Evening star., 1917-11-04
Entire DIVISION
PASSES IN REVIEW
First Parade Under Arms In
cIudes All But Recently
. Arrived Selects.
ACTIVITY AT CAMP MEADE
From q staff Correspondent.

From 4 STAFF Correspondent.
| CAMP MEADE. Nd, November 3.-The
18th Division, National Army, had its
first parade under arms this afternoon,
when the entire division, except the re-
Gently arrived colored selected men, who
are not yet completely uniformed. and
the white selects who reached camp In
| the last few days. paraded before Maj.
Gen. Kuhn. division commander; Maj.
! Gen. Biddle, assistant chief of staff. War
Department: Brig. Gen. McLachlan OF
the British general staff: Brig. Gen. Wig
nal Of the French military mission to
| the United States, and the French and
British officers assigned to Camp Meade
as instructors.
The division was played onto the pa
rade ground north of the post Office by
the 315th Infantry Band. Marching on
In columns of squads. the regiments and
other units wheeled into column of COM
panies at the north end of the ground
and marched past the reviewing officers,
who were stationed half way down the
field on the west side.
Practically all of the organizations in
the parade carried rifles. as enough new
Enhelds and old krags have been issued
to give a rifle to every man in the vari-
Gus commands. Only three companies in
the entire parade did not have rifles.
Surprise to Foreign Officers.
During the parade. when Gems. Vignal
and McLachlan were told that the men
have been in training only i've We
and that practically nine out of ten had
had no previous military experience
whatever. the visiting officers expressed
surprise and commented freely on the
uuickness with which the men have
|
a soldierly bearing.
Capt Taylor Company A, 312th Ma
chine Gun Battalion. acted as major OF
the battalion of District men in the pa
rade.
The a12th Machine Gun Battalion is
no longer strictly a District organiZa-
ton This afternoon each of the three
companies was strengthened by the ad-
dition Of a number of men from Penn
sylvania Companies A and B received
thirty-seven men each. while Company
C got thirty-six of the new men. The
PennsylvanianS found everything ready
and waiting for them when they reach
ed the barracks in block C-cots up,
bedsacks filled. bedding ready. mess
kits on the cots, and, best of all. big
fires in the huge heaters that warm
each of the barracks.
The men of the battalion are getting
rather tired of having to use the field
mess kits at meals. and are hoping for
a battalion fund from which may be
purchased the enameied ware canton
lnent messroom outfits. Under present
conditions the men have to stand in
line. sometimes as long as an hour. be-
fore all can be served and when they
do get their Chow 1t Is all on the two
aluminium pans and the heavy cup that
make up the field mess kit. Then, after
eating, the men have to go outside. no
matter what the weather may be. and
wash their own kits, usually in cold and
more or less greasy water. With the
enameled ware messroom outfits, such
as are generally used in cantonments
the meals could be placed on the tables
all at once, the men would get the food
while 1t was hot and eat 1t in more
| comfort. and the kitchen details would
attend to the dishwashing.
Wash1ngtonians Visit Camp.
| William F. GUIDE. A. Leftwich Sinclair