The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-04-18
appearance Of Khaki Clad Tommies
No Longer Attracts Much Atten-
ton From the
Citizens.
RECRUITING POSTERS
One Favorite Slogan is: What do the
Men in the Trenches Think Of
the Men Who Stay at
Home?

i[By Wilbur S. Forrest. United Press
Staff Correspondent
LONDON, April 8. (by mail to New
York)-London is today city of sol
diers..
To the average Londoner the sight
is commonplace. But to the newcom-
er the khaki clad "Tommies'' are a
source of immediate interest and he
meets them everywhere. They swarm
the avenues, inhabit the hotels, ride
the tramcars, subway trains and mo-
tor buses and receive no more atten-
ton from the British public, than the
man in civilian garb. For the most
part, the British soldier of London is
the recruit. His uniform shows un-
mistakable signs of newness and ne
wears it with show Of pride and an
ticipation Of something to come. He
has enlisted and is held in the city
awaiting the call to the camps where
kitcheners men are now being
trained for the front. When there is
room, the new recruit will be placed
in the camp and put through Cruel
ling service that will equip him for
the rigorous work in and about the
trenches The newest recruit will see
active service in perhaps six or eight
months-if the war lasts that long.
Occasionally, however, there min
giles with the new uniforms one that
t has seen the active work at the front.
| 1t is stained and lacks the smart
curves. The veteran who wears 1t is
either fresh from the hospitals or on
- - h<o oy~vio h oysyyo
! in sling or walks with q limp.
| Not lacking about London also is
the Scotch kiltie His bare knees
| and quaint uniform gather few pass
| ing glances from the Londoner. To
| the freshly arrived foreigner. the
kiltie is source of never ending
wonderment
The abundance of soldiers in Lon.
don is explained by the unique pub
ilicity campaign carried on by the
government to stimulate recruiting
Dotted about on every available space
are catch phrase signs that dig the
1 heart of the patriotic Britisher.
! On every public. conveyance, every
building and street are appeals to. get
into uniform and go to the front. Not
single taxicab in London lacks its
circulating appeal. The tramcars, un-
derground cars and even the horse
drawn ccnveyors are all the same
plastered with flaring letters tina,
/ tell the Britisher he is not half the
man at home as he could be at the
front.
"You know what you think OF the
men in the trenches, but what do
/ they think Of you," is a typical ap-
peal.
81 Since the German raid on Scars
borough and other British east coast
towns, flaring posters bearing litho-
praph of Rrittania extending an AID
ing hand to helpless children, have
appeared.
Remember Scarborough, enlist
now" is inscribed on these posters
The publicity campaign is bringing
results well approved of by the war
office, according to information Today.
Fear of a German air raid in Lon.
don has largely passed. The sugges-
ton that Zeppelins will come in the
night and drop bombs is met with a
smile everywhere The people are
crossing that bridge when they come
to it and In the meantime they are
not seeking a convenient cellar in
(which to hide.
Occasional searchlights playing in
to the ar at night, a scant few aerial
gums mounted along the Thames and
the precaution that street lights do
not cast their glow into the upper
darkness are the only evidences that
London weeks ago feared the Zeppe-
Inns and took precautions. Today the
blase citizen will say that these pre-
cautions were merely those OF the
military and were not entirely neces-
sary.
While the fear of German invasion
has disappeared, the intense hatred
for the enemy is, however, apparent
everywhere. To order German fried
potatoes in a restaurant is joke;
POTATOES are not fried in that manner
in England Apollinaries water. a
German product, is also extremely uu-
popular and cannot be bought. The
foregoing are only two of the many
mistakes newly arrived American
NAV make in London. He will soon
learn to order French or English fried
potatoes and water other than that
bottled in Germany.
What is true Of London, is true of
all England. aa
The country and people are engaged
in the serious business Of war and they