The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-04-19
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AN AllERICAN SOLDIER
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Al1IUp GUY TfIpT,Y
VACCINE GUNNER JEpHNG FRANccEE:
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4, ing" but quiet was finally restored
| biscuits, tins, one"
with his borrowed jackknife, the
corporal opened the tin Of biscuits. and
told everyone 10 help themselves-no-
| body responded to this invitation.
i Tommy is ..fed up" with biscuits.
Butter, tins, two
'tSIne in one. ten in the other"
Another rumpus.
pickles, mustard, bottles, one"
Nineteen names were put in a steel
helmet, the last one out winning the
pickles. On the next issue there were
only IS names, as the winner is elimi-
mated until every man in the section
has won bottle.
The rattle is closely watched, because
Tommy is suspicious when it comes to
gambling with his rations.
When the issue is finished the cor
poral sits down and writes a letter
home, asking them If they cannot get
some NJ P. (member of parliament) to
have him transferred to the Royal Fly
ing corps where he won't have to issue
| rations.
At the different French estaminets
In the village and at the canteens Tom
my buys fresh eggs, milk, bread and
pastry. Occasionally when he is flush.
he invests In a tin Of pears or april
cots. His pay Is only shilling day,
"a cents, or Q cent an hour. Just imag-
inc, q cent an hour for being under
fire-not much chance Of getting rich
out there
When he goes into the fire trench
/ (front line). Tommyis menu takes q
I tumble He carries In his haversack
what the government calls emergency
or iron rations. They are not supposed
I to be opened until Tommy dies Of star
vation- They consist Of one tin Of
bully beef. four biscuits. a little tin
| which contains tea sugar and Oxo
cubes concentrated beef tablets).
These are only to be used when the
enemy establishes a curtain Of shell
fire on the communication trenches.
thus preventing the carrying In" Of
rations, or when in an attack a body
Of troops has been cut on from its base
Of supplies.
The rations are brought up at night
by the company transport This Is a
section Of the company In charge Of
| the quartermaster sergeant, composed
| Of men, mules and limbers (two-
+ wheeled wagons}. which supplies Tom
my's wants while in the front line.
They are constantly under shell fire.
J The rations are unloaded at the en-
trance to the communication trenches
and are carried in" by men detailed
for that purpose. The Quartermaster
sergeant never goes Into the front-llne
trench. He doesn't have to. and have
never heard Of one volunteering to
do so.
! The company sergeant major sorts
/, the rations and sends them in.
Tommy's trench rations consist Of all
| the bully beef he can eat. biscuits,
cheese, timed butter sometimes II
men TO tin). jam or marmalade, and
occasionally fresh bread (ten to q
Loaf. When 1t is possible he gets tea
| and stew.
When things are quiet. and Fritz is
behaving like gentleman. which sell
dom happens. Tommy has the opDortu-
nifty Of making dessert. This is
trench pudding" 1t is made from
broken biscuits. condensed milk, jam
a little water added. slightly favored
! with mud-put into a canteen and
cooked over little spirit stove known
as 'sTommy's cooker"
a firm in Blighty widely advertises
these cookers as a necessity for the
men in the trenches. GullibIe people
buy them-ship them to the Tommies.
who. Immediately upon receipt Of same
| throw them over the parapet. Some
times a Tommy falls for the ad. and
uses the cooker in a dugout to the dis
gust and discomfort of the other oc-
cupants.)
This mess is stirred up in tin and
allowed to simmer over the flames
from the cooker until Tommy decides
that IT has reached sufficient (gluelike)
consistency. He takes HIS bayonet and
Dy means OF lut nduuic CdfficS thc
mess up in the front trench to cool.
After 1t has cooled or he tries to eat 1t.
Generally one or two Tommies in a
section have cast-iron stomachs and
the tin Is soon emptied. Once tasted
trench pudding. but only once.
In addition to the regular ration is
sue Tommy uses another channel to
enlarge his menu.
In the English papers Lonely
Soldier" column Is run. This is for
the soldiers at the front who are sup
posed to be without friends or rela-
tives. They write TO the papers and
their names are published Girls and
women In England answer them. and
send out parcels OF foodstufis, ciga-
rettcs. candy. etc. have known a
.'lonely" soldier to receive as many as
FIVE parcels and eleven letters IN one
week.
CHAPTER VIII.
The Little Wooden Gross.