Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-05
OLD SOLDIER IS
GOING in AGAIN
Fought in Egypt and Against
Beers Without Getting
Scratch

Philadelphia Patrick Joseph
Cummings, of Cheafe street,
Charlestown. who served in the Brit
ish Army under the late Lords
kitchener and Roberts. and who has
fought Inc Egypt. India, and South
Africa, has re-enlisted through the
British and Canadian Recruiting
Mission for service in the Connaught
Rangers in which organization he
was a private and Lance Corporal
for thirteen and one-half years.
Cummings was wandering about
Boston Common yesterday and stop
ped to listen to speech by a re-
cruiting sergeant. Ten minutes later
he was in the Mission headquarters
on Bromfield street, and tonight he
leaves for the British Army camp
at Windsor, Nova Scotia. Although
he has been through some of the
bitterest fighting in which the Brit
ish Army ever struggled Cummings
never received a scratch. He par
ticipated in all the fighting that
proceeded the taking of Khartoum
and he spent three years in South
Africa fighting the Beers. Before
that he was stationed in India and
during much of his period there was
engaged in warfare against the tur-
bulent tribesmen.
Il saw a great deal of Lord Kitch-
ener during the fighting against the
Soudanese in Egypt said Cummings
yesterday Kitchener was major
in those days and he was mighty
vigorous man. There were times
when some of us soldiers who had
to obey his orders. thought he was
too vigorous. He was a man abb
solutely without fear and never
showed mercy when there was an
end to be gained. Back home IL
they had known of some of his
orders, they might have accused him
of barbarism, but he always won
and that is what a soldier is sup
posed to do in the British Army. 1
was with him when we marched
into Khartoum after the siege that
caused so many thousand of lives,
and I can see him now as he proudly
rode down through the streets OF
the old Egyptian city, looking neither
TO the right or left intent on reach
ing the headquarters from which he
was to direct new operations. He
was a great soldier and England
misses him badly to-day. OF the
two men l liked dear old Lord
Roberts the best. He had more con-
sideration for the men, and when we
were fighting in South Africa under
MIN. we all lONeu HILL L mere was
not a soldier under his command
who would not have gone to hell for
him. He had a habit of remember
.ng everybody he had seen once.
Away back in the days of the Indian
campaign | bumped into him one
day in the streets of Delhi and sa-
luted as he passed. Years later
after the fighting along the Modder
river, he passed along in front of
the Connaughts who were standing
at review. Suddenly he stopped in
front of me, said something to my
commanding officer. and he called
me out of the ranks.
Corporal" said Lord Roberts,
didn't meet you in the streets of
DehN?"
Yes SIR" / replied.
He shook hands with me praised
me for sticking 80 my duty and eX-
pressed the hope that some day he
would meet me back in old England.
I never met him again because soon
after my time was up in the army
and I came to America.
BE sure now, SIR" said Cummings
before he left the Mission head
quarters ito make my papers read
so that they will surely put me in
the Connaught Rangers.
IT am as Irish as Paddy Murphy
pig and l want to get back among
the Irish. | wish to God more of
them would come and join me be-
cause this country is no place for
an Irishman while there is fight
going on.
There are lot of them here
arguing about Home rule, who would
accomplish much more for Ireland if
they would go and fight the Germans
instead of fighting among themselves
and making trouble for old Ireland"