The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-08-23

We learned NOR" the first week of our
actual training in England than we
did from November to April in Cana
da. | make TINS statement without
fear that any officer or man of the
'arldiaE forces alive today will dis
agree with me, and | submit II for the
thoughtful cons .d"ratiun OF the gen
tirm"n who h"licvc that our own
armies can be prepared for service
here at home
In this war every man has got to be
specialist. Hes got to know one
thing better than anybody else except
those who have had intensive inStruc-
tion in the same branch And. besides
that. hes got to have effective general
knowledge of all the SpcciaiticS in
which his fellow soldiers have been
particularly trained. can illustrate
this. Immediately upon our rcturn
fr"m first leave III England We were
divided into sections for training ia
ciGht Spccialti"S. They were: Bombing,
Snipng, scouting, machine gun fight
lhy, signaling, french mortar OprraliO
bay"n"t fighting and strctchcr hearing.
| was selected for special training I'm
bombing, probably because was SUP.
posed, aS an American and Il baseball
player, {" he expert In throwing With
the other men picked for training In
III" same speciality was sent t. Al.
dcrSh"t, and there for three weeks,
tw"Iv" hours IL day. threw bombs.
studied bombs. read about bombs. took
h1nhS To pin"cS To SEQ what made
them tick and put them together again
and did practically everything else
tint you could do with IL bomb. except
eat 1t.
Then was ordered back along with
III" other mcn who had gained this
Intimate acquaintance with the entire
bomb family. and we were put to work
teaching the entire battalion all that
We had learned When we were not
teaching we were under instruction
ourselves 10y the men who had taken
SD"rinl training In other branches.
Also at certain periods Of the day we
had physical training and rifle prac-
N"r. Up To the time Of our arrival I'm
England intensive training had been
merely fine phrase with us During
our stay there it was a definite and
"N"lp"w"ring fact. Day and night we
trained, and day ana night IL rained
Vt . O'Clock We would fan into our
bunks in hmts which held from n half
I" - whul" platoon from thirty to six
~ men ana drop INTO exhausted sleep,
""'A I" i'':h out at > II. III. to give a
H""""n ana exact imitation of what
we would 40 to thc Germans if they
SmraN"d up on lis before breakfast I'm
SIN inches of mud Toward the last
when We thought we had been driven
I" the limit. they told us that we were
l" nave period OF real. intensive train.
ing To harden Us for actual Gghtiuy
lh"y sent Gs four impcrial drill ser.
E'hhiS from the British grruadinr
guards, tn" senior foot regiment Of fine
British army and the one with which
We were affiliated
IL would be quite unavaiiing for me
TO htt"mpt to describe these driu ger.
ecahlS The British drill sergeant is
an Institution which can be understood
only through personal and close CON
tact ana is about as cordiml ns lo,so
electricity. If he thinks major gen.
erai Is wrong he'll tell him so on tho
spot III the most emphatic way. but
without ever violating IA single sacred
tradition Of the service. The scrgcants
VINO took us In charge to put on the
real polish to our training had all seen
IRON twenty to twenty-five years OF
service. They had all been through
the battles Of Mons and the Marne,
ana they had all been wounded They
were perfect examples Of a type. One
or them ordered all Of our commission
ed officers. from the colonel down, to
turn out for rifle drill one day and put
them through the manual of arms
while the soldiers OF the battalion stood
around looking on.
"Gentlemen" said he very politely