The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-09
Greeting Canadians As They Come Wounded
 From the BattLefeLds

l with pride-P. P. C. l.. I.-Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. He
 was one of the few survivors of the
 original Princess PatD More than that,
 he won the D. C. M.-distinguished con duct medal-at Sanitary wood. For two and half years he had been over seas, through the second battle of Ypres. Sanitary wood and the Somme. At Vimy ridge he received the wound that sent him home
 Where did you get that medal?' was asked of one man. "A chap was going
 by with a basketful. He dropped one
 and picked it up,'' was the answer.
 Modesty, to the point of reticence. is a trait of the average returned man.
 Men from the opposite ends of life were
 in the returned party The extreme
 youth of some of the home-comers car
 ried special appeal, and though some
 of them were caught by the medical ex-
 aminers Tn England and not allowed 10
 cross into France, 1t was not their fault
 They had tried to do their bit. Here
 was one little chap in kits who enlisted
 when only 13 in the Ninety second bat
 talion and managed to get to England. There he was discharged. But when his
 battalion crossed to Havre he went over
 with it, hidden as a stowaway under a lifeboat. Of course, he was caught there
 and sent home
 A most interesting young chap from
 Australia who had gone over with the Third battalion in Auril 1916, had been
 buried in three times in one night of heavy bombardment The trench, hit by "whizz back" fell in on him, leav- ing but his nose and left eye exposed
 He managed to crawl out and had no sooner done so than he was knocked down and covered up again. The third time he was going back through the communication trench to the support r. "A xrA .4.. f--.. r.I r. comrade when he was '.buried in" again This time they dug him out four and half hour later and 1t was Eighty for him. "But 1t took 'em three times to get me-,
 STILL FIGHTING A BATTLE
 II have a good story to tell you,' one of his comrades said, ''and don't mean any reflection on you Yankees when say it.' He told of German spy who had enlisted in thef oreign legion and gone from Canada. When he got in the front line trench he went over to
 Fritz. We saw him go over the top and across No Mans Land, but thought him crazy with shell shock looked to see him shot any moment when, what do you think, he dropped down into the German trench. That night we lost four of our batteries, for he had given them the exact range I'll say this for him, he had his nerve with him. Several nearby soldiers had gathered around and corroborated the story. That's the truth he's telling for saw it with my own eye I don't feel like done my bit entirely because I didn't shoot that fellow my self,'' one of them regretted.
 When all had gathered at the r M. C. A., Mayor Church--"Tommy Church. idolized by the soldiers, welcomed them first. We will never be able to repay you for what you have done. And, as for these women, they should be dec- orated with the military cross and even the V. c. for their @allant conduct while you were fighting over there. God speed and warm welcome to your own town" A few more words of welcome, then three cheers, God Save the King" -and home.
 Home for those well enough to take advantage of the 10 days leave granted before they come under the care of the military hospitals commission to be dis tributed among the various convalescent hospitals in Toronto for further medical treatment and vocational training that will, in time, rehabilitate them into self sufficient civilians. These hospitals are hotels, recreation house and school rolled into one. There are facilities for all kinds of medical treatment; there is general dining room for those able to go actively about. Ample amusement and are provided The discipline Is military, but not exacting.
 The most striking specialized institu- lion of Canada is at Toronto There the military orthopedic hospital is both an orthopedic center for amputatfon cases and factory for artificial limbs As it is government institution, the limb factory is able to draw on all known devices without regard to Cana dian or foreign patents, and the military hospital commission claims that its limbs include the best points of Ameri- can, French, Belgian and English wsr designs. In other words, the Canadian soldier marches off on an entente leg.