Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1919-02-21
copyright, 1917. by Tho Mcclure Newspaper
SYQdicate)

oSASutIOuS OUJCCLOr! answered. key
Honey from the corner of the frebay.
swell, what with this blocmin' war on
and blokes goin' west by the thou
sands, pacifist or conscientious objec-
tor is one of two things, he's either
blinkin' coward or a bloody pro-Ger-
man. But it's funny the way some O.
them blighters, with their West End
ideas back in Blighty, changes their
Aninds when they gets out here in the
mud, and gets their first glimpse of
wooden cross. It's either a firm
squad up against a wall, a bloomin'
V. G. (Victoria Cross or a rest in
peace sign over their napperS for
them. A strange thing it is, but true;
those blokes never go through the
trenches in an ordinary way like we
do; it's a case of extremes, no in-be-
tween stuff.
Next time you're on burial party,
take @ look at the third cross from the
left in the fourth row as you enter
the cemetery. You know that path
that leads through the orchard just off
the entrance of that big r. e. (Royal
Engineers) dugout; well, under that
cross rests a blOke who back in Blighty
professed to be pacifist. He wouldn't
blinkin' well volunteer not likely; they
had to draft him, an when they did he
refused to fight, so they stuck him In
the n. G. G.. (noncombatant cOrps) and
handed him a pick and shovel and put
him to repairin' roads and diggin'
graves. Well, 1t didn't take long be-
fore he was properly fed up with his
Job, and he threw down the pick and
net. Oh, yes, he clicked it all right
and went west. In fact he was buried
In one o. the graves he helped to dig.
/ suppose some y those college officers
called it the iron of fate or some 9TH
er blinkin' high-sounding phrase, but
we knows that it was only common
ordinary luck, cause we all knows that
If you're going to get it, you'll get 1t,
no matter if you're a gentleman's son
or bloomin' chimney sweep.
"This blighter I'm telling about was
in my platoon when I was in G COM
pany, an he used to give me the prop
sr pip with his arguments against
fighting and the likes o. that.
1.-THE first time l met him was in st.
Armand; our bat was in the rest bill
lets awaitin' a new draft before going
up the line again. You see we had
clicked 1t pretty rough at Fromelles,
an a platoon looked like blinkin'
squad when 1t lined up for parade.
was playing house in that eStaminet
right across from that bashed-in
church on the corner when his labor
battalion came through and took over
billets just opposite from the esta-
minet. I was sitting near window
and watched them pass. A sorrier
bunch of specimens of men [ never
saw; 1t turned my blinkin' stomach to
look Mt them, what with their pasty
faces, stooped-over shoulders and
struggling gait. Right then and there l
admired the Germans for their sys-
TEN of universal military training. Ii
England had of had little more of 1t
there never would have been war
and right now we would be in Blighty
with our wives and nippers, instead of
sitting here In these bloody bitches
waitin' for a shell to come over with
our name and number on 1t.
"After the labor battalion took over
billets several of them came into the
estaminet and sat at table near me.
They started to discuss the war and
voice their opinions about the top
hats at home. This bloke I'm talkin'
about was the loudest of the bunch;
he seemed to have a crouch on every
thing in general. / listened TO him
few minutes chucking his weight about
until it bloody well got on my nerves.
Chucking up my game of house-and
I had paid half franc for my board.
tool leaned over to him and said:
"sYou must be one of those bloomin'
conscientious directors we reads about
in the papers, one O. those blighters
who don't believe in fghtin' but is
willing to sit back in Blighty and let
us blokes out here do your bloody
fightin' for you. while you gets blink
in good screw (salary) sitting on
high stoo. n some office
"He turned TO me anu answered..
It's the likes o. you who volunteered
for this war what keeps it goin'. II
you had all refused to so at first, there
wouldn't be any warp
az couldn't see it his way at all, and
went right hack at him with: Yes, and
If it wasn't for US volunteering. the
bloody German flag would now be fly
ing over buckingham palace and King
George would be in the Tower of Lon
dom
"He thought a minute or two and
answered: Welt what of it; one flags
as good as another. and as for the
bIoomin' king what lid he ever do for
You but make you pay taxes so he