The First Canadians in France / The Chronicle of a Military Hospital in the War Zone

sque river toward Rouen. From time to time we passed small villages, the red tile of their roofs contrasting prettily with the snow-white of the wall

s have given place to pale and delicate shades-an indication of that transformation of life which we call art. But in these little country villages, a thousand years or more behind the times, Dame Nature still holds sway, and

h. With fixed baionette he stood hour by hour, watchful and keen. He had a little thatched sentry-box

reakfast on a little charcoal stove. "Tommy" is always at home, no matter where we find him-wh

bread, their cheese and jam and "bully-beef." The sergeant-cook

n officers, and their wives or friends, and to the casual observer the place was as gay as in times of peace. But in spite of the bright colo

ssarily mean gaiety. Every Frenchman drinks wine, but it is very rare indeed to s

I called for a bottle of old Chambertin, and under its m

for half an hour while we examined the rare stained windows and the carved oak door. When we returned to the train, th

rench conductor wouldn't hold the train unti

are you

he unit is there, but we have no orde

, and if you wish to take

being told to "take the 3 p.m. train if we wished!" Nowadays it is not a matter of volition; units go where and when they are commanded,

ch our destination-wherever that might be-we entrained onc

e following morning at six o'clock, when with a crash he was thrown off his couch to

doed,

hat had happened? We were at Boulogne; our train had collided with another in the railway yards, but fortunately only one c

ry careful to attend to such details as changing the railway switches to the wrong tracks. By

rose instantly above the German trench, bearing this legend: "Western Cavalry, come over and get your horses!" Our boys prom

o the hungry soldiers. The interior of the coach had been transformed into a kitchen and travelling buffet. Every man in uniform was wel

ir equipment. One came across to our engine and drawing some hot w

-up Stetson hats, marching along the street, for a moment we actually mistook them for our Oriental allies. It was only wh

to meet us. How glad we were to

ficers will stay at the Louvre and the non-commis

osing sight. In those days medical units wore the red shoulder straps; the privilege of

ng the market place, and in a narrow street not far from the market found the little theatre. It ma

ey arrived in dozens. With their queer wooden shoes (sabots) they clack-clacked across the cobblestones; their large baskets, overflowing with fish, strapped to their backs. Among all the vari

ion after battalion of troops. These rapidly entrained, and were whisked

ents and painted dull grey, filled with "Tommies" destined for the

himself different from all the other people in France, is a matter I am not prepared to discuss. A bath, in France, i

ents a tousled blonde head-of-hair, surmounted by

r?" it e

this particular subject, but, as he remarked deprecatingly, his French seem

un bain,"

ld it be that he looked-but, no, he appeared as clean as t

t in to you." She withdrew h

t up quickly in bed. "She'll bring in t

f a row as you do," growled the quarter

he said it made small difference to him as he had a cold in his head anyway. Reggy, as an interested third party, began to

pan about two feet in diameter and six inches in depth. It cont

!" cried she of

e side of the bed an

. "It isn't a drink I want-it's a b

itation of a gentleman performing his morning

ieur-it is

Reggy could conclude the two

s pyjamas and emptied our thr

rumbled. "Where's the soap?" he exclaimed a moment l

ed as an extra, always at the most inopportune moment. After half an hour's delay Reggy succeeded in buying a ca

n they saw how Reggy had exhausted all the water in the r

waste so much water!" Fortunately "Monsieur"

e not a proper bath-tub in the place. She laughed. Les Anglais

with pride. "I am having two bath tubs placed in the c

iced a tall Anglais walking through the hotel "lounge" in his pyjamas, with bath towel thrown acros

eered. Every large building, including all the best hotels, had been turned into hospitals, so that we were forced to go far afield. Finally, twenty-two m

our corps conceived the idea of hold

seriously. She was mourning her dead and the loss of her lands. The sword had been thrust deeply into her bosom, and the wound w

are heaviest. But France is too natural, too frank for such deception. What she feels, she shows upon the surface. At first our apparent indifference to our losses and hers was a source of irritation. Fran

ht-heartedness. We thought her effervescent, artificial and unstable; we have found her steadfast, true and unshakable. She has manifested

be private and confined solely to our own unit. But a few of the new-found French friends of

ing for the curtain to rise. Our staff of Nursing Sisters honoured the boys with their presence, and every officer and man was there. Thir

f home! We were carried back thousands of miles across the deep to our

were back, pell-mell in France. The notes rose and fell-but mostly fell; stumbling over and over one another in their vain endeavour to escape from Honk. Some maintained he sang

WE LAUGHED AND LAUGHE

advantage over us in that respect. At the end of the second verse, seeing his hearers in

this ayn't a funny song-blimed if I downt quit

ause and cries of protest, Honk d

rew shrieks of joy from his French admirers, between rounds, as he filled his mouth w

e, Tim," he declared argumentat

have a good time-dey ain't see'd nuthin' much lately--an'