The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-26
OvERsEA MEN WIsTFUL

The soldiers from overseas, the Can adians. Australians, New zealanders and South Africans. drank somewhat wistfully to the folks at home, but soon shook away any tendency to homesickness in the sturdy work of war. for war, grim and determined, went forward today as relentlessly as yesterday and as it will tomorrow
 The Christmas carols which rose up from all parts of the world were not far-reaching enough this year to muf- fle the roar of angry guns or shut out the unceasing song of flying shells.
 It was Christmas of bounteous plenty along the British front and the soldiers in the field were oyously inn mune from the three course dinners prescribed for the British islesu. macY individual company of the vaY CO organization had jubilant ,r.3S e7oa spread ana there was much 12-20-5 the elaborateness of the Gin high stat,
 POOLED ASSB from Birming
 The members of the oi auua ,a at es 9 panies pooled their and monetary. and Id or unfurnishec
 e Margaret apart small French shops We. Main 7594 prosper in the war 70, 12-25-3 on for all their sweets arr---------- Mess halls were splendidly do in many instances with holly aYOUR tletoe and paper flowers made n FEES soldiers themselves, many oftthe rII- era being worked into Christmas nfR. toes A
 At various places along the line bands visited the mess halls, giving concerts for the soldiers The Young Mems Chris tian association and other organizations arranged countless entertainments, and special programmes prevailed in the movie halls and soldiers theaters,. most of the latter being French barns. with the shell holes barrcaded against the wintry blasts and the noises of battle waging not far away
 PLUM PUDDING EVIDENT
 Every British soldier had his individual plum pudding, this particularly indis- pensable item of the Christmas bill of fare having been looked after by the London newspapers, which raised in the neighborhood of G1O0O0O for their pur- chase.
 Where conditions permitted. as many of the men as possible were relieved from front line duty for dinner, but in the mid ditches of the Somme and in other sectors Christmas dinner, steaming hot, was car ried up through the communication trenches, sometimes under the pelting of shells, to the men held by duty at the outposts of war.
 Some of the men serving the big guns chalked satirical greetings on the shells before firing them. If it's a dead shell and doesn't explode" explained the gum ner, Brother Boche can read what we think of him. On the other hand, if it does it's duty, he'll know without read ing.''
 THIRD CHRISTMAS OF WAR
 This, the third Christmas of the British armies in France, was vastly different from it's two predecessors, especially the the first, when only a pitiful handful of the original expeditionary force was left to form a thin khaki line against the gray clad enemy. The field army was then So small that King George personally sent Christmas package to everyone The multiplication of that army of tens of thousands into the present force of so many millions has somewhat altered the situation.
 The news of President Wilson's peace had not percolated throughout the army by today, but it cannot be said to have been favorably received While it can faithfully be said that officers and men alike realize the hardships of the coming winter, all appear eager for a new offen- sive in the spring and say they can make that offensive decisive