Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-18
Story of a Man
 Who ''Came Back"
FORMER BRITISH OFFICER JOINED FRENCH ARMY AS PRIVATE
REGAINED HIS HONORS
Colonel John Ford Ellington Had Beer Dismissed by Courtmartial After England.

London, Sept. Correspondence of The Associated Press).-AlI England is ringing with the story of Lieuten- ant Colonel John Ford Ell1ington-one of the strangest romances of this strange world war. It is the ever appealing, human story of a man who "came back"
 Dismissed by court martial from the army he had served for nearly thirty years, just as his regiment was going into action in France in the closing months of 1914, this TIngisl officer, disgraced at a time of life when the chances of fate weigh heavily against a man fighting for suddenly lost hon or found refuge in that Queerest of all military organizations the foreign legion of France.
 Lost in the Maze.
 Lost in the mazes of the western battlefelds-a mere legionnaire in the ranks-COlOnel Ellington, late of the Royal WarWickshireS, was all but for gotten. None of his old friends, his old fellow officers, none of the men who had seen him win the queens of these knew that Ellington was out there, somewhere in F'rance,' reck- lessly winning his way back. Errors Wiped Out. But now Ellington is back zn Eng Slll~ I liiIlSU OH HIS DItdSI SsIG two Ol the coveted honors of Funce-the military medal and the military cross: but most valued possession of all is a bit of paper which wipes out the CT TOTS of the pasta proclamation from the official London Gazette announcing that ,he king has "graciously approved the reinstatement of JChn Ford Elk i ington in the rank of lieutenant col onel, with his previous seniority, in l consequence of his gallant conduct while serving in the ranks of the for | eign legion of the French army" Not i only has Colonel Ellington been re- | stored to the army but he has been 1 reappointed to hi sold regiment, tho 1 Royal Warwicilshires, in which his l father served before him.
 Had Been cashiered. Tn this same London Gazette. at the i end of October, 1914, had appeared l the crushing announcement that Elk | lngton had been caShiered by sentence 1 of general court martial What his 1 error was did not appear at the time l and has not been alluded to in his 1 returned hour of honor It was a court martial at the front at a time when 1 the first rush of war was engulffng 1 Europe and little time could be wasted l upon an incident of this sort The charge, it is now stated, did not re- 1 fleet in any way upon the officers i personal courage. But with fallen for tunes he passed quietly out of the
 army and enlisted in the Iegion-that | corps where thousands of brave but 1 broken men have found shelter, anG
 now and then an opportunity to make l themselves whole again.
 Knees Are Shattered. Colonel Ellington did not pass un- l scathed through fire His fighting days
 are ended. His knees are shattered
 and he walks heavily upon lis sticks
 They are just fragments from
 France" he said Of those wounded l knees.
 Colonel Ellington made no attempt
 to cloak his name or his former army | service when he entered the ranks ot the legion.
 Why shouldn't I be a private?" ht
 said. It is an honor for any man tc
 serve in the ranks of that famou:
 corps. Like many of the other boys.
 had debt to wipe off. Now it i. 1 paid"