The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-06-08
Many U. 5. Men Who
Fought With Britain
Await Repatriation

London. June u visited Morn
Hill Camp. Just outside the old world
town of Winchester, on the same day
That the United States military au-
thorihes In England announced that
there were only ten American SOL
diers left in the camp" beg to diff
fer with the American military au-
thorities. There were about 1900
Americans there that day.
Rash of me to differ from estab-
lished authority? I will explain.
Members of the American Expedi-
tionary Force. 1t is true. have gone
from this camp, sold their furniture
and handed the camp over to the Brit
ish war office. But 1t is now being
used as repatriation center for all
the men who came from overseas and
joined the British homeland forces.
And among these are many Ameri-
cans.
The camp has nearly ten thousand
nhabitants. There are Britons who
heard The call to fight when they were
bearing the white mans burden in
many far-off places. There are
Americans and Canadians and Aus
tralians and New Zealanders. who
have all done their bit" with the
British forces during the past few
years
These men are now longing TO get
back to their peacetime labors and
their peacetime homes. Gradually
they are being drafted in and out of
Morn Hill Camp. where they GO
through all the Formally IF ceasing
to be soldiers, and OF getting free
passage home.
Number Two Company at the camp
consists of Americans-men who
Joined the British army because It Of
Tered them the best opportunity OF
lighting for freedom and justice. The
authorities expect that $4,000 will
pass through during the next eight
months.
1t was these men 7 went to camp
10 see. and l found some hundreds of
them in what may be regarded as
their own best parlor." It is n con-
crete clubhouse, IT'S by forty-fve rect
On one side the windows open on the
fine main roadway of the camp. Over
the main entrance f1utter two big
flags. the Stars and Stripes and the
Red Cross, for this is the American
Red Cross Club" for United States
citizens In the camp.
The windows on the other side LOOK
over railroad spur in course Of con-
struction by German prisoners 70 the
other wing Of the camp, against a
p''.h 81 VobN oi tile CuiGfdlGu, uHuu-
laing beauty of this part Of England.
A man named Tyler. in hospital uni
form, told me it reminded him of the
country around Maiden, Mass
An old man, with wrinkled face and
yellow teeth told in his eventoned
voice of his several campaigns. paus-
Ing only to expectorate with cleverly
directed aim into the receptacle be-
fore him. He Joined up at a British
rary11jfinr- y,,irSinn ho
old for the young army of his own
country.
Beside him round-faced Ro-
chester boy looked up from his perusal
of magazine to confess smilingly
that he will be eighteen next month.
No campaign stories, ever. we hope,
for him to tell He has had ten
months OF rather meaningless move
nent in strange places among strange
peoples, but no active service, for
November iith came too quickly for
him, though SO slowly for suffering
Europe.
AT little tables men, all in British
uniform, were writing home on Red
Cross paper to tell how soon they
hoped to be back in the best little
town in the world--and each boy
calls that town by a different name.
The majority are men who on ac-
,''h' VI aSt vi pay SiC1i dtiNCLS %eI e
turned down by the United States
army and bethought them Of the wide
welcome of the British mission.
And while English girls are calcu-
latinS their pay At the camp offices,
and other English girls are typing
their card index records. and the
wires are busy about their berths.
they PASS away the time in their
camp home-the guests Of the Ameri-
can Red Cross.