Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-01

given than each Tommy got out a flag and lighted it.
 Tags are issued every Sunday morning, and you generally get be-
 tween twenty and forty. The brand
 generally used is the 'TWoodbine."
 Sometimes we are lucky and get
 "Goldflakes /" Players" or Red Illus
 sars.' Occasionally an issue of Life
 Rays" comes along. Then the older
 Tommies immediately get busy on the
 recruits, and trade these for Wood
 pines or Goldflal1es. A recruit only
 has to be stuck once in this manner,
 and then he ceases to be a recruit
 There is a reason. Tommy is a great
 cigarette smoker. He smokes under
 all conditions except when unconscious
 or when he is reconnoitring in No
 Mans Land at night Then, for obvi-
 ous reasons, he does not care to have lighted cigarette in his mouth. Stretcher- bearers carry flags for wounded Tommies. When a stretcher- bearer arrives alongside of a Tommy who has been hit, the following con versation usually takes place: Stretcher- bearer - Want flag? Where are you hit?' Tommy looks up and answers. Yes. In the leg" After dismissal from parade, we re- turned to our billets. and I had to get busy immediately with the dinner issue. Dinner consisted of stew made
 from fresh beef. a. couple of spuds, 1 bully beef Maconchie rations and water-plenty of water. There is great competition among the men to spear l with their forks the two lonely pota- 1 toes.
 l Afer dinner I tried to wash out the l dixie with cold water and a rag, and i learned another maxim of the trenches It can't be done" I sfyly watched one of the older men from another section, and was mortified to see him throw into his dixie four or five double i handfuls of mud. Then he poured in some water, and with his hanas secured the dixie inside and out. I l thought he was taking an awful risk. Supposing the cook. should have seen him. After half an hour of unsuc- cessful efforts, I returned my dixie to the cook shack, being careful to put
 on the cover and returned to the
 billet. Pretty soon the cook poked
 his head in the door and shouted:
 Hey, Tank, come out here and clean your diXiei" I protested that I had
 wasted a half hour on it already. and had used up my only remaining shirt
 in the attempt. With look of disdain
 he exclaimed: ''Blow me, your shirt!
 Why in 'ell didn't you use mud?" Without a word in reply I got busy
 with the mud and soon my dixie was
 bright and shining. -..- Most of the afternoon was spent hy ! tht men writing letters home. I used my spare time to chop wood for the cook, and go with the quartermaster to draw coal. I got back just in time i to issue our third meal, which con ! sisted of hot tea. I rinseda out my dixie and returned it to the cook ' house, and went back to the billtt with an eXhiliarated feeling that my l, days labor was done. I had fallen asleep on the straw when once again the cook appeared in the door of the , billet with: 'Blime me, you Tanks are lazy. Who in 'ells a'goin' to draw the , water for the mornin' tea? Do you ! think I'm a'goin' to? Well, I'm not
 And he left.
 I filled the dixie with water from an old squeaking well, and once agair lay down in the straw.
 d VII.
 Q Just before dozing off, MT. Lance a Corporal butted in. Q In Tommy's eyes, a lance corpora |. is one degree below private. In the = icorporaPs eye, he is one degree above |. a general. n He ordered me to go with him and h help him draw the next days rations e also told me to take my waterproof. n Every evening" from each platoon e or machine gun section. lance-cor- It poral and private to go to the quarter
 master sergeant at the company d stores and draws rations for the fol g lowing day.
 e The quarter" as the quarter , master sergeant is called, receives n daily from the orderly room (captain'i n of1ice) slip showing the number O S men enlisted to rations, so there is nt : chance of putting anything over or q him. Many arguments take place be - tween the Quarter" and the platoor
 non com, but the former always wins r out. Tommy says the quarter go l. his job because he was burglar ir l. civil life.
 s Continued Tomorrow.