The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-06-26
ENGLISH SHOW
RARE COURAGE
Harry Evans, Review correspo ndent
Tells Of Courage Displayed by
the English Soldiers.
HOME FOLKS COURAGEOUS, TOO
Soldier Writing Home Says, "Funny
Folk Are the French-but, Lord,
How They Can Fight"

Folk Are the French-but, Lord,
How They Can Fieht'
BY HARRY c. EVANS.
SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE, June 2
II must tell you about this chap and
his brother" said an English surgeon
who was conducting me through hos
pital. He had stopped beside a cot
upon which lay badly wounded sol
dier. The lad smiled and held out his
hand. "When he was brought here" )"
continued the surgeon, "we> sent his
folks at home the usual letter of infor-
nation. Here it is,' and he handed
me the printed form letter. 1t read:
"We regret to in form you that
your son. Lieutenent --, OF the
Second--, has been admitted to
the -th hospital at w., suf-
fering from gunshot wounds. Severe" ."
you can imagine the tense silence
in the family circle when the letter
was received, broken perhaps by q
stifled sob from the mother. Mother
like she magined the worst, and wait
ed the arrival of more serious news.
About the fireside sat another boy, the
eldest, hugging an artificial leg-he
had left his own on the Somme in 1916
who tried to reassure the family.
But the mother remembered how the
news came when he was wounded, and
his own letter which followed. He
had written: Pm top-whOle and going
on splendidly,' when in fact he lay at
deaths door lacerated with half doZ-
en- wounds.
"The hours dragged wearily along.
No one can appreciate the awfulness
Of waiting except those who have wait
ed before. At last the messenger again
made his appearance and hearts beat
high with hope and fear. The message
bore the postmark of our hospital and
read:
"'Send me some smokes and two
pounds ALPS well-Percy.'
"The rascal" continued the father
ly surgeon, pinching the grinning cheek
Of the lad, that was a month ago. We
are sending him home tomorrow"
How and When to, Salute. =
As a rule enlisted men must salute
officers when they meet them, but
there are many exceptions. The re-
suit is that there are many mistakes
and often the lads are reprimanded.
Often and severely had the boys in a
certain camp been called down, and
one morning this notice, typewriter.
was found posted on the coloners
door:
"SALUTES.
III a soldier, wheeling wheelbar.
row and balancing a swill tub on his
head, meets an officer, he will cant the
swill tub to an angle of 45 degrees
above his right eyebrow, wink his left
ear and invite the officer to q seat in
the wheelbarrow.
IF soldier with his arm around a
lady's waist in the cleaning encount-
ers an officer he will salute with his
disengaged arm, and the lady will tap
the officers tunic with her umbrella.
The officer will firmly grasp the UNI
brella and require the soldier to intro
duce him to the lady. He will then or
der the soldier to double back to bar
racks alone.
III soldier, driving an officers car
without notice, encounter the officer
in a narrow country road, he will open
the throttle and run the officer down."
Protestant and Catholic.
A Catholic boy of the Rainbow divis-
ion was severely wounded and asked
for a priest. There was no priest to
be found who could speak English. A
Protestant Red Cross nurse fetched
a French priest and translated the
boys confession to the priest and the
priests absolution to the dying boy.
1t was French hospital and there
we're no Protestant religious services,
so Bobby Freeman, Scotchman, de-
cided to attend mass. We saw at
tendants wheeling Bobby, Serb,
Belgian and a Frenchman to the
a fine example of the fusion of relig-
ions and nationalities.
They Keep COMM On.
"They coined on, and coined on, and
they coined on comm on," said a
wounded English lad in the hospital.
1t was the same story told me in the
same simple way by French soldier.
Said he, 1--WE lick the boches, but darn
EN-, they come right back"
They Volunteer for Everything,
The boys are so eager for service,
and SO afraid Of being considered
slackers, that every call for volunteers
is responded to with alacrity. If it's
a call for volunteers to 60 over the
top, everybody answers Here" One
Of our boys was left wounded in No
Mans Land. The captain asked for
two men to 60 after him. Every man
who heard the request stepped to the
front. One day captain asked for
a volunteer to perform the duties of
a chiropodist. The boys looked at one
another and hesitated. Finally one
lad stepped forward, when the fol.
lowing dialogue occurred:
$50 you are chiropodist, are you?"
That's right, sir" responded the
soldier.
Are you professionals"
well, no, sir, not exactly, sir"
Have you had much experience?"
"Not SO awful much, SIR"
job?"
y do. si1t'
"You seRm quite eager about IT."
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