SERBIA'S NEW ARMY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2843, 7 August 1916, Page 6

SERBIA'S NEW ARMY

IN BRITISH AND FRENCH TUNICS,

(G. Ward Price, in tho "Daily Mail.") Yuu need to seo the Serbian Army now, .full of heart and courage again, and new-equipped and accoutred ironi bayonet to boot sole, to realise fully the wonder that has been wrought. Tho credit of. it falls chiefly to tlie courage and resiliency of tho Serbian character, but without the help 'brought them byby tho French and British missions that came to their succour it would have been impossible for the Serbian Army totcome into existence' again as such: • '

A vivid contrast between those nightmare days of tho retreat from Serbia to the ■ Adriatic and the preseut happier timo of abundance meets tho eye as I look out of my window while writing this and see two burly Serbian soldiers ladling out soup from a big pot into the pannikins of little Greek girls who come to claim their hospitality every , mealtime.

The 80,000 troops who had marched to Scutari had been increased by 55,000 who had come straight ft-om Elbassan to Valona, and the difficulties of feeding and lodging such an. army in Corfu where no conveniences existed wero very great. The landing of the troops began in wretched weather, and the men were still' so feeble . that they went on dying of dysenterj and exhaustion for weeks afterwards. But the French and English officers worked hard at theso problems of supply, while the Serbians devoted themselves to the task of reforming their broken-down divisions into fresh units. Roads and jetties had to be built, mo6t of this work being entrusted to English engineers. Clothing had to come from France and England. Horsesi rifles, machine-guns were shipped to Corfu. And so gradually order developed from chaos, and the confused multitude. of men who had struggled across Albania became an army again.

And then the most difficult problem in this wonderful process of preparing, the Serbians to take the field once more had to te cosfronted. They were transported to Salonica through seas .where they were awaited by submarines, which were even 'sighted from shore by Serbian troops at drill. • The Frenoli were responsible for organising this shipment, anil they did it extremely well. The first shipload arrived here on April 15, and the last had been discharged by noon on May 30. And ivli.it is really extraordinary is that not a man was lost on the way.

"Their uniforms are mostly a literal expression of their alliance with the Entente, for some wear English tunics with the Royal Arms and buttons and others coast of French horizon blue. Only the Royal Guard have kept thenold "full dress kit of blue coat and red trousers trimmed with gold braid. They must be almost the only troops in. tho war who have something'of soldierA' old picturesquonest,. >'