New Britain herald., 1917-07-06
|6UTH OF FRANCE
 NOT ALONE VALIANT
len of More Mature Years Prove Heroism During War

Correspondence of the Associated Press French Front, June 29.-When kroism is concerned there is no ques- |on of being ito old at forty in the Fench army. This has been demon |rated time and again among the fteran regiments of the territorial Frly of F'rance-the second reserve, Fc youngest of whose men when they |cre called to the colors in August P11 had attained the age Of 34, Failo the remainder ranged between |af age and Al. Many of them, |pccially among the younger classes, kve since been transferred at their En request into the ranks of the tive army, thus making the aver tc age of these regiments much |gher, while three years has been fded to the age of all the men since ley first put on their uniforms at |eir country's call ito arms!"
 |These territorial regiments, like |eir older comrades of the terri fre not at the beginning of hostili- fS OAPCCI0u u 50 lIllO I11o 1AAA6 lAAA0 (th the younger soldiers of the active my and it's first reserve. Since that lno many things have changed and by have fought shoulder to shoulder |th their more youthful comrades "a have proved themselves still to |ssess sterling value as warriors. Record Proof of Valor.
 (The record of one of these regi- Fnts entirely composed of men pm Brittany, will serve to demon late how great is the part these Pdiers of mature age have taken in s task of repelling the invader, in lte of the natural supposition that by had passed the period of en- lasiasm for deeds of valor.
 Chte regiment was mobilized to- Int with the rest of the French ecee on August 2, 1914. When the (ops of the active army left to meet , invading Germans crossing neutral llgium, this Brenton territorial regi- knt was sent from it's depots at |nnes and Saint-Malo to organize, prison and possibly defend one of sections of the entrenched camp eircling Paris. Four months it ent there digging trenches, fixing rbed wire entanglements, erecting n supplements and doing all the 1uous labor connected with the es- plishment of strong military works. When the Germans had been driven ck in the battle of the Marne, they
 re placed in charge of front line ktor to the northeast of Rheims. Ire they stayed for 2S months, con- ntly harassed by the enemy while ky dug a great system of trenches kh of defense and communication, lit blockhouses and concrete [chine- gun positions, excavated
 and grenade pits and generally kanized the position.
 fThe greatest test of the soldierly 'alities of these tough old warriors me when they were transferred to kberive in March this year. They Ire attached to the famous fighting reign legion and their duty was to the pick and spade work and keep E legionaries supplied with ammu- lion and food during the French
 ensive which began on April IT,
 d at the same time to hold a line / trenches. When the legion went
 Eward on it's victorious attack the
 eton territorials were ordered to
 low them up and extend the com-' hnication trenches and tracks across
 conquered territory. They were
 content with simply doing this
 ry perilous work always under fire.
 ey also took part by the side of
 legionaries in the capture of Au-
 rive. and a section of territorial
 enadiers played a glorious role in
 e reduction of the small field fort
 Vaudesincourt.
 Couldn't Speak French
 Meeting couple of these Bretons
 ming back with a batch of Ger kn prisoners, French staff off, r Inquired of them where they had
 ken the captives and where they
 re going and received only broad
 He in reply. He was astonished
 this apparent lack of discipline
 was about to remonstrate when
 German prisoner stepped forward
 said: Excuse me, Sir; but these
 en do not speak French. They are
 etons." He gave the officer the in-
 tmation asked for and the convoy krched on.
 This is not at all surprising, for
 hough all Frenchmen learn French
 school, the Bretons soon lose the
 bit of speaking it, as they at all
 ne sspeak their Celtic tongue hong themselves. This is close |proach to Welsh and has no rela- n whatever to French.
 Their gallant deeds at Auberive ought the old territorials mention : despatches along with the foreign
 [ion while many of the officers and
 Fn were decorated on the field of
 tile, including one of the ma iors,
 ho, although 62 years old, has kept
 mmand of his battalion ever since
 IT was declared and has undergone
 th his men all the fatigues and
 rdships inseparable from fighting
 the front line. ..=
 "A word must also be said for the
 lcers and men of the territorial
 (ny reserve. These men when
 lied up in 1914 ranged in age from
 fn 4S and tnay have heen on