Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-08-09

He said one of the Australians had
carelessly remarked that the British
generals had decided it was time to
get through with the sideshow in Bel,
GUM, and this was the reason why
they had sent regular troops like the
Australians in toreiep the Canadians
Then some sensitive Canadian wish.
ed the Australians luck and hoped
they'd finish it up as we'll as they had
the affair in the Dardanelles. After
that our two days rest was made up
principally of beating it out of csta-
minas when strategic requirements
suggested a new base or beating it into
cStaminas when it looked as if we
could act as efficient re-enforccmcnts
That fight never stopped for forty-eight
hours. and tie only places it didn't
include We're the church and the hos
pitfalls. I'll bet to this day that the
Belgians who run the estamiias III
Poperinghe will duck behind the bars
if you just mention Canada and Aus.
tralia in the same breath.
But I'm bound to say that it was
good. clean fighting Nobody fired a
shot. nobody pulled a buyonet, and no.
body got the wrong idea about any
thing. The Australian heavyweight
champion who landed Oh me went
right out in the street and salutcd one
of our lieutenants. We had just one
satisfying reflection after the fight was
over-the Australian battalion that re-
lieved us fell heir to the counterattack
which the Germans sent across to even
up OH our bombing raid
Down to the Sonmc.
We began our march to the SoAme
by hike to ST Omer, the first Brit
ish headquarters in Europe. Then we
stopped for a week about twenty miles
from Calais, where we underwent a
course of intensified training for open
fighting. The infantry tactics, in
which we were drilled, were very SINH
lar to those of the United States army
by the United States troops in the days
Of Indian fighting We covered most
Of the ground around Calais on our
stomachs in open order. While it may
seem impertinent for me. Il mere non.
com, to express an opinion about the
may be excused for saying that the
war didn't at all take the course which
was expected and hoped for after the
fight on the Somme Undoubtedly the
allies expected to break through the
German line That is we'll known now
While we were beins trained near Ca
lais for open warfare ycs.. large
force of cavalry was being assembled
and prepared for the same purpose. 1t
was never used.
That was last August, and the allies
haven't broken through yet. Even
tually believe they will break
through, but in my opinion men who
are drawn for service in the first
half million of our new American
army will he veterans in Europe before
the big break comes which will wreck
the Prussian hope of success in this
war. And ii we of the q. S. A. don't
throw in the weight to beat the Prus-
SLAMS now they will not be beaten, and
in that case the day will not be very
far distant when we will have to beat
them to save our homes and our ma
ton. War is dreadful and inglorious
and i'll smelling and cruel thing But
if we hold back now we will be in the
logical position Of man hesitating to
go to grips with drunken, savage,
shrieking, spewing maniac who has all
but whipped his proper keepers and is
going after the onlooker. However, i
wish we had had two months more of
weather on the Somme There might
have been different story to tell.
Simplified Medicine.
We got drafts of recruits before we
went to the Somme. and some Of our
wounded men were sent back to Eng
land, where we had left our safety
first battalion" That was really the
Fifty-tirst battalion of the Fourth di-
vision of the Canadian forces, COM
posed of the physically rejected, men
recovering from wounds and men in
jured in training. The Tommies, how
ever, called it the safety first or Ma
jor Gilday's Light infantry" Major
Gilday was our battalion surgeon He
was immensely popular. and he achiev-
ed great name for himself He made
one realize what great personal
force a doctor can be and what an I'M
necessary elaboration there is i'll the
civil practice of medicine.
Under Major Gilday's administration
no man in our battalion was sick if he
could walk, and if he couldn't walk
there was reasonable suspicion that
he was drunk. The major simplifed
medicine down to all exact science of
two forms of treatment and two rem
edies-"number nines'' and whale OIL.
Number mines" We're pale oval pills.
which, If they had been eggs. would
have run about eight to an omelet
for six persons. They had an internal