Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-08-03
Decides TO Go to Canada.

ihNSSS l. at = lcsliilcHI OIL INC Cnnn-
dian forces. After my talk with him
1 decided to go up TO Canada and look
things over. l arrived at the Windsor
hotel, in Montreal. Mt O'clock in the
morning II couple of days later, and at
10 O'Clock that morning | was sworn
In as IL private III The Canadian Grena-
der guards, E.gEiy-scventh overseas
battalion. Lieutenant Colonel Il. S.
Aleighcn commanding They were Just
getting under way, making soldiers out
of the troops ! enlisted with, and dis
cipline was quite lax.
They at once gave me Il weeks leave
to come down to New York and settle
up some personal affairs, and over
stayed it five days. All that my COM
pany commander said TO Inc when
got back was timi seemed to have
picked up Canadian habits very quick
ly. AT review one day in our train
ing camp heard major say:
Boys. for Gods sake don't call me
Harry or spit in the ranks. Here comes
the gencralr'
We found out eventually that there
was reason for tic slaciincss OF dis
cipline. The trouble was that men
would enlist to got $1.lO day with
out working for il and would desert
as soon az any one made it unpleasant
for them. Our officers knew what they
were about. Conditions changed In
stantly we Went On shipboard. Disci-
plinc frightened up en- us like IL tie rope
on Il colt.
We trained in sort of casual, easy
way In Canada from Nov. / 10 the fol-
lowing April. We had good deal of
trouble Keeping our battalion up to
strength, and was sent out several
times with other ''noncoms" OIL re-
cruiting detail. Willie we were In the
training camp ut st. Johns I made the
acquaintance Of II young Canadian who
became my pal" He was Campbell
Mcfarland. nephew OF George NIcFar-
land, the actor who is SO well known
OH the American musical stage. He
was n sergeant. When l first knew
him he was one of the most delightful
and amusing young fellows you could
imagine.
".
became extremely quiet ard seemed to
be borne down with the sense of the
terrible things which he saw. lie nov
er lost the good fellowship which was
inherent in him and was always ready
TO do anything to oblige me, but he
formed the habit of sitting, alone and
silent, for hours mt time, just think
ing. 1t seemed rs If he had Fremont
ton about himself, though he never
showed fear and never spoke OF the
dangers we We're going into, rs the
other fellows did. He was killed In
the Somme action in which 1 was
wounded.
also had been made sergeant on
account of the fnct that I had been
at school in the Virginia Military In
stitute-that is, I was nm acting ser
geant. 1t was explained to me that
my appointment would have to be
confirmed In England and then recon-
firmed after three months service in
France. Under the regulations Of the
Canadian forces noncommissioned
officer, after final confirmation in his
grade, can be reduced to the ranks
only by general court martial, though
he can escape n court martial. when
confronted with charges, by reverting
to the ranks at his own request.
Forty-two hundred of us sailed for
England or the Empress OF Britain,
sister ship to the Empress OF Ireland,
which was sunk in the st. Lawrence
river. The steamer was, of. course,
very crowded and uncomfortable, and
tho eight day trip across was most I'M
pleasant. We had tripe to eat until
we were sick of the sight OF 1t. A
sergeant reported one morning eight
men and twenty-five breakfasts ab-
sent" There We're two other troop
ships in our convoy, the Baltic and the
Metagamn. A British cruiser escorted
us until we We're 400 miles off the coast
Of Ireland. Then each ship picked up
a destroyer which had come out to
meet her At that time notice was
posted III the purser's office informing
us that we were in the war zone and
that the ship would not stop for any
thing, even for man overheard. That
day soldier fell of the Metagama
with 500 IN his pocket, and the ship
never even hcsitated. They left him
where he had no chance in the world
to spend his money.
make a Breakw
Through my training in the " NJ.
l., was able to read semaphore sig
nails, and 1 caught the message from
the destroyer which escorted us. II
read:
each ship for herself now. Make
breakw
We beat the other steamers of our
convoy eight hours in getting to the
dock in Liverpool, and, according to
what seemed to be the regular system
Of our operations ut that time, we
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