The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-03-07

two miles distant. The chaplain, dress.
ed in his church robes, delivered the
service from an artillery timber. while
we formed hollow square around
him. There were about 800 soldiers
in all.
During the service we were watch
ing an air fight overhead. Weren't
paying much attention to the address,
and think Holy Joe" 1.-THE chaplain)
was watching that fight himself!
After the service we marched back
to our billets, tired and in the worst
of humors. We hadn't been dismissed
20 minutes when our company SER
geant-major yelled:
Get your equipment on, drill order,
and fall in for bath parade! Look
lively, my lads!'
A howl OF indignation greeted this
order. but out we came. Discipline is
discipline.
We lined up in front of our billet,
with rifles and bayonets. (Why you
need rifles and bayonets to take a
bath gets me!) In our belts we car
ried 100 rounds of ammunition, and we
wore steel helmets. Why you need
THEM for bath. also Is past me.
Each man had a piece of soap and
towel.
After a five.mile march along dus.
ty road, with an occasional she'll whis.
Ting overhead, we arrived at little
squat frame building on the bank of
a creek. Nailed over the door of this
building was a large sign, Divisional
Baths" In wooden shed in the rear,
we could hear q wheezy old engine
pumping water.
We lined up in front of the baths and
piled our rifles into stacks. A SER
geant of the medical corps, with
yellow band around his left arm on
which was rs. p" (sanitary police) in
black letters, took charge. ordering
us to take off our equipment, unroll
our puttees and unlace boots. Then;
starting from the right of the line. he
divided us into squads OF fifteen.
happened to be in the first squad.
We entered small room, where we
had five minutes to undress, then filod
into the bathroom. In here there were
fifteen tubs-barrels sawed in two
half full of water. Each tub contain.
ed a small piece of laundry soap.
The sergeant informed US we had
Just twelve minutes to take our baths.
Soaping ourselves all over, we took
turns in rubbing each others backs,
then by means of garden hose, wash
ed the soap off. The water was ice
cold, but felt fine.
Pretty soon bell rang and the wa
ter was turned off. Some of the slow
er ones were covered with soap, but
this made no difference to the SER
geant, who chased us into another
room, where we lined up in front of
little window, resembling the box Of
flee in a theatre and received clean
underwear and towels.
From here we went into the room
where we had first undressed. Ten
minutes was allowed us to get into our
"clabber,"
My pair of drawers came up to my
chin, and the shirt barely reached my
diaphram but they were clean. no
strangers on them, so | was satisfied.
At the expiration of the time allot-
ted we were turned out and finished
our dressing in the cold on the grass.
When all the company had bathed
1t was a case of march back to bill
let's. That march was the most I'M
congenial one imagined, just cussing
and binding all the way. We were
covered with white dust and the wool
en- underwear was itching like the mis-
chief. II Holy Joe" heard our re-
marks he would have tainted at our
wickedness.
Jim. when you jump into your por-
celain bathtub 81 ASme. with its hot
and cold water shower, just think of
Tommy out here, who, occasionally,
for eight days at time, never takes
OF his shoes.
/. Write soon.
Yours, emp"