The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-15
PRAISED BY VETS
English and French Officers at
Camp DOniphan.
They Marvel at Efficiency of
u. S. Soldiers.
TELL THRILLING WAR TALES
Guardsmen Enjoy Listening to
Accounts of Trench Life.
killing All in the Days Work
at the Front.
TELL THRILLING WAR TALES

Camp Doniphan, OK, NOV. Ia nc
French and British commissioned anu
noncommissioned officers assigned TO
Camp Doniphan as instructors are en- en-
Toying the peace of the quiet camp not
half so much as the guardsmen ENJOY
their first hand stories of the lie tney
are preparing for. =
Instruction schools have not yet
been opened and the foreigners are
given a few days to knock ABOUT anu
get acquainted with what already mas
been done. The French officers are 10
be instructors in artillery, automatic
rifle, bombing, trench ana slgna,
schools while the British are assigned
to machine gun, trench mortar oaSo
net and sniping schools
A crowd of noncoms, of DIVISION
Headquarters gathered Wednesday 10
hear the stories of trench lie olrecl
from men who have been under con-
tinuous fire for months prior to their
ASSIGNMENT to instruction work. The
French noncom. came in full regalla,
bright blue uniform and h1Sh top
boots Behind the Frenchman came
the English noncom., VINO by coihPar
ison of uniforms might easily pc mis-
taken for the Frenchman's orderly.
His uniform is the plainest of the
plain, without even visible signs CT
his rank. Beneath his arm he wears
his stripes, for a German snlper is
looking for the stripes of every non
com!
EngIishman to Work
The Englishman, businesshKe' re-
quested almost at once:
ct cts see YOUR drills and the sandy
trenches over the hills"
He was shown some of the platoons
on the drill fields ana marVeleo that
drills were continued after such a de-
gree of efficiency had been reached
i've had hundreds of men in my
trench mortar battery who were not
nearly so we'll drilled, and I've found
them as good as men drilled tor
months and months. But we expected
to find this, as we have been told that
the American army would be perfect
machine when it got there.
THE worst trouble with men not
thoroly drilled is that they must be
continually watched or they get over
anxious and continually stick their
heads over the top in the effort to get
a taste of Fritzs blood"
Down into a trench the Englishman
jumped. and with running fire of
explanations went thru some of the
features of life in trench.
Along these deeper lanes the small
force walks, while the main body in
the trench is resting in the dugouts.
But if a bit of an attack is coming off
We climb on the lodges and carry on.
family ever gets on the ledge for the
pure fun of starting something, for a
fellow seldom steps off the firing
ledge. He usually falls off.
Playing Ostrich.
"a fellow plays ostrich at those
times. When night comes he digs
hole in the side of the trench. sticks
his head in it and dreams of what
ever his choice may be.
when you're not fighting it is
hard to believe you can look a man in
the eye and blow his brains out or
can cold blooded put a poor Brighter
out of his misery with a bayonet
thrust. But it's all in a days
work when there's a show on.
Sometimes we take a few prison.
ers, and they're the best tickled fell
lows you ever saw and are so anxious
to get back of the lines that they
make themselves a nuisance"
What about the guard for prison.
ers?" he was asked. DO the men
seem anxious to be detailed to take
prisoners back Of the line? 2"
Guard? Certainly not" he replied
with surprise. why, we never think
of putting guard on prisoners unless
it would be to keep them from start
ing before we are ready for them to.
That's the happiest day Fritz knows
the day he is captured without be-
ing wounded for then his work is
over. The good men are pretty apt
| to have an easy life till the wars
J