El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-06-16
NJ SRGT. ALEXANDER McCLIN

for no other reason. AS there seemed
to be a considerable division OF opin-
ion or this point among the people al
home. 1 came to the conclusion that
any man who was free. white and p
and felt as I did, ought to go over
and get into it single handed on the
side where his convictions led him,
II there wasn't some particular rea-
son why he couldn't Therefore. I
said Eoodby TO my parents and
friends in Lexington, and started for
New York with the idea of sailing for
France, and joining the Foreign
Legion OF the French Army.
Decides To Go To Canada.
A couple of nights after ] got to
New York I fell into conversation in
the Knickerbocker bar with a CHAP
who was in the reinforcement com
pany of princess Pats regiment OF
the Canadian forces. After my talk
with him, decided to go up TO Can
ada and look things over I arrived
At the Windsor hotel in Montreal. at
S o'clock in the morning. couple OF
days later, and at 10 o'clock that morn
ing I was sworn in as private in
the Canadian Grenadier guards, S9th
overseas battalion, Lieut. Col. r ;
Meighen. commanding They were
just getting upder way making sol
diers out OF the troops I enlisted
with. and discipline was quite lax.
They at once gave me weeks
leave to come down TO New York and
settle up some personal affairs and
I overstayed il five days. All that my
company commander said 10 me VIXEN
7 got back was that ] seemed TO have
picked up Canadian habits very
quickly. At a review one day IN our
training camp, ] heard a major say
Boys. for Gods sake don't call me
Harry or spit in the ranks Here
comes the general
We found out eventually that there
vas a reason for the slackneSs Of dis
cipline. The trouble was that men
would enlist TO get S1.10 "A dav with
as soon as anyone made II unpleas-
ant for them. Our officers knew
what they were about Conditions
changed instantly we went on ship
board. Discipline frightened up on US
ike tierope on colt
I had been made a sergeant on ac-
count Of the fact that I had been al
school in the Virginia Military insti-
tute. That is. I was an acting ser
Geant. It was explained to me that
my appointment would have to be
confirmed in England. and then re-,
confirmed after three months service
IN France Under the regulations Of
the Canadian forces, . noncommis-
stoned officer, after final confirma-
fion in his grade, can be reduced TO
the ranks only by A general court
martial though he can escape a
charges, by reverting 20 the ranks az
his eWn request
Fortytwo hundred OF us sailed for
England on the Empress OF Britain.
sister ship to the Empress Of Ireland
which was sunk in the 81. Lawrence
river The steamer was Of course
very crowded and uncomfOrtab Bile. and
the eight day trip across was most
unpleasant We had tripe 10 eat IN
I'll We were sick OF the sight Of it. A
sergeant reported one morning.
Eight men and % breakfasts absent"
There were two other troop ships in
our convoy. the Baltic and the Meta
CANA. A British cruiser escorted US
until we were 40o miles off the coast
OF Ireland, then each ship picked up
A destroyer which had come out to
meet her. At that time a notice was
posted in the purser's office inform
ing US that We we're in the war zone,
and that the ship would not stop for
anything. even for man overheard.
That day a soldier fell off the Meta
CANA. with 500 in his pocket, and
The shin never even hesitated- They
left him where he had no chance in
the world TO spend his money.
make 4 Break
Through my training in the Y NJ
J. ] was able to read semaphore sig
nails. and ! caught the message from
the destroyer, which escorted US II
Each ship for herself now. Make
q brea X"
We beat the other steamers OF our
convoy eight hours in getting 70 the
dock in Liverpool, and, according TO
what seemed TO be the regular sys-
tenn Of our operations at that time,
ne were the last to disembark-
The majority of our fellows had
never been in England before, and
they looked on our travels at that
time as a fine lark. Everybody
cheered and laughed when they
busted off one Of those little toy
trains and brought II Up to take US
away in IL. After We were aboard OF
ii, we proceeded at the dizzy rate Of
about four miles an hour, and our
regular company humorist-no com
pany complete with one-sugg ested
that they were afraid, II they went
any faster. they might run off Of the
island before they could stop. We
were taken TO BramshOtt camp. in
Hampshire. u miles from the Alder
shott School Of Command The next
dav we were given kings leave
eight days with free transportation
anywhere in the British Isles. 1t is
the invariable custom to give this
sort Of leave to all colonial troops i'm
mediately upon their arrival in Eng
land. However, in our case. Ireland
was barred. Just at that time. Ireland
was no place for a newly arrived
Canadian looking for sport
Making Real Soldiers.
After that. they really began 70
make soldiers OF US We thought our
training in Canada had amounted TO
something We found out that we
might as well have been playing GRO
quet We learned more the first week
Of our actual training IN England
than we did from November TO April
in Canada ] make this statement
without fear that any officer or man
OF the Canadian forces alive today
will disagree with me. and / submit
il for the thoughtful consideration Of
the gentlemen who believe that our
own armies can be prepared for ser
vice here at home
Every Man A Specialist.
In this war. every man has got to
thing better than anybody else ex-
cept those who have had intensive
instruction in the same branch And
besides that. he's got to have ef-
fective general knowledge Of all the
specialties in which his fellow SOL
diers have been particularly trained
7 can illustrate this Immediately
upon our return from first leave in
England. we were divided into sec
tions for training in eight special
ties They were: Bombing. sniping,
scouting. machine gun fighting, sig
mailing. trench mortar operation, bay
onet fighting. and stretcher bearing.
I was selected for special training in
bombing. probably because ] was