The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-12-27
lhOW THE MANY WAR
| WRITERS DID WORK
BRITISH AND ERIC A N
NEWS SEEKERS WORKED
WELL TOGETHER
(By George Il. Bye

u American Press Headquarters
British Front, November SO.-(By
MaiD-The war seems long past out
here on what we may still call the
front. The bottom has dropped out
OF the world. Almost dazed We
sit and talk over stirring adventures
in the zone OF battles that happen
ed only days and weeks ago but now
have the hoariness az narratives on
old soldiers.
There are six OF us At |. 5. Press
Headquarters on the British Front
Grigg OF the New York World
K Mackenzie OF the Associated Press
Mellett of the United Press, Noel
OF the Chicago Daily News and
Parkerson OF the Internationa
News. We had travelled together
two to car daily I days a week,
for two exciting months before the
signing OF the armisticc, and had
come to know Northern France bet
ter than we know our home coun
ties back in America.
: We had no restrictions as to
movement, although we were sub
ject to all army regulations. Fast
cars were ready to take rs where
ever we cared to go. There was not
an important operation on the Brit
ish and Belgium fronts that we did
not see in its opening and critical
stages. There was not a village OF
any importance or historical inter
ert that we did not enter with the
British forces. at their heels. or as
happened at Lille, ahead of them
1--WE, in this sense, includes Brit
iSh and American correspondents,
whose headquarters had been neigh
boring institutions since summer
and who have worked as harmon
iously and efficiently together as il
they were all Americans, or all Brit
ish
Extraordinary Privileges
From the start OF the war Until
the end British newspapers were al
lowed only five correspondents ac-
credited or resident at general
headquarters, including the more
famous Phillip Gibbs and Percival
Phillips, who probably rise out of
the great war with pre-eminence
above all others OF any nationality.
They were given privileges which
generals might coyet. They could
90 anywhere they pleased. whenever
they pleased. Everything was open
TO them.
Representatives of the Associated
Press and the United Press shared
from the first in these privileges.
Other American correspondents
and Britishers too, made short trips
in turn to the front, stopping at.
visitors chateaux in the British
zone and spending five to ten days
n rides through devastated areas,
to the interesting army bases and
TO high points, like Vimy Ridge
where they might look down upon
french fighting. But these visiting
correspondents had to keep within
set programme. They could not so
where they pleased. The front was
closed TO them when a big battle
was on.
American Headquarters
Then when the Illinois division
took over a part of the British line
last July, an American Press Head .
quarters was opened with a capacity
of six correspondents. The privi- /
leges were the same as those en-
ioyed by the British resident press.
The American and British chateauX
were closed together, and even after
the Germans were being flung back .
and advanced headquarters we're be-
ing established for the accredited |
correspondents every few days, the
British and Americans were always
close neighbors and loyal co-work-
ers. Although all of us had regu
lar leaves of absence in the summer,
from the time of the breaking of
the TTindenburg line in September
not one of us has been away from
the front, or enjoyed free Sunday.
In the two months we had lived
at different times in two fine old
chateaux, several hotels, one spa
cious chalet with billiard room and
detached workrooms out in a gar
den beside a delightful little river,
and in a city mansion that had been
the home and headquarters OF Baron
Won Richthofen, the most famous
German aviator. My bedchamber
in this latter house was OF black
lacquer and gold. A canopy OF
heavy silk NalencienneS laco and
heavy golden rope with tassels a
foot long, was over my bed, which
reposed upon dias. Magnificent
candelabara, and other rare pieces
OF bronze, remained in place in the
chamber. each with tag to the et-
feet that the German kommanda-
teur gave permission to the owner
to keep these rare pieces among his
property-probably because they
went to make the room attractive
to high German officers. But the
brIhc aud hrOuze ornaments on