New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-17
British Tommy in France
At Home in Ghost Cities
aIke Arm, in Arm, with assies or Pous Amid Ruins
Sentimental, He Buys Postcards of Lovers Spooning
in Orchards-Nlust Have His Tea Everywhere
Bv ARTHUR S. DRAPER

and discovered on the walls of one of
the rooms: John Ellis, British Pris-
oner of War, 1S06-7-8-9-10; William
Mill, 1907; William Wheatley, 1909"
They, too. were British Tommies, but
hundred years and more ago they were
fighting against, Mt with, the Freonch
poilu.
The railway station at Arras is hard
~ over 600 yards from the trenches.
No trains are running now; the depart
ure and arrival boards are punctured
with bullets; the clocks have stopped
at 1910; the ticket Office is battered TO
pieces, and ! picked up AS souvenirs
tickets for Lille, Bapaume, Lens and
Paris. II the French let Arras stand as
it is and charge a franc to sightseers
they can soon rebuild the city on the
gate receipts.
Albert has become famous because Of
the we'll known figure of the Virgin
holding the infant Jesus IN her out
stretched hands as she leans from the
church tower. The figure is now prac-
tically at right angles to the tower,
and so il probably will remain till the
end Of the war, as 1t is held in place
BY supports. There was French
superstition that the war would end
when the figure fell, but it is hoped
peace comes sooner, for there is no
reason why the figure should not re-
main in its present position for years.
Albert Is Bullet Riddled
The town of Albert is as shot-up as
n machine gun target. II it was lev
elled to the ground it could not be
worse. Along a straight road ten miles
away is Bapaume, and at the other end
of the almost equilateral triangle is
Peronne. Albert was the centre of
activity at the start of the British
offensive on July /. Albert looks as
if million runners had thrown mud
n.its face after a cyclone had done its
worst. But the British Tommy is
there, Just as much at home as he
would be in German East Africa, Meso-
potamia or any old place he happened
to be put.
You see various signs. but they are
all in English. I'm fact, there is a
whole lot more English spoken in
Northern France than there is French.
Some difficult French names of streets
have been renamed after familiar Eng
lish streets, such as the Strand, oxford
Street and Holborn.
The Tommy must have his tea wher-
ever he is, and many a French woman
is growing wealthy because Of her en-
terprise in serving tea 10 Tommies.
Certain towns behind the British lines,
where many soldiers are billeted, are
rcaping a big harvest. at is an i'll
wind" etc.
Tommy Is Sentimental
Tommy can buy picture postcards
from a Frenchman right in poor old
battered Albert. lie doesn't care half
so much for photographs of ruins as
he does for the kind where the moon
is up in ono corner looking down on
girl and a soldier sitting in the
shadow Of an old apple tree.
Amiens, with its famous cathedral,
has been the target for many German
ayiators, but il seems to have n
charmed life and business goes on Just
as II the war were $50 instead of 10
miles away. The French are in charge,
but Tommy roams about with a French
girl on his arm or arm in arm with a
poilu. Amiens is the chief centre Of
Entente Cordiale.
No story Of the British Tommy in
France would be complete unless il in
cluded n reference to the thousands OF
little crosses scattered all over the
country behind the firing line. In one
military cemetery | saw row after row,
column after column, Of these graves,
French on the right, British on the
left, Catholic beside Protestant Ulster
man next to Nationalist, Canadian next
70 Australian.
These neatly kept graves reminded
me OF an army on review. But there
not full. At the rear there were a
number Of open graves; the grave dig
gers have permanent Jobs; they are
constantly digging. The battalion OF
the dead is never lacking in reserves.
Far too many Tommies staY In France.