El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-01
British Troopers are Gay
and Believe Victory Is
Certain to Come.
BY VIGGO TOEPFER.


! - RITISH Headquarters in France,
X May THE American CORE
IL spondents will please carry their
gas helmets ready to put on at a
! moments notice when we get near the
I front"
The speaker was the English staff
| officer who was to take me and two
other correspondents to the devastated
villages score Of miles from general
headquarters.
The British, having successfully ex-
tended their front toward the south
until it covered practically one-fourth
of the whole line from the North Sea
to Switzerland, had now got Things
running so smoothly that they invited
several American writer's, for trip
OF inspection.
We had spent the night in a pic
turesQue village in northern France.
The vessel which took us across the
Channel was crowded with Red Cross
nurses, army officers and TOmmies re-
turning TO the front after few days
home leave.
I had expected to see these men de-
pressed and downhearted at the pros
pect Of going back to the dreary mono
tony of the trenches hut on not
single face did 1 see a sign Of any such
feelings.
Soldiers Anxious to Fight
7 asked several of them about it and
the answer was Invariably the same:
why should we feel sorry? We are
well treated, well fed and well looked
after IN every way, and our Job IS not
finished yet We have had good
time at home now. and the trenches
are not half as bad as you think. We
are going to stick ii out until we have
given the Boches such licking that
thew won't forget IT for hundred
years, and we are going TO do it. all
right There is not much fight left in
them even now
The crossing was uneventful. though,
as a matter Of precaution. we were all
told to put on lifebelts the moment we
came on board.
Our first morning i'm France is bright
and sunny, though rather windy. Pow
erful cars are outside the door wait
ing to take US toward the southern
end Of the British line, which the Eng
lish have just taken over from the
French. thus setting free an entire
French army for use elsewhere.
Women Plough the Fields.
Women everywhere are ploughing
the fields or putting in the seed. scat
tering it by hand in the old time man
ner, and everything seems to breathe
peace except for the booming Of heavy
guns in the distance.
We pass through villages full Of life
and hustle. but the women and chill
dren. who are nearly all in deep
bear silent testimony Of the
sacrifices France has made
Their faces are cheerful. however.
and the young girls are chatting gaily
with the English Tommies. who are
everywhere. and who are evidently
very popular. One wonders how many /
little romances have had their begin
ming in these French towns and how ]
many English soldiers Will bring back (
with them little French wives when the (
war is over
Generals Headquarters in Chateau.
We stop at a chateau. In the win /
trcduced to the commander Of the first /
British army, General NJ. a typical sol I
der with a blink Of irrepressible good |
humor in his blue eyes, offers us a /
cordial welcome and assures us that !
his staff viii do everything to facili- /
tate our task.
The young lieutenant who is !
assigned to be our guide on this part I
Of the front, a boyish looking fellow /,
is ordered to take us as close to the /!
German lines as we care to go.
He smilingly promises us TO give us /
all the thrills We want and after a 4
hearty handshake from genial General /
NJ we are whisked off in the direction /
Of the firing.
The aspect OF our surroundings be- !
comes more warlike. We pass endless I
lines Of motor trucks. gray and pow /
srful carrying provisions or ammuni- /
to the base. Batteries of vicious look /
ing lS-pOunders are rumbling along /
with their escort Of mounted men.
Men Mt the Front nre Gay.
battalion is marching along the /
road with swinging stride. The band }