The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-03-07
WILLIAMS GREETs CRU
Ovation for French Instructor Back
From the Front.

Over two years and half ago, dur
ing August of 1914, NJ. Albert Cru, in
structor of French in Williams col
lege, who is well known in Benning-
ton, bid goodbye to his wife and
child and marched off with the rest of
the French soldiers-to war. Nine.
Cru and daughter Yvonne sailed for
America-and peace A crowd OF
over one hundred friends OF the Cru
family greeted robust, healthy look
ing soldier, dressed in the uniform of
the British artillery, as he stepped off
the train in Williamstown. In the
months that have elapsed since he
last saw his family Mr.. Cru has been
through all the horrors of the most
horrible of wars, but for exactly
twenty one days he will rest in the
quiet and peace of his home and OF
the Berkshire village
Enlisting when the war broke out,
Mr. Cru was made member of the
the Vosges; but upon the threatened
German invasion of Paris, his regi-
ment was transported to Beauvais,
where it Joined forces with the depart
ment of the Somme and took part in
the fighting between Peronne and
Montdidier On September "a, 1914.
in an advance upon the German lines,
Mr.. Cru was wounded in the thigh by
a rife bullet, which passed downward
and lodged above the right knee. The
wound incapacitated him for further
infantry service and Mr.. Cru was trans
ferred to lie Regiment d Hussards, a
French Cavalry corps, In April. 1915,
he took examinations for the position
of interpreter in the British and
French combined forces. was success
full, and has held that position since
that time. ,osta aH5 Fc n.NB3
His position OF interpreter carried
him first into the ranks of the Cana
dian Field Artillery, where he served
for, three months. lie was then trans
ferred to the Fifty fifth Lancashire
Division Of the Royal Field Artillery,
where he has remained up to the
present time. A recent military law
allows married men to join their
families for a period of three weeks,
and by this law NJ Cru has been able
to come to this country on a furlough.
He sailed from Bordeaux on La Tou-
raine, French liner leaving there
on February 49, Fifteen days at
sea, during which time they sighted
no submarines but proceeded with
caution, brought them to New York,
where they landed last Friday. La
Touraine was the first liner to pierce
the German net set by unrestricted
warfare. Business with the passports
and other papers prevented his COM
ing to Williamstown before yester-
day. He viii remain with his family
for exactly three weeks, beginning
today. His brother, Jean Norton
Cru, who also enlisted at the out
break of the war, is expected to ar
rive in America sometime during the
furlough and to join his wife and
brother in Williamstown. The two
brothers have not seen each other
since the outbreak of hostilities in
1914.
The work of interpreter consists of
three different branches: That OF
'liaison" duty, which consists of
II lHtoodSGS az NChiSNAiiS
points within the danger zone; bill
let" duty, which is translating longer
documents in the quarters back of the
danger zone; and the duty of setting
claims which continually arise be-
tween the military authorities and the
citizens over some property which the
former have seized. NJ Cru was for
many months with his regiment at
the Somme offensive and they were
then transferred to Ypres, where they
have been for the past four months.
When asked to express his opinions
concerning the war, etc, Mr.. Cru was
very taciturn. He said that orders
had been given them to be very care
full about making statements for pub
lication and especially anything
about operations at the front THE in
dividual knows nothing of the geuer-
al outcome of the war. We live in
small units, and all we know is what
concerns our unit" said the French
interpreter. The general opinion is
that the next ten months will either
see the close of the war or the de-
cisive change in tide" Speaking of
the conditions in the prison camps,
NJ. Cru said that he had seen plenty
of German prisoners go inv camp in
a starved and rundown condition,
and come out in two months the pic
lures of health. OF the conditions
in the German camps, he was silent,
as he said he knew too little to draw
any general conclusions.
Dressed in the full regalia of a
British artilleryman, NJ. Cru looked as
II he had come from a long vacation
rather than from the arduous duties