Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-19
Guns, and Accouterments
AHShined Up, Soldiers
Flying Banners
REFUGEES BEAR FLAGS
Thousands of Them. Return
ing to Their Homes, Cheer
as Troops March Past
By PHILIP GIBBS
Special Cable to Epening Public Ledger


8 'S'''' ''A'' W -N'b ! b'N I VNfS y.
with the British Armies, Nov. 10
10 Sunday morning. at II o'clock, the
British troops went forward for the first
time since the signing of the armistce
and started on their way to the Rhine
= went to the crossroads beyond the
village of Ghislenghien. the farthest out
post at that time beyond Ath on the
road to Enghien. southWe est Of Brus-
sels, and saw the start of this journey
winch. in four weeks or so, should place
the army of occupation in Germany.
AT these crossroads was an estaminct
used as headquarters by an officer COM
manding battalion of n division which
ffought heroically on the Lys in Anril
who were to wait until cavalry screen
had gone ahead and We're then to follow
on Cavalry was on the road for miles
between Tournai and Ath, and their first
patrols arrived as l stood at the cross
roads with a colonel and somo Of his
eoff1cers. surrounded by crowds Of civil
lans with wheelbarrOws and handcarte
who had trekted out Of Brussels = Ja,
or two ago
inside the estaminet was yovro
gonicer or the Suffolks, who had benn
wounded in October and had been
prisoner since then in hospital at
Hal, near Brussels He was wea,, ana
Pee'N' wan " sun arm "nlCn he could
hardly move, but he did not connIoin
of his treatment. On the whole he
said, it was fair, except when no wac
moved from one place to another. Ger
man doctors had given him medical a+-
tention and German nurses had boon
kind to him. Then n few days ago tbev
told him he might make his way into
the British lines. and i'll as he was he
had stumbled along until he reached tho
outposts.
Starting Point Toward Rhine
So we stood chatting for n time NJ
that crossroads near Chislenghien which
should be famous in history because II
was the farthest boundary for the
British when the fighting ceased. and
their starting point along the road to
the Rhine. where few of us. however
optimistic-and l was never that
thought we should ever go before the
conclusion of peace.
Along the road cavalry was coming
: and behind were columns of field
artillery and infantry. 1t was pierCingly
cold after a night of hard frost. which
had whitened the roofs of all sheds and
the tarpaulin covers of all carts, and
had frozen all the puddles It was cold
enough to nip off the nose of bronze
l,
the wind cut one like whips, but it was
dry and this frosty day brought color
into the cheeks of men, women and
boys, tramping mile after mile toward
Journal and Lille from Brussels and the
neighboring villages where they had
been civil prisoners of the enemy after
deportation srom their homes.
They are coming home again now by
the thousands, as other thousands have
been tramping down these roads since
: the day of the armistice. As the soldiers
went forward on the way to the Rhine
these people passed them from the op-
posite direction and halted to stare at
them and wave flags at them, astounded,
II seemed, by the smartness and chic of
the men who. after four years of war.
rode ont, spick and span from helmet to
spur, on fine horses, we'll fed and well
groomed, as a contrast to the sorry look
of German horse flesh.
Above these two professions passing
each other down many miles Of road in
Vulnerable flags futtered. The cavalry
men had their own DennOns, and some of
them rode with French and Belgian
flags sticking out of their boots and
fastened to their brides. The gunners
had flags on their limbers and the axles
of their wagons their steel traces were
polished brightly, as though for Il mill
tary tournament, and their steel helmets
were shining. They nave spent many
hours in spit and polish" since the day
OF the armistiCe, so that they should
look we'll on the road to the Rhine.
Hard and Splendid Men
They did look we'll. The cavalry
squadrons. coming along at a hard gal
lcp, looked as fine body of knights as
ever rode out this way when NV Lord of
Chandos and Sir Walter Nanny went
by with the black prince-hard and