The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-06-16
TONNES BECOME
FRIENDS OF POILUS
Fraternize With Frenchmen
They Are to Relieve.
LIKE TAKING OVER" TRENCHES
Action Awakens Sentiment Which
May Long OutliVe War.
SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE. June II

SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE, June 16.
We took that bit over from the
French in June"
You may hear this sort OF thing
sometimes from a British officer IL
you are fortunate enough to find him
in a reminiscent mood; and you may
in some cases catch just the glimmer
OF a kindly twinkle in his eye as he
says It. We took over from the
French" seems to strike a note which
awakens pleasant recollections in the
mind Of the British officer, which
will. 1 believe, continue TO echo in the
hearts OF the soldiers. and perhaps
deeper yet in the hearts OF the two
peoples, long after time has silenced
the echoes Of the great guns.
And what Is It like taking over
from the FrenchT' / asked Of one
officer boy (he did not even pretend
TO be more than nineteen). "Oh. it's
like taking over from our own peoples,
only it's much more fun" he said.
1 sighed. This did not help me in
the least. I should not have thought
that any OF il was fun. But 1 per
severed; and in time l got the story
from him. 1t was an extremely dis
Jointed story, often in a trench argot
most difficult to understand and ham:
pered by an exasperating fear on the
boys part that he might be boring me.
But as 1 did extract something event
uAlly and as know that what 1 ex-
tracted is true. I will give It here
much as he told IT to me.
Some OF US went up first, in the
10 a. Il.
round before we brought the men
up. We met the French officers at
their headquarters-sort OF Brigade
H. O., L suppose-and jolly comfort
able they'd made themselves and jolly
CHEEKY they were. I'm not much at
French myself, but some Of their
officers could talk English pretty
well You know, they're not little
chaps, as we always used to think.
Calls 1t "BOehe Souvenir,
We'll, there were drinks and
smokes and chat in their headquar-
tiers, and I wouldn't have minded
staying there a month, but after a
bit we pushed OF and went up to the
front trench. The company com
mander very meanly bagged the
French officer who could talk
English, and went along with a
chap who knew about as much Eng
lish as knew French.
He was so CHEEKY and full OF
chAt-French chat, OF course-but I
think caught the general hang OF
It He was great on the word dug
OUT should think he'd just learned
It He pronounced 1t 'duck-aout'
whenever we came to one he would
wave his hand and say Duck-aout,'
and. would say Wee, duc-aout.'
thought It would be rude TO pro-
nounce It the right way as II werv
Srying to correct him.
THE Germans were Smelling a bit
and q 'dud'-a bad 'un, you know
fell not very far from us. He laugh
ed at It like anything, and said 'Boche
souvenir 1t seemed to ticle him no
end. But they're all as gay as birds.
I put my head into one dugout where
there were about half a dozen poilus
sitting about. I said Don't get up,
men, OF course they didn't under
stand, but showed them what
meant with my hand, as a French
man might, you know, only / expect
didn't do 1t gracefully as they do,
but more like an elephant waving his
foot. They all smiled and showed
their teeth and said Bon jour, mon
sieur,' in a sort OF sing-song voice.
Our Tommies wouldn't have been
bit like that IL French officer had
looked in, 1 mean they'd have behaved
all right, OF course. but they'd have
been just stolid.
Made Charming Speech.
Il remember their Officer was
aWfuIly amused at my khaki pocket
handkerchief He said, All, your
Government supply these that the
enemy may not see when you blow
your -nOse?' I said, Wee not being
equal to explaining that I'd bought
this one for myself Also ! wanted TO
change the subject and get the hand
kerchief out OF the way. as IL had
been on duty for a fortnight, includ-
ing a good many fat.gues like clean
ing my pipe and my revolver. and was
badly in need Of a rest l think
French officers have mostly white
pocket ndkerchiefs-and really
white, too, not that dark white which