Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-03
ENGLISH TOMMY
ALWAYSHAPPY,
TELLS VETERAN
siyerage Takes War as One Huge
Joke Because He Has to-
Says Flying Instructor.
SERVED WITH BmTISHERS
Two pardanelIe Survivors Meet for
first Tim Here In Many Years
To Talk Of Experiences.

"The average English 'Tommie'
takes the war as one huge joke be-
cause he has TO- said T, B. EardIey
Of the Royal flying corps today.
incidentally Private Eardley and
corporal 4. Wade, $50 Sixteenth
avenue. East Moline, met in that
cjty YESTERDAY for the first time in
several years. They separated in
England after the Dardanelles cam
paign. Eard.ey came from Toronto,
canada. to visit his cOmrade Of the
tragedy OF the east, they having
served their together in the impe-
rial guard OF England. Wade is
EMPLOYED at the Root & Wander
WORT plant in East Moline as an
inspector. He came here from Eng
land after securing a discharge
from the army Both have served
for about ten years.
when the history OF the war is
written" said Eardley, You will
see that the fighting in the Darda-
uelIes was under greater hardships
than in any other place. l have
served in France, but that was
nothing 10 what we went through
in Turkey. The trouble was that
We did not have enough troops TO
lsnd at the tine of the naval bonn
bardment. We landed with about
fifty thousand men and came out
with only 10000
ave went III ship bottoms packed
so thiCkly that we could not lie
down, we could not sit down, and
We could hardly stand. If a man
we're to lie down, he would have
TO lie over two or three other men.
"As We approached the shore and
were At a depth where we could
wade, We were ordered from the
boats and 10 shore The boats
could proceed no further. AS We
dashed toward the shore we en-
countered barbed wire strung
through the water under its sur
face, and bottoms covered with
broken glass and tin cans
Moved Down.
Struggling through these en-
tangIements, our men were moved
down by guns located on the
heights The enemy held high pO-
sit!Ons and all points of vantage.
They shelIed US from these posi-
tons while We sought such proteC-
ton as we could find. It was moth
ing like the trench fighting in
France.
We drove their armies back
about a mile, and then we encOun-
tered those heights where We had
no possible chance.
"All Of this was amidst the most
beautiful scenery in the world, Dor
dering on the Mediterranean sea.
with US were the Anzacs and
soldiers from India The Austria
lians were a wild bunch from the
sheep ranches. and you may have
some idea Of their type Except
for orders and discipline they would
have had no prisoners at all. Some
thing else would have happened to
them They did not want to share
their rations with prisoners. You
see. we were allowed only half
pint Of water a day for each man.
There was plenty of salt water,
but the number of bodies and
amount OF wTeckage in it did not
help il for drinking purposes"
EarGley was injured by shrap-
mel. the wound being in his Shout
der, making it impossible for him
10 handle a rife He was trans
ferred 10 the flying corps and after
a course in England was sent to
Canada as an instructor
Father Served.
Wade was wounded and later Civ
en- discharge His father. he
says, entered the service at the age
OF 81 after telling the English re-
eru!ting officer that he was but 81.
He served for IS months and was
then discharged.
Using an accent that is pleasing
to hear, both veterans dwell upon
store of anecdotes rather than
detailing horrors Of war.
AS 1 said" Eardley stated,
Tommies take the wa as a Joke
II they don't, the average will
break down completely. Having
your companions shot and killed
and seeing them suffer when YOU
ear do nothing for tuem affects you,
j you ler NJ When a companion
lighter gets IT,. We usually say.
Well, SO long old chap, they got
you thai time II We let our feel
ings get the best Of US we wouldn't
last one day IT'S beastly trying"
Eardley and Wade went from
England 20 khartoum, Sudan,
thence % the Dardanelles, then to
hospital in Malta, on ths Medi-
Ierranean, and back to England
ihere they separated. Eardley was
sent 10 the S0mme in France,
where he remained six months
They met for the first time in many
months in East Moline yesterday.
Pilot David 4. Narienhoff. also
OF the ROYAL flying corps, who was
Al one time connected with the ad-
Fertising department Of The Rock
island Argus, belongs to the same
elachments as Eardley. The two
met IN Rock Island Yesterday Both
were recently discharged from the
hospital ar Camp Mohawk. Deser-
onot. Canada