Evening star., 1918-02-24

anu lOE luo liA0 VA ihcs oAsSA ASN~
teen months in the British service. 1
couldn't answer him on the spur OF the
moment To be entirely frank with the
reader and with myself 1 did not have
any very high motives when I took the
kings shilling.
I had watched the progress Of the war
and concluded that the world was going
through one of its big epochal upheav-
ais; that 1t would never happen again.
and that with SO much history In the
making no unattached young man VINO
liked to see the wheels go round could
afford to miss the big show. Back on
this side. where one can get per-
spective, I see that I was fighting for
democracy and a great ideal. But when
I went it was purely because thought
I loved adventure.
I worked my way across on a horse
transport, landing in London early in
March, 1916 That passage. by the way,
was excellent intensive preparation for
what was to come later. Horses always
did like to bite pieces out of me and
step on me. Most of those on the Cam
brian did both. and the glory hole we
slept in bad a rich, balmy composite
barroom and livery stable fragrance.
stepped onto the London asphalt first
on q Saturday night. Monday I offered
for enlistment 1t must have been blue
Monday with the sergeant. for he told
me to Get to blazes back to Hamerica
and 'elp Wilson write is bloomin'
notes"
He felt better on Tuesday, for he ac-
cepted me-the same fellow, mind you
insisting that l was Canadian. I gave
camping place we used to go to. don't
believe anything but rabbits were ever
born on Campello, but it was good
enough for the sergeant.
The next day was wearing the uni
form of the Royal FusiIeers and was
on the way to a training camp at
Dover. They do things fast over there.
I had just three months training at
Dover. There seems to be an idea
prevalent among the old-fashioned
military men that it takes a year or
more to make a soldier. Don't you be-,
lieve it, A physically sound and half
way bright young fellow can learn to
shoot fairly well, bomb with the best
and shift for himself in trench life in
four months or less. We did it. And
my bunch were efficient il do say So,
Late in June they sent US across to
Havre. and we were supposed to I'm
ish' at Harneur, base camp just. out
side that town. We had been there
ten days when a hurry call came from
the front for more troops.
Two hundred of US were loaded into
side-door Pullmans, forty to the car
1t was a kind of sardine or Boston ele-
waited effect, and by the time we hit
Rouen. twenty-four hours later. We
had kinks in our legs and corns on our
had nothing but bully-beef and bis.
cults We made Char" which is
trench slang for tea, in the station.
and after two hours moved up the line
again, this time in real coaches.
Next night we were billeted at Bar
hn-don't get that mixed up with Ber-
lin, it's not the same-in an abandoned
convent within range of the German
guns The roar Of artillery was contin-'
uous and sounded pretty close.
Now and again shell would burst
near by with a kind Of hollow "spung,"
but for some reason we didn't seem to
mind I had expected to get the shiv-
ers at the first sound Of the guns and
was surprised when woke up in the
morning after q solid nights sleep.
At
4 msasags eame from the front
-0snehss 1t dayhfeak that W were
wanted and wanted quick. We sfung
together . dixie Of char. and some
bacon and bread for breakfast, and
marched around to the quarters. where
they issued "tin hats" extra ammo"
and Q second gas helmet A good many
they did the customary "grousins" over
the added load. 80
The British Tommy growis or grouses
ever anything and everything. Hes
never happy unless he's unhappy. He
Cd to his pack and you can't blame
him. for In fun equipment he certainly
IL All dressed up like a pack horse.
After the issue we were split up into
four lots for the four companies Of the
battalion. and after some "wangling"
I got into Company c, where stopped
ali the time I was in France. I was
glad. because most Of my chuns were
In that unit.
We got into our packs and started
up the line immediately. As we neared
the lines we were extended into artii-
lery formation. that Is. spread out 80
that 4 shell bursting in the road would
fnflict fewer Casualties.
entered the communication trenches,
guides met us and looked us over. COM
menting most frankly and freely on
our Appearance. They didn't seem to
said 20. They agreed that the
.bloomfn, Yank. must be a "bloody
fool. to come out there. There were
times later when agreed with them.
eommunication trench and 1 had my
Arst taste Of mud. That is literal. for
with mud knee deep in q trench just
wide enough for two men to pass you
gs4 sxneared from head to foot, Inci-
dsntAl1y ~ We approached the front,
got my hrst view Of the dead. It Is
something you never get away from
IN tAN tfencheA 30 many dead have
bssn buried % hastily that they are all
the time being uncovered by shell
bursts.
This eonGnunioat1on trench was over
two miles long, and Il seemed like
twenty. We finally landed into . sup
port trench called sMechanics'' (every
trench has . name. like . street), and
from there into the first line trench
have to admit q feeling Of dis1D-
potntmsnt IN that first trench. don't
know what expected to sea. but what
did see was just q long, crooked
ditch with 4 low step running along
ono side and with sandbags on top.
Hero and there was a muddy. bedrag-
gied Tommy, half asleep. nursing .
dirty and muddy rifle on gentry 60"
Everything was very quiet at the mo-
ment-ro rifles popping, as I had half
expected: no bullets flying, and, IS 1t
happened. absolutely no shelling in the
whole sector.
1 forgot to say that We had come up
by daylight. Ordinarily troops are
moved at night but the Communication
trench from Bully-Grenay was very