum corps, and bugle band
played martial and patriotic airs; where
women stood waving flags and urging
on the reluctant men, where officers and
men from the French trenches called for
aid in the battle which already has
claimed as sacrifice $4,000 men, and
where recruiting sergeants circulated in
the crowd, asking them as individuals to |
enlist. there were only half dozen vol |
unteers. And the crowd was a large |
one although many men FASTENED past |
with hardly glance.
II similar demonstration had taken |
place in the United States-in New York, |
for instance-or in Canada. half the |
crowd would have flocked to the flag.
London Feels Satisfied.
London is lying snug in the security of |
more than 500 years of safety from in |
vasion. There is no memory here of a |
time when it was necessary to defend a 4
London home from foreign attack. The |
Zeppelin raids have been joke. so far |
as London is concerned. and with the |
papers forbidden to publish anything |
a bout them other than the meager Off |
Cial statement of twenty or thirty words
that is issued after each of the attacks, |
they are not likely to prove serious ]
at any time to provoke the peo-
pie to action.
Another striking thing about the re-
cruiting is the attitude of the women,
especially the women of the classes to |
whom the state is appealing. All Of |
them, from ancient danes to girls in |
places and ridcule the men who refuse |
are seen later with these same men-or |
men of the same type-apparently per- |
fectly satisfied. 1t seems to be the idea |
here to get some one else to go.
All sorts of excuses are made by those |
who refuse to go. and few of them are |
needed At Trafalgar Square the other |
day an American stood watching the |
business of recruiting. He was APP |
preached by sergeant who said:
You're a strong young fellow; why |
don't you go?''
Il am a citizen of the United States"
he was told. |
You mean you are a coward. don't |
you?" he said. and the crowd round |
about began to jeer. There was nothing |
left n do htft walk |