The Alaska daily empire., 1917-03-10
A VanquiShed Army
 Only Its Soul Is
 Left; All Is Gone


 ish army which fought at Mons? IL lis generally thought of as force now greatly multiplied but still fight, ing cut battles on the line from Yser to the Somme. As a matter Of fact, the "Old Army" ag an army disap. peared long ago. But they did not disappear, a worn.out. deCimated rem uant utterly exhausted by the retreat and the subsequent thrust of the Marne and Asiue. as is often imagin. ed. Instead, they have been swal lowed up by death and the new ar mics.
 The utue band Sir John French commaGded is not all dead or hors . ie combat because 1t figures no long CT in the daily newspapers, As cas- Iualties gre estimated today its loss es were not very heavy. When the trench warfare began g large num- Der of men from Mons were still in line. The greater part of those vet erans who have laid down their arms because of death, sickness or wounds, did so after the deadlock came.
 Many of the officers and men of tho first army are sgli in harness. The officers, with the exception of la few who still lead men in battle, have left the trenches and, rising Co big things, occupy high positions 10 which their superior experience, . knowledge and training entitle them. Those who have remained with the cUmbgtant trips have been promoted to high ranks of which they never dreamed of ln days of peace.
 The men do odd jobs around the base. They help the railway trans. port otIgegs-yetcrans these in their work. They superlntcnd the handling of ammunition, guns, rifles, wagons. clothing and an the vast equipment of an army in the field. some do orderly room work. And few act as servants Co the officers with whom they did duty before the war.
 Sometimes the masters and the : servants speak of old times but very seldom. As the officer dresses ! regiment goes by the window of his billet. With his "batsman" (seryanO he watches tlem until the last man has passed and the wall of the fife hes died in the distance. ! Well, what do you think of them, Jones?" the officer asks.
 Them" Jones says, "Oh, they're all right sir. But" impressivcly they're not the boys we used to meet oa Salisbury PlGin."
 NO, they are not"
 And then they change the subject, lest it should coujure up sad thoughts.
 Those who led the old army are Heading the new armies today. They have seen their b0ttalions swell to Ibrfgudes and their ov.gadCs to d. visions. They have taken the raw youth of the British Islands and watched them gradually change from . ignorant civilians to hard. rough troops very nearly the equal of the men they used Co command. A right ful pride is theirs. Are not the 1 regiments which are smashing the { Somme deGenses the children of . their heads and hands?
 ! So. from the headquarters of ar mics and divisions and brigades, the Ired-tabbed CoI5nels aaJ Majors and Captains of today guide the off. spring Of their battaiions of ycster- |day. l. is not often that they get an opportunity of looking back and realizing what changes there have l been made.
 . A brigade Major well expressed the attitude and experience of the old army officer when he said: "I heard that my old lot were to be nea, here some time ago." he said. When they came l dropped | into their mess to see old friends ] and talk over old times. Do you know how many familiar faces I saw? None! Not one! They were very nice, the men whom l met, but they were all strangers. It was nell! J came away. l couldn't stick it.
 The men are strangely silent crowd. They hold themselves aloof from their companions. Letters bind them together, these old soldiers, and they write to each other as though they were the only white men among tribes of dark natives. Their letters speak largely of the early days. They mention names which have be ! for months within i the German lines.
 Sometimes they will unbeal and will tell their young comrades some thing Of the first clashes.
 Aye! We was at Nery then | that's where old l. Battery had their show. Great days them was-not like now. when your trench is as safe as England and you don't ave to worry about your Hanks or some thing. Those days you never knew where you were or who was on the right or anything. Ali the time you was in touch when you thought you wasn't and left be'iud when you thought you was, Them was real fighting days, them.
 An march! LOT! When we
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