The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-09-14
1900 AMERICANS
IN BRITISH ARMY
Some Go For Excitement and
Others Like to Fight.
HOW SOUrHERNER GOT IN.
First He Said He Was From South
Carolina, but Changed His Mind
When Refused and Decided Hs Was
Born In canada--Cry Out For Am
nunition.

munition.
That many Americans are fighting
for the allies Is common knowledge.
There are a lot of them in Frances
foreign legion and lot more In the
various Canadian contingents. The
writer was told by one In close touch
with the British war Office that 1900
Americans are now members of the
British army, says the Detroit Free
Press. The war office, of course, has
to notify the relatives of these men in
case they are killed, wounded or miss
ing, as some of them have been, and
1t is thus that an approximate figure
as to their number can be given.
This. of course, is not matter that
the war office talks about. One Is
guilty of an indiscretlon in even men
tioning it. No American is allowed
to enlist as such. That might make
diplomatic complications. Most of the
sons of the United States who join say
they are Canadians. OF late one has
heard of number of young southern
ers who have enrolled themselves un-
der the union jack. When one of them
went to the recruiting Office the fol-
lowing conversation took place:
"Where were you bornY
81 was bawn, sub, in Spartanburg,
S. c."
"The United States? We can't take
you if you are an American Can't you
take little stroll and think hard and
see if you weren't born somewhere
else?'
The walk is taken. A few minutes
later the candidate returns.
His Mind is Changed.
"Well, sub. I've thought that matter
0vah, and l realize now that I was
bawn in Hamilton, Ont"
"GOod man! Righto! Now come and
see the doctor"
A good number of these American
born recruits are West Point and An
napolis men and thus get commissions
practically at once, for of course, the
crying need of the British army at the
present time is for officers. One of the
southerners, this time Virginian. was
badly wounded at Neuve Chapelle. He
told an acquaintance of the writer's
that shell which exploded near him
there killed twenty-three men and six
teen horses. While in England he made
this remark to an American:
I'm making collection while I'm
here. Yes, ma'am, I'm making col
lection of eggshells."
"Eggshells! Whatever forT''
"Well, ma'am, it does seem to me
that those are the only kind of shells
that the British war office thinks we
need to throw at the Germans"
Fighting Flies In Flanders.
l heard a good story of another
young southerner, formerly a member
Of the Richmond Light Blues and now
a captain in the British army, who lis
tened patiently to lecture on camp
sanitation" given by his colonel, and
then very cOurteOusly and deferentially
asked his superior officer If he might
be allowed to demonstrate to the men
some of the things he had learned in
the American army. The colonel, a
bit on his dignity. but with good hu-
NOR, asked the American II he really
thought he could add anything to their
knowledge. The southerner's reply
was a question as to whether any Of
them ever had been in a real hot coun-
try, like Cuba or the Philippines,
where there really were flies. The
British officers confessed they had not.
"The defect in the sanitary arrange
ments you propose" went on the south
erner, 'is that they are adapted to
England, where you have no flies.
Everybody in this country fancies that
flies here are kind Of plague, but the
ratio as compared with the United
States is actually about one fly here to
a thousand there. In Flanders" went
on the American, you will get flies, so
l wish you would let me demonstrate
to the men our ideas Of sanitation,
fly traps and incinerators to cope with
the condition that will obtain there"
The colonel gave his consent forth
with. A bit later he found the Amer
ican surrounded by crowd of men,
demonstrating the matters he had
mentioned. In order to work better
he had shed his tunic and was work
ing In his shirt sleeves. The scandal
lied superior officer held his peace at
the time, but later apprised the amused
American that it was not considered
good form for an officer to remove his
tunic. He said it simply wasn't done.
Why have all these young Americans
thrown in their lot with the British
army? Do they all feel in duty bound
to do their bit toward putting the XII
bosh on Germany? These questions
put directly to an American woman
who knows.
We'll" she replied, II know of one
case In which girl is at the bottom
of the mans enlisting here, and with
the others guess it's sheer devil
ment." Other Americans have told me
that they joined the army for the sake
of the "eypitempnt" Still Others how