The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-25
NOTHING BUT WORK
BEHIND THE LINES
Many An Able Man, just Aching for
IL Chance to Fight, Finds Other
Ways to Serve.
TASKS VITAL TO WAR
Special Attitude for Particular Task
Often Determines Part Ono Is to
Play I'm Complicated Military Game.

AT the British Front, Sept. "a
People read and hear much about the
man behind the gun" but little about
the fellow behind the lines Yet, his
work. though less spectacular. is often
more important and far-reaching.
His is toiling month after month
without a thrill of diversion. frequent
" all day and all night when the bust
ness of war grows pressing He does
! his bit behind the scenes and does it
faithfully. 1t is no fault of his that
his duty doesn't carry Elm to the front
| line trenches. Somebody has got to
do the drudgery back Of the lines, even
at aggravatinEly remote points trail
/ ing away down the system of com
munications to the landing ports
whore what is happening at the front
/ doesn't trickle through for days.
/ Sometimes prank of the fate jams
"A fellow into a dull position. Again.
he may be just carried there in the
maelstrom of army routine. More
frequently, however. the men behind
THE lines" are there due to personal
aptitude or experience along certain
/ lines of duty
The identification cards record tho
former occupations. education and
training of every man. Often man
! thinks he is useless and forgotten
wien iit ItiAlN IL d iHiSltN iillIlpI tdlil
link i'm the chain. | have encountered
scores Of officers and privates oc-
cupying administrative and clerical
positions, pintng to get into the fray,
| know of numerous cases of Ameri
can officers who pleaded for months
to be allowed to go where there was
action" They were happy as shoot
boys when they finally were permitted
to return 10 their regiments at the
zIaj "a e,
killed soon after
The fellows behind the front
makes it possible for the fellows on
the front to fight For time only
those who had served six months in
the advanced zone were permitted to
wear the service stripes of the Ameri-
can army, This was soon rectifie l.
/ know scores Of firm jawed, clean
llimbed. keen young Americans cap
able of making good in any branch OF
the service who spend their whole
time drawing maps. developing photo
graphs and studying letters and post
cards and documents captured from
the enemy
The work of these chaps often turns
the tiae-nf battle. British officer
idecipherine stacks of letters and post
cards and printed matter found in a
German dugout. came across few
sentences on a postcard tho other day
which tipped Off the British about 4
contemplated German attack in time
Ito prepare for a repulse.
These instances are not rare the
Americans. by the way. are turning
OUT i'll few hours maps, which it used
to take four days to draw They have
introduced departures in stcrotyping
and rapid printing, They carry a
plant on wheels along with them and
toll well whiting the she'll, bomb, and
gas area.
Many college students find big op-
'Torlunities in the depart menJs
British aeutsnar who Was form
erlly journalist and is not attached
TO the propaganda service Of the war
Office said today.
Whenever l succeed in getting one
of my pamphlets accepted by the baI-
loon propaganda service | feel better
than If we had captured so 600 pris-
Eoners. Our typewriters did more than
: hundreds Of battles when they got a
rise out OF Hindenburg"