IVAN IN FRANCE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 195, 28 July 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

IVAN IN FRANCE.

RUSSIAN CAMP AT MAILLY,

WAY HOME THROUGH GERMANY.

The Russian troops have come to JfVance .by sea, but their way back -home lies through Germany, "I told .ray men/' said Colonel Nectehvolodoff, ■commanding the First Regiment, who -showed Mr H. Warner Allen, the official representative of the British Press with the French Army, round his soldiers' quarters, "after our interminable Voyage, that it was possible to ibring troops such an enormous distance to fight, but that for nothing m •the world would 1 consent to _ their being taken back by sea. We are •going to fight our way back to Russia by land, at the bayonet's point. . . . The men were de'ighted at the idea, -because, like me, they hat? the sea." At first glance the Camp de Mailly, -which Ties about a hundred miles south-east of Paris, may differ not at .all from any ordinary camp...commo- * *lious wooden huts ranged in orderly lines, muddy open spaces, and all the iiustle of camp life. But then the eye falls on the regimental colors, carefully ro'led and sheathed to protect v them from the rain, standing in the odatre of the huts allotted to the regiment, with grey uniformed sentinel standing beside them motionless as a statute. "Good day, sentinel!" says ■the Colonel as he passes. In stentorian tones the sentinel replies, at the salute: "At your service, your Excellency! All is well.' THE RUSSIAN SPIRIT. Nothing is more typical of the Russian spirit than the relatioUs between officers and men. They are patriarcliaJ, or rather paternal in their simplicity. Wherever the Colonel goes he calls '-out his greeting, and the men reply :n liearty unison. The Russians attach great importance to these formalities. ""Our men," said the Colonel, "are jtjuite happy so long as we wish them \good day, but if we pass them by unnoticed they at o.iee conclude that they ■•have done'something wrong, and to ignore them is a recognised sign of disapproval." The Russian soldier's uniform is •practical, simple, and admirably adapted for modern war. These men, one ■and all, are well built and' admirably drilled and disciplined. They come from all parts of Russia. I saw, for instance, hi this one regiment men from Irkutsk, in southern Siberia, from Brest Litowsk, on the border of Russian Poland, and from the Caucasus. No special selection, I was assured by the Russian officers, had beenjexercised. "We have, ' said one officer, "a fan* proportion of veterans among our men, as you can see from the medals worn by the non-commis-sioned officers." Without music no Russian can be really happy, and every regiment has its chorus of singers. At the Colonel's order a group of some two hundred .men gathered, closely packed in a semi-circle. The leader of the chorus, supported by»his best singers, stood in the midst, and at a motion of Jus finger, the men vey softly, aimost . whispering, broke into a soldier s song. Then the i.iotes swelled out, with the richness of an organ, until the song ot parting became the song of victory. Even in its most jubilant moment the haunting undercurrent of Russian melancholy never failed. One could see on the faces of the men, written dear, the sorcery of music. The voices died awav, and after an interval the Russian singers began a<min. Tlw song they had chosen this time was lighter and more jocular than the first. It told the story of a soldier ■ <roinf to the wars and consulting a wizard before he went. Every now and then the chorus would put «. question to the leader, who, as tradition required would answer with some improvised replv sometimes sung, sometim.s •■poken. then there were dances, the three best dancers of the negmient. ni their grey-green blouses and heavy boots, showing to us the original steps and figures which are the foundation ot the Russian ballet. CHURCH SERVICES. • It is at mass, however, that the Ru-J-----sian singing is best to be appreciate!. The men sing with childlike reverence ■and simplicity that is both touching and impressive. The service itself .as simple as the men. Through it ah there came the haunting refrain or the Jiitanv, "Gospodi ponwloui A lio have mercy), and the men sang »wth .all the sincerity of their souls. The priest, the regimental chaplain, was a striking figure in his robes o white silk. With his long hair and flowing beard be seemed the apostle ot a medieval picture, and his men reverenced hira with love and respect. EU had been through the whole campaign in Russia and wore about his neck a golden cross, a decoration that had been conferred upon him by the Emof liwssian troops has reached the Camp de Mailly, and a luncheon has been given in bonoi ■. the newly-arrived officers by the r comrades of the first regiment. luncheon tl* General thu Russian troops, who produced a sp.en did impression by their bearing and dis, • cipline. .