The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-01-24

lE sssiliai .a!ssE h %lfiHHlIAsE 8.ss
training. Dosyou know that##times aft-
2er time men of the American fprces
first to reach France disappear,
completely disappear: They. would be
marked absent without leave and
many Of them were posted up for de-
sertion. Then they would come stray
Cling back into camp within a few
days, all mud and tired out, but hap
.py, faces just bloomin' we'll busting
with happiness They had left their
quarters and stolen ammunition and
taken their guns: '%s
aI:5jss"Where have you been" their Of
fcers asked. r.. ..:ss.4s
up to the front line trenches
!. SIR they would answer.
"a. SaF Just crazy mad to get into the
fight, and crazy mad bloody fighters
when they got there. I've4had me
pals tell me how those 'deserters' from
; training camps fought. Jolly we'll
like bloonin' mad men. No fear to
them, but when it came to sticking it
out in the trenches day after day
waiting for orders to charge, they
quit and went back, it wasn't: enough
action to suit them. All! yes! Your
men are going TO do big things when
they get, into. the scrapping over
there. And When I'm passed .h6t43to
so back and my 'blighty' is ended I
want to re where ] can watch the boys
from the states;;'
There you have a good example of
what the English think about the
American soldiers. .
'-.''t BY the way when you address
letters be sure and write: it American
Expeditionary Forces, or American
Z. F., not "A. E. F." There are, you
know, African E. F., and Australian E.
E., and it is better to be sure the
~ American is prominently written.
One Of the most interesting things
about this camp is; the small colony Of
English" soldiers home on 'blighty'
This term is. the one adopted by. the
GTE38ri army as I'll eEEsfEaet
that man has been wounded and sent
home to recover from injuries and be-
come fit to again enter the service: <
The men here are now we'll on the
way to recovery and while not quite
tit to be returned to the front are used
for police" work in the camp quar-
ter1naster's office and department, ::
"We'll have a-~bloody bloomin' sing
song tonight if you chaps will 'appen
Last night was :; a + fair |t example. Foruir.
Of the members of the band with
four comets played a number of the
ola selections, then the cockney began
asking for. special songs, 1t. was, as
tonis11ing and decidedly Interesting to
hear them sing them, s"'Are you from
Dixie Perfect Day, "'""SOn the. Beach
at Waikiki and many other popular
hits: What if they get it. Anywhere
below the Mason-Dixie line" It was
the song and not the words which they
had learned. ...;-. ~. ...,..,..
The, comparison. between the, sing
ing of.the boys from the states and
|; the men of England is a fair crl-
terion Of the difference between the
two nations and peoples. For the
Britisher likes a ballad or anthem
time and fit. melody which the
American boys, would race through
to a slow. tempo and it. sounds de-
cidedly different. -. >,,s.-.
Pep and rag and lots Of action in
the singing of, the Americans is con-
trasted to the slow, deliberate and
phlegmatlc way IN which the. stOlld
Britishers go after American rag
time. The comparison is applicable in
many other; ways in the daily lives
Of the people. - Evei-s
l hope we will get to. France soon
for I am anxious to get the mail. 4 /
hope. that will hear from you very
shortly for I was worried about you
all. .....,,.~-,...>. -.
there is to tell about now, although
I expect / shall be able, to describe
some of the English sights around
here as soon as I can find out wheth-
: er~the names of town may be men,
toned. For instance / talked yester-
day with a rector of an old church
some 700 years old. The rector him
self was about; &c.; l expect letter
from him concerning the putting. up
of the first roadside shrine for dead
soldiers. -