The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-05-31
AN INTERESTING WAR TALK

Corporal Harrison, a member of
the Engineering Corps of the Amer
lean Expeditionary Force in France,
who went over in last September and
has seen eight months service behind
the lines and in the front line trench
es, made a talk in the Circuit Court
room Wednesday night to a large
crowd of interested listeners. Cor
poral Harrison is one of the fifty
men who has seen service in France,
sent over to the United States by
General Pershing to tour the coun-
try and make talks about the war.
1t was surprise to the men who
were sent to the United States, for,
when they received orders to leave
for the United States they thought
they had committed some crime, as
those generally sent back to the
United States are those who are to
be tried by court martial. However,
they were relieved when they were
notified thew were to tour the United
States making talks. -. .'-'
. Corporal Harrison, as before stat
ed, crossed over to France in Sep
tember; 1917, and after arriving there
went through a period of five months
training behind the lines. The Engi-
neering Corp receives longer train
ang in France than the infantry or
Marine Corps, de- they have more es-
sentials of their work in the war to
master. The Infantry and Marines
receive about two months training
behind the lihes!r After this FIVE
months period of training, Corporal
Harrison, with. his company, was sent
to the front Kne trenches where they
first came in actual contact with the
Germans. TWAS also here that they
had some experiences with the rats
which inhabit the dugorts and also
struck up acquaintance with the
amiable aeooties.s Corporal Harri-
son says that q soldier Is very lone
some once, he has gotten rid of his
"cootie" friends. After standing a
four-days and four-nights guard, at
tacks or whatever duty it may be,
the troops which were in the trenches
are relieved and 80 back to rest b.
lets for about three days.
Corporal Harrison related some OF
his experiences and the experiences
of his soldier comrades which are M
terestink and we'll illustrate the spirit
of the fighting man in FRANCE. Cor
poral Harrison being in the Engi-
neering Corps it fell as part of his
duty to help reconstruct the barbed-
wire entanglements in mo mans
land. This necessarily has to be
done at night and is very dangerous
work. On his first night out, Cor
moral Harrison had narrow escape,
only saving his life by rolling into a
shell hole when the Germans raked
"no mans land" with machine gun
fire for two hours and half. Other
work that the Engineering Corps is
called upon to do is building dugouts,
machine gun emplacements, big gun
emplacements and the reconstruction
of trenches In addition to his en-
pineering duties Corporal Harrison
was for a time on sniping duty.
As regards the condition of the men
at the front, Corporal Harrison said
that although the life is very siren
uous the men stand it for they must
be in the best physical condition be-
fore they can go there Behind the
lines while resting and while in train
ing the troops receive nearly the same
food as the troops, in training in the
United States do. In the trenches the
men receive sort of stew twice ey-
cry day, while they have hard tack
and corn-beef as emergency ratlons'
He states that the soldiers receive
white bread all the time through the
sacrifice and saving of the civilians
at home. Corporal Harrison says
there is no antagonism toward re-
ligion in the trenches and that he
would estimate that eighty per cent
of the men attend church services
He spoke highly of the work of the
Red Cross, Y. M. C. A. and Salvation
Army. :.
Corporal Harrison had with him
and demonstrated the use of, gai
masks. He had two types, a British
respirator and a French mask, witt
him. He also had his rifle and bay
onet with him as well as his shell
proof helmet.
He made talk in Bonnie Teri,
yesterday and after about a mont
and half more speaking the party O.
fifty with Corporal Harrison will re
turn to the firing line in France.
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