The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

London, October 15.-(Corespondence oil the Associated Press.)-"Foghorn" Me- Donald admits he's as Scotch as oat- meal" but what he doesn't have to ad- init is that he is beyond doubt the best known man in the wonderful big army Canada has sent over to fight for the mother country Gen. Sir Sam Hughes, Canadian minister of militia and de- fense, is not jealous of "Foghorn's'' dis tinction. The rawest rookie in the rear- most ranks of the dominion forces pro- claims it on the fighting line. and looks up to this world wandering scion of the clan Mcdonald as shining example of what a lowly buck" can do in trying times like these.
 For "Foghorn" came over as a private himself just two short years ago. Some of his home folks told him he was a alarmed old fool'' to enlist at 53. But "Foghorn" had been a miner all his days. He had hit the western trail from sum- baked Batopilas in the wilds of Mex ico to the snow shrouded valleys of the Yukon, and he knew what perseverance, and pluck and courage and sacrifice could do.
 He knew he would make the grade" and so did a great crowd of his friends who gathered a day or two ago to wet that new third stripe and crown on the cuffs of his khaki army jacket. He was back from the front to receive this latest promotion, and he was toasted a major or his majestys forces.
 "Foghorn was born Neil Roderick Mo- Donald, but there are comparatively few who know him by that distinguished name. It's just plain "Foghorn" nova days from one end of the trenches to the other, and one earful of that low rum bling, window shattering, rock shivering voice explodes all possible doubt as to
 the derivation of the nickname.
 There are plenty of Germans who know
 "Foghorn' too. In the days of the
 deathly deadlock, when trenches crep, closer and closer together, he was one oI
 those wind burrowed beneath the earth
 and set off great mines under the enemy
 He had not been mining engineer III vain. Often his voice would go booming across No Mans Land," hurling pic turesque investive at the Germans. | Not to know "Foghorn' Mcdonald IS
 to miss one of the big human personall-
 tiest of this war. It Is not difficult tc 1 realize what tower of encouragement
 and strength he is to the soldiers at the front.
 "He is the sort of officer whose mer
 would follow him to the gates or net itself and walk in laughing" declared Mai. Eddie Holland, long-tm' friend and a "y. C." of the South Afri- can war. -
 And speaking of hell,' he added
 "there may or may not be something II the fact that Foghorn belongs to tn black devils"
 That is the name the Germans hav'
 given the Eighth battalion, Canadian in
 fantry, and the battalion has adopted al
 ;ts insignia a small black imp dancing il
 glee. They were delighted with the ap
 pellation, and are living up to it ac cording to all reports from the SomIAe. It has been said of "Foghorn' tha
 Ines not afraid of any man-and yer. few women.' His home is in the grea
 American west. He has lived much in tn , United States and almost every provinc in Canada can claim him as her own His heart is as big as the world in whicl , he has lived, and he has a way of callini , superior officer "Bill' or "Jim' 0 , George" and referring to corpora as a brother officer that is quite baf , fling to the Englishmans ideas of dis l cipllne. Someone spoke to Fog
 about it.
 well, sir" he explained, tits man war. by God sir, and I respect ever mothers son who's out there doing hi , bit. was a full ll-fledged buck mysel once, and know what they have to g through"
 "Foghorn' has been serving for some time as transport officer of the "Blac Devils" and has been riding about tn front lines on what he describes himsel
 as "a mighty fine hoss." Where he ga the horse he will not tell you ''l , wouldn't be passed by the censor" h i says.
 . A good transport officer tries to kee 7 his losses at a minimum and to make tn 7 deficiencies good as quickly as he car l "Foghorn' had his men in the Blac :, Devils trained to the minute in that rs . spect.
 "One night" he said, we were takin