The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1917-09-19
Entire Regiment of American Engin-
GERS Try Their Hand At Farm
ing and Receive Royal Thanks.
KING AND QUEEN AWARD MED.
AIS TO u. S. SOLDIERS.
Mammoth Field Day in England
Brings Jollity to Training Camp.
Associated Press


! AMERICAN ENGINEERS TRAIN
ING CAMP IN ENGLAND, Sept 19-
A large delegation of The American
Railway Engineers spent a day re-
Gently as the guests of the British
troops encamped at Aldershot, where
the King aud Queen with other men,
bers OF the royal family were pres
ent at the largest program of field
sports that has ever been held on
Salisbury Plain.
The Americans brought with them
tug-o!war team which provided
one of the features of the afternoon
in a long-drawn contest with the
championship team of the British En-
gineers, the result being finally de-
claced a draw.
A Bountiful Harvest the Result
| The big fete was arranged by the
British garrison at Aldershot as a
celebration of the bringing in Of the
harvest. For months past men of all
ranks and regiments in the garrison
! have been practicing, in addition to
their military duties, the patriotism
that seeks to defeat the enemy by
poviding the nations with homegrown
food Turf that had never before
known the ploughshares was plougned
and sown, and the men who had new
er learned the first rudiments of facm-
ing toiled strenuously in their snare
hours under the guidance of their
more skilful comrades. The result ex-
ceeded all efforts. The .Aldershot kar-
vest was so bountiful that men and
! officers simultaneously agreed that
! great harvest festival was eminently
the thing, and that nothing would sat-
isfy them short of the attendance of
the King and Queen.
| The King, who knows thing or
! two about farming himself, accepted
! the invitation, and committee of ar
! rangements representing every unit
! in the district began work forthwith
on a suitable program. The center
of TIE days festivities was a huge
tent with tables laden with samples of
the Aldershot harvest. There were
fruits, vegetables, grain, shrubs, and
roots of various kinds. The Royal
party motored down from Windsor,
arriving early in the afternoon and re-
naming for three hours.
Gate Receipts to War Charity.
The area in front Of the harvest tent
was surrounded by a great circular
"grand stand" composed of a double
line of ancient and most transport
wagons which afforded seats for the
soldiers and their friends. For six
pence, the gate money all going to
local war charities, the American Wis
itors found they could have their
choice of a number of desirable posi-
tions, either in the drivers seats of
big army lorries, or in benches along
side friendly delegations of British
Tommies and Non-Commissioned Of
ficers.
While the field sports were in prog
ress on the ground, there was a con-
[ tinuous performance of high-diving,
somer-saulting trapezing, and all var
ieties of aerobatics by squadron of
British airplane men up aloft. Relay
races and tugs-or-war were the most
popular items on the program, but
there were many unusual and very
spectacular types of field sports, such
as mounted wrestling competition.
in which both horses and men took
park in an exciting struggle, the team
!, from the Royal Engineers finally de-
feating the Army Service Corps on
points.
F, Many, Merry Unique Contests.
There was also "Victoria Cross
race, illustrating the methods by
which mounted men rescue comrades
:. in the actual fighting of today. Thi:
e was followed by mimic exhibitions Of
: bayonet fighting, and blindfold drill
: competition, in which blindfolded non
commissioned officers of various units
We'd with each other in putting thei1
}. blindfolded detachments through tn
complex movements of open field drill
IL Meanwhile the women of the garri
# son had baby show, in which Mrs
g Corporal Tootle's twin boys secured a
It easy victory. The first prize media
1T was handed to them by the Queen.
r Outside the circle of army wagon
le were the side-shows, including conf
d bull fight which the King declared til
) best thing Of its kind which he ha
lever seen.