Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-11-21
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbroqk
PeeIG.

- winter of 1918 an American
lieutenant-colonel sat on the
wide window ledge of a smashed
French farmhouse before Mont
Sec. eating cold beans out Of .
can. waiting for dusk when his
com m a n d would enter the
trenches against the Germans
for their first serious experience
in war.
The name OF the Lieutenant
colonel was Griffith, q new man
in the First Division, who spoke
with a British infection and
had served with the British 10Th
Division at Gallipoli, where he
was hit by shrapnel.
He had a crippled arm. but
the American Army was glad to
get officers with combat expert
ence and this regiment had been
fortunate in drawing Col. Grit
fifth, Maj. Aleck Rasmussen and
Capt. Jock Manning.
\ IL three had been with the
"A Philippine constabulary but
had quit to get into the war
against the kaiser.
Rasmussen, who was a Dane
and great. handsome man, and
Manning, a skinny fellow with a
scanned and angular face, joined
the 97th Battalion of Canadians,
known as the American legion.
and fought with the Canadians
as company officers. each ac-
cepting demotion and sacrificing
pay in order to get out to
France the sooner.
Rasmussen verted from
major TO captain and Manning
from captain to first lieutenar y
for this reason and they servt
in combat with the Canadiars
until the fall of 1917 when they
were released to the Americans,
ostensibly as instructors.
They soon attached them
selves to the First Division as
combat officers. however, and
when the first brigade went in
that night, all three of the old
constables were together.
They all were nervous. real
ling that their troops were I'M
tried and without experience
and that some of the soldiers
had had pitifully small prepara-
ton.
WHEN real darkness closed
w in, Col. Griffith mounted a
sad little horse and sat by the
intersection directing the move.
ment In dry. quiet but dis
tinct and commanding voice,
raising IL only once TO shout
Draw that fire, you are under
enemy observation" as one Of
the slumwagons went by, drip
ping a trail OF red hot Goals.
All three were killed at Sois-
sons.
In 1899, Gen. Drum was a
second lieutenant In the Twelfth
Infantry, on the u. S. Army
Transport Sheridan bound from
New York to the Philippines by
way of the Mediterranean and
the Suez Canal.
The convoy stopped at Malta
for coal, water, supplies and
liberty and, when the ships
were about to tie loose and re-
sumo their voyage. a party OF
British officers came aboard
the Sheridan and asked for Col.
Heu-Roaring Jake Smith for
permission to search the vessel
for British deserters. bored with
garrison life on Malta, who had
slowed away with the conniv~
ance OF American enlisted SC
diers.
Permission granted. they
routed out 10 or Is British
Tommies and took them ashore
for trial and punishment but
missed a number of others who
had been hidden away by the
American troops and disguised
with borrowed American uni
forms.
THE next day, Col. Smith can
l. tured about a dozen more
OF The British deserters by a
trick. He issued a snap order
requiring all the enlisted SOL
diers 10 salute all officers at
every meeting and some of the
British stowaways brought up
the distinctive British salute
which, of course. BETRAYED
them. They were turned over
to the British Army at Suez.
However. when the Sheridan
reached Manila and the COM
mand went ashore and hung out
their clothing and gear q num-
Der of scarlet British jackets
and pillbox caps were seen
hanging on the lines. indicating
that not all of the British Tom
mics had been caught.
Shortly thereafter an Ameri-
can platoon commander re-
ported a dilemma to his
superior.
He had a British Tommy In
his outfit who had performed
very brave service in a skirmish
and wondered what he was to
do.
He was told that he had laid
himself liable to charges and
punishment but, all things con-
sidered, the Americans decided
to arrange for the release Of
the Tommy from the British
army and his enlistment in the
Twelfth U. S. Infantry, wherA>