El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-16
YankS In Royal
AirSquadrOnM
English Service
Carefree Lads Show Lon
don What 1t Is F or Amer
leans on "A Night Out
By WILLIAM J. BUTLER.

By WILLIAM j. BUTLER
Portsmouth, Eng. Sept. 16.-The
orchestra in this seaport towns most
popular restaurant has just finished
the star Spangled Banner and God
save the King" when I seated, pushed
aside the remnants Of some good old
Yankee ham and" and asked Car
con" for a slab Of pie"
Lord. Listen, That guy said pie
The man from homer It came from
a table nearby filled with youngsters
in the Uniform Of the Royal Air force.
One Of them rushed over and grasped
my hand
You're a Yank. amt cha2 Nit me,
Lord. it's good 10 meet a guy from
home. C'mon over and meet the gang
We're all from the cool old T. : A
Joined the Canadian air force. Coin
Z paint this burg red, white and blue
tonight. CmOn an climb on the band
wagon"
Plenty Of Zip.
This enthusiastic youngster in lieu
tenants uniform measured about four
feet six. was IS years old and hailed
from Newport. Va. He introduced him
self as Shorty" Patton
Hes little, but that bird can han
die a machine gun and an airplane
about as good or a iii better than the
rest Of en-" confided T. /. Jones. an
other youngster in the party, who
hailed from Columbus, Ohio Ray
Virgins. Of Detroit. and Stanley Cam
pan. Of Los Angeles. made up the rest
OF the party. The average age Of the
group was about q, all filled with
the zip and pep Of Yankee bOyhOOd.
%BOaStfuI YanHs.7
Lets charter a sea going bus and
give this burg a double o. Then
we'll 20 out TO camp and see the rest
OF the gang"
Arm in arm we left the restaurant.
shorty" announcing TO the restau-
rant and the world at large I'm bel
lowing tones, Were all Yanls and
damn proud Of it. WhOOpe"
outside was our sea going bus"
Hitched TO a rickety old cab OF the
vintage Of 1875 was an aenemic
spawned plug horse. Perched on the
drivers box was another Ichabod
Crane with dangling long honey arms
that prOtruded several inches from the
sleeves OF his weather beaten green
brass buttoned coat. A prominent
Adams apple protruding from dirty.
high. Piccadiny collar added TO the
picture.
Great" grinned shorty" Just
what we want" We climbed in. but
shorty started to spill the beans" by
insisting he straddle the plug and
sing Yankee Doodle DO" as we per-
ambulated through the main thor
in his protests that shorty COM
promised by climbing on top the rat
tie trap. where he sang and cavorted
through the crowded down town
streets.
Heads stuck out OF upstairs win
dows to greet US. People stopped on
the streets. hand clapped, smiled and
shouted their approval; oh. you
Yanks. Hello, America"
salute the FIaG.
A large crowd gathered around the
bus at city hall square. From the
topmost flagpole on city hall fluttered
the Stars and Stripes alongside the
Union Jack shorty" sent a thrill
through the crowd composed OF Amer
lean nurses. Yankees. jackies and
others. when he took OF his hat TO the
flag and said Were all for you
strong. old girl To hell with the
Huns" The crowd yelled and cheered-
Now. let's 80 to the pier-I should
say 'pi-ah.' but I won't: then out to
camp shorty" directed 'Ichabod."
At the camp in n large wooden hut
living room DECORATED like an Amer
lean college fraternity house with col
lege pennants on the wall, school pill
lows, camp victrola and battered
piano were scores OF other Canadian
young filters. some Of them from
America 1t was a hail-fellow-well
met crew and lid was off
T1enty Of RaEtfme.
\ young Canadian who carried the
very appropriate cOgnomen "Slim. "
acceded TO demands 10 tickle the
worries" wound his leEs around the
piano stool and started to bang out
ragtime. Two young bucks-the duet
crew" perched on top OF the piano.
their long legs dangling down past
the keyboard. sang through practical
" all the American popular musical
hits" for the past two or three years.
Then somebody suggested poker.
The game was wild enough without
"deuces wild" but the gang wanted
action. so the deuces went crazy"
Also the victrOla. I had Just walked
around my chair for the 'steenth time
picked up two pair. aces on top. and
drew another ace when some bird
who had an uncanny desire TO per
petually hear Turn Back the Uni
verse and Give Ne Yesterday" start
ed II again on the victrola-
The Future.
Tt was after midnight and some Of
the losers couldn't see the Joke, so
they choked off
Finally leave taking came. Cath
cred in the lamp illumined doorway
they waved me "good-by" down the
road Say hello to the folks at home"
And so I'm saying it. To some 81 nav
not be Hello" but "Good-bv." for
tomorrow few weeks time-those
care free, singing, rollicking lads viii
be in sky battles with Huns hfzh over
No Mans Land. Some may not come
back.
Luck. boys" I waved. Here's
how"
OI n LII nnn AZ.