The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-30

worth Ave dead men,. The men could
be replaced.
II you would bark any doughboy OF
New York's Own" back to a previous
existence az military milk and honey,
as compared with later experiences,
mention tho days of April and May,
1918, when division headquarters was
al Eperlccques in Flanders, about
twenty five miles back of the line at
Ypres.
Audruicq, our detrainng point az
ter the first short rail movement from
Calais, \Nordausque, Zutkerque. Wat
ten, St. Omer. Licques. Tournehem,
!, Lumbres-they are names synony
nous for the open eyed wonder OF
the American infant arms. IL not
infant In arms, as he tried to absorb
at once Kaleidoscope first impressions
OF the British soldier. the French
peasant and the German prisoner.
The Tommy was discipline incar-
nate. but heartily tired of the "'ole
, bloody show The French peasant
was cheerful resignation itself, but
thrifty to a painful degree-painfu
especially TO the Yanks and their
francs. The Boche captive was sullen
stolidity, and worthy Of investigation
as he sat at the edge of the road with
hammer making little stones Of big
, ones.
Our first British friends were as
fed up as Roman Senators after a
reclining banquet. The particular
dvision-the G9th---whose remaining
officers and non-coms were sent to US
as instructors had been practically
ann!hilated in the line during tho
March drive Of the Germans. We took
over their transport and kitchens
And the chow carts were so shrapnel
riddled that our mess sergeants COM
plalned there were not enough leak
less cooking utensils to make stew
sufficient for the men.
Frnterni.ing With Tommies.
At nightfall, with sly glances at
! their officers, our men would stroll with
trace Of harmless. juvenile swagger
into the estaminets. or drinking shops,
to fraternize with the Tomm!es. Now
win ordinaire is not strong enough to
overcome the Britisher's reticence,
but the New Workers, with traditional
New York curiosity. were quite will
| ing to make all advances necessary to
elicit first hand information about
| life at the front. And il was reported
! frequently enough that Tommies had
/ counselled our men on the safer WAYS
or getting "cushy blighty"-a trip
! to a rear hospital from no grave
! wounds. You could hold up three fin
gers above the parapet for instance.
! or you could be n bit awkward in adj
justing the mask-provided, Of course,
you knew your gases and could dis
: tinguish between the deadly and the
light casualty causing kind.
The instinct of imitation of their
elders induced our boys to adopt one
OK their songs whose refrain ran along
like this:
| We're all waiting for a she'll
| tGive us whizzbango
All waiting for shell:
We want To go to Blighty
! !" "eto nun ~ wn hinsS.our nigntia
! "hen the right shell comes along.
one of the extreme cases of dis
sruntIement was that of the Britisher
who said TO "a group of our trench
neophytes:
It's too bloomin' bad you Yanks
came over Fritz would have won ont
soon. an we could ave gone ONE.
You got here just in time to drag the
thlnG out Gawd knows 'ow long"
This fellow was "wash-out." OF
course, alongside the average British
| nghting mana wash out" being
Iommyese for anything that Is a
FAILURE. ! would not hold him out as
representative at all. As instructors
the smart British sergeants did much
10 initiate our men into trench war
rare And 1t was noticeable that the
american salute became more ami
mated, the American chin less poilu-
esque at revcille.
With the Canadians or Australians
-'Aussies," the boys call thcm-there
was an easier comradcship for the
fanks. After ali the Canucks knew
what three on and two down" meant.
Value of British Training.
or itself the value of our British
training cannot be overestimatcd. 1t
was not to be as serviccablp as it.
undoubtedly would have been had We
fought with them, Their courses IN
the Lewis gun, in scouting, obserya
ton and sniping, in the Mills hand
grenade. in defensive measures against
gas, in the bayonet and the Stokes
Continued o. RUN rage