The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-04-14
esroeant helmuth Pease Spent Year
in Aviation with British Army
in Flanders and Likes
the Tommie.
A LAND OF DEsoLAT1oN
He Makes Interesting Comparison Of
Fighting Qualities Of English (
and French in
Action.

Sergeant Helmuth Pease, Keokuk
Young man in the aviation service in
flanders for over a year, brings home
new Viewpoint of the world war,
hecause he served most of the time
n combination with British army
lnits.
He is the son of DR.. F. w. Pease,
graduate Of the Keokuk high school,
one of the Stone and Webster or
ganization before the war, and during
his service in the army trained at
Kelly field and on active duty with
the Seventeenth aero squadron as a
mechanician. He landed over there
February II, 1918, and arrived in
Keokuk March z, 1919.
His squadron was brigaded with
the British on the Somme front and
suring the final advance in Flanders,
territory desolated by the Huns and
tonight over time and again in death
grips between the English and the
Boche.
A Land Of DesoIation.
"The absolute lifelessness of the
whole country is what impressed me
the most, and the picture that comes
before. my eyes first when you ask
me what | saw" said Sergeant Pease
10 The Gate City.
THAT whole country is literally
torn up by shell fire, and it was shell
Cd over four times. Not roof left
standing in city as large as Keo-
klk-not tree left in a square mile
Of rural territory everything abso-
mtely destroyed, even to the farms
and fields now pitted with big holes
and as barren as the face of the moon
saw once through telescope at
Fifth and Main here at home when
was in the high school.
ut is going to take a lot to recon-
pense those people for the damage
done to them by the Hun-and while
the Hun women are coddling the
Americans in the army of occupation
with good pies and cakes and feather
beds, don't let them fool you into
thinking they are not the same old,
cruel, implacable, destructive Huns"
He Admires the Tommies.
Throughout the conversation of
Sergeant Pease runs a note OF adml-
ration for the British soldier to whom
soldier and for a longer time.
Most OF the boys talk about the
French. because they saw more OF
the poilu than they did OF the
Tomrnie." said Sergeant Pease, but
don't let that make you think the
Tomnie is not entirely as good sol
Ger as the poilu.
"The British had the same con-
- ri QlwaVS
desperate, long drawn out fighting for
four years that the French had. Ihey
are equally good, but there is alf-
ference.
Il have seen Tommie going over
the top, wearing a grim look, -FOUR
years service stripes and six or seven
wound stripes, and having iron gray
hair at that. We Americans can
hardly appreciate what those rom
mics did,. forward and back, there In
Flanders
The British and the French.
THE difference between the Eng
fish and the French soldiers is one
Of temperament.
"The Frenchman dashes forward
with ENTHUSIASM, and II he reaches
HIS ODIeCllVG, lie lOoho iot "oio ~
another to take at once. But II the
Huns are too strong in their counter
attack, he would be driven back at
about the same speed he went for
ward
The British soldier advanced to
his objective mentioned in his orders,
settled down there, and called 1t a
days work completed. He did not
hunt another objective, even If 1t was
only the middle Of the afternoon.
But he stayed there. He held
that objective against all sorts OF
odds, if human life could hold 1t. II
not, he died there. The Tommie was
not strong on rushing forward any
further than he had been told TO &c
but he stayed where his general
put him, you can bet on that.
Sergeant Pease found he liked the
English, after he found them out
and insists that there are no better
soldiers in Europe-of course the
American idea of keeping going for
ward and staying there, too, com
bination of the French and English
methods, is superior to either OF the
others, he thinks goes without say
ing.
lf,v,4o,a Tire,o Drnfite