The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1917-07-11


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 l fell into conversation In the
Knickerbocker bar with chap who
was in the reinforcement company Of
Princess Pats regiment of the Cana
dian forces. After my talk with him
I decided to go up to Canada and look
things over. arrived at the Windsor
hotel. IN Montreal, at 8 o'clock in the
morning a couple Of days later, and at
10 o'clock that morning was sworn
in as a private I'm the Canadian Grena-
der guards, Eighty-seventh overseas
battalion, Lieutenant Colonel +. S.
Meighen 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 q weeks leave
10 come down to New York and settle
up some personal affairs, and l over
Sthg tu II hNe way .. all NY NOih-
pany commander said to me when i
got back was that / seemed to have
picked up Canadian habits very quick
ly. At review one day in our train
ing camp heard major say:
"rCys, for Gods sake don't call me
Harry or spit in the ranks. Here comes
the general
M nd ntrt n1l xy hnt hnr
was a reason for the slackness of dis
cipline The trouble was that men
would enlist to get S1.10 a day with
out working for it and would desert
as soon as any one made 1t unpleasant
for them. Our officers knew what they
were about. Conditions changed in
stantly we went on shipboard. Disci-
pline frightened up on us like tie rope
on colt.
We trained in sort of casual, easy
way in Canada from Nov. to 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" on a re-
cruitiDG detail. While we were in the
AldIllll4S- 'iill at 81. Jblill y 4 ilu'lt NV
acquaintance Of a young Canadian who
became my pal" He was Campbell
Mcfarland, nephew of George McFar-
land. the actor who is SO well known
on the American musical stage. He
was a sergeant. When | first knew
Linn he was one of the most delightful
and amusing young fellows you could
imagine.
The war changed him entirely. He
became extremely quiet and seemed to
be borne down with the sense Of the
terrible things which he saw. He new
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 at n time, just think
ing. 1t seemed as If he had Fremont
ton about himself, though he never
showed fear and never spoke of the
dangers we were going into, as the
other fellows did. He was killed In
the Somme action in which | was
wounded.
l also had been made a sergeant On
dNNouht VI tliN id't thut haN w ~
at school IN the Virginia Military in
stitute-that is. was an acting SER
geant 1t was explained to me th"t
my appointment would have to be
confirmed In England and then recon
frmed after three months service In
France Under the regulations of the
Canadian forces IA noncommisSiouei
officer after final confirmation in his
grade, can be reduced to the ranks
only by general court martial, though
he can ESCAPE a court martial whC !
confronted with charges. by revcrting
TO the ranks at his own request
Forty-two hundred OF us sailed for
England on the Empress Of Britain.
sister ship TO the Empress of lrelan1,
which was sunk In the st. Lawrence
liver. The steamer was, of course.
very crowded and uncomfortable and
the eight day trip across was most un.
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 alb
sent" There were two other troop
ships In our convoy. the Baltic and the
Metagama. A British cruiser escorted
us until we were 400 miles off the coast
Of Ireland. Then each ship picked mp
Q destroyer which had come out to
meet her. At that time notice was
posted In 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 a man overheard. That
day a soldier fell Off the Metagama
with 500 In his pocket, and the ship
never even hesitated. They left him
where he had no chance In the world
to spend his money.
Make a Breakw
- Through my training In the v. NJ.