American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-07-17

~ men-and drop into exhausted sleep.
only 70 turn out az 3 a. m. to give a
sudden and exact imitation Of what
We would do 70 the Germans II they
sneaked up on US before breakfast in
SIX inches Of mud. Toward the last,
when we thought we had been driven
70 the limit. they told US that we were
70 have a period Of real, intensive train
ing 70 harden Us for actual fighting
They sent US four imperial drill ser
geants from the British grenadier
guards, the senior foot regiment Of the
British army and the one with which
we were affiliated.
II would be quite ~unavailing for me
TO attempt 70 describe these drill ser
geants. The British drill sergeant Is
an institution which can be understood
only through personal and close con-
tact and IS about as cordial as loose
electricity. II he thinks a major gen
eral IS wrong he'll tell him so on the
spot Fl the most emphatic way. but
without ever violating a single sacred
tradition Of the service. The s%ergeants
who took Us ia charge 10 put on the
real polish 10 training had all seen
from twenty to twenty-five years Of
service. They had all been through
the battles OF Mons and the Marne.
and they had all been wounded. They
were perfect examples Of a type. One
Of them ordered all Of our commission
ed officers. from the colonel down, 70
turn out for rife drill n day and put
them through the manual OF arms
while the soldiers Of the battalion stood
around looking on.
Gentlemen" said he very politely
In the midst OF the drill, when I see
you handle your rifles 1 feel Ike fall
ing on my knees and thanking God
that we've got a navy"
A Call For Volunteers.
On June 2. after the third battle OF
Ypres, while Mcfarland and I were
sitting YEARLY on our hunks during
a strange hour In the afternoon when
nobody had thought Of anything for
US 10 do, a soldier came In with a
message from headquarters which put
a sudden stop t. the discussion We
were having about the possibility Of
getting leave to 90 up 10 London. The
message was that the First, Second
and Third divisions of the Canadians
had lost 70 per cent OF their men In the
third fight at Ypres and that 800 volun-
teers were wanted from each OF our
battalions to I'LL up the gaps.
Forty per cent said Mcfarland,
getting up quickly. MY God, think OF
it! Well, I'm OF 10 tell 'em I'll 60"
I told him 1 was with him. and we
started for headquarters. expecting TO
be received with applause and pointed
out as heroic examples. We couldn't
even get up TO give In our names. The
whole battalion had gone up ahead OF
US. They heard about II first. That
was the spirit Of the Canadians. It
vas about this time that a story went
round concerning an English colonel
who had been called upon to furnish
volunteers from his outfit to replace
casualties. He backed his regiment up
against a barrack wall and said:
NOW, all who don't want to volun-
teer step three PAGES to the rear"
In our battalion sergeants and even
officers offered TO 60 as privates. Nc,
Farland and I were not accepted; oul
volunteers went at once, and we were
REINFORCED up TO strength by drafts
from the Fifth Canadian division
which vas then forming IN England.
In July, when we were being kept
on the rife ranges most OF the time
all leave was stopped, and we were
ordered to hold ourselves in readiness:
to go overseas. In the latter part OF
the month we started. We sailed from
Southampton to Havre on a big trans
port, escorted all the way by destroy
ers. AS we landed we got our first
sight Of the harvest OF a A big hos
pital or the quay was filed with
wounded men. We had twenty-foul
hours in what they called a res
camp" We slept on cobblestones II
shacks which were so utterly comfort
less that It would be an insult to &
Kentucky thoroughbred to call then
stables. Then we were on the way &
the Belgian town Of P~operinghe. which
is 80 miles from Havre and was a
that time the rail head OF the Yprel
salient We made the trip in box car
which were marked in French. "Eigh
horses or forty men, and we had L
draw straws to decide who should Ii
down.
In the Front Trenches.
We got into P~operinghe at : a. m
and the outs had led Us into th
front trenches at , the next morning
Our position was TO the left Of st. Etc
and vas known as the island" be