At the War

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 19, 16 December 1916, Page 3

At the War

JV. ON FOOT IN PICARDY.

' (By C.S.K.) Previous to going into the Somme dust-up, the 2nd 8.0.1.1 L (probably the whole of Ll lO Now Zealand division,) were treated to a trip through what one might term the backhlooks. In tile middle of August the division was relieved, and until the middle ot September, when they were due tor their debut on the Somme front, they pushed themselves forward by loot to the latter locality. The trek started over country of the familiar Plunders description to where train was taken, whence an hour’s walk took us to the outskirts of a certain town. Here a couple of quiet days were spent, yours truly sleeping under a big pear tree, though the rest of the Company had quarters in a barn. On the third morning we set out on foot. One ol the estaminets of the village boasted the sign “A la joyeux Coeur,” which induced the reflection as one puffed drily by: “It’s an extremely joyous heart that heats beneath a full pack, with the sweat trickling down itsbackbone.” The■country hereabouts lias a gentle roll,, and is intensely cultivated. Two more estaminct signs are all I can remember of the road. One was “A la Pied de la Cote” “the. Foot of the Hill). The only Hill-visi-ble was a slope about half a mile long up which one could easily ride a bicycle. At the top of the rise was another estaminet, “En Haul do Montague” (top of the mountain). One naturally smiled at the folks’ idea of a hill. The walk was not long, ending eventually at,a biggish town, winch we did not see properly, as we entrained instantly. The train carried ns through familiar scenes to a station below, the name of which 1 have forgotten. We arrived here after dark, and after a cup of tea, we sol out along a road bordered by trees and our walking tour in Picardy ws properly begun. In the small hours we reached a small town on the slope of a pretty valley. r l ho 14th Coxnapny found shelter in a dancing hall. Thereafter we laid up for some days, doing a variety of training. This town was an old-fashioned one, but is comparatively clean and tidy, livery morning we bad to march to the town waslvngplace. This was situated over where a big stream gushes out of the loot of a big hill beside the main street. 4 he water is roofed over for about fifty yards, and the floor consists of. live feet of hoarding, five feet of water, live feet of hoarding over the whole distance. Hero we soldiers wshed our faces, and some of the townspeople brought their dirty clothes. ' fhe stream is a considerable one. and I never saw the water get dirty, although I have seen the place crowded with soldiers washing. The people we found to be very conservative and quite different to those ot ,some othei place we were at. The pc pie made every endeavour to understand what the poor colonial soldier wanted - to say, but in another place they seemed ) to take the attitude; “We don’t understand yon—go to some other shop where they can.” Hbre we struck some new phrases—“demic-frace” lot half-franc of live-pence and the reckoning of the pennies in sons (half-pence)—qna-tre sons (2d)-, cinq sons

(2-Ul. There seemed to be several big breweries, and they seemed to work day and night, turning out a very small beer. There seemed to he a stock of beer when wo arrived, and when it was done, no more seemed available. It was retailed in ambercolored bottles with stoppers like on. aerated-water bottles. Our . training took ns out over the-country, and from the heights one sawj great expanses ol crop. The town has in its midst an old-fashioned market square, and Friday was the market day. Marketing was done under two big shelters There was wheat in all the paddocks 'round about, hut at the baker’s shop it was impossible to buy more than-one loaf of bread at a time. By the stained look of some of the wheat in sloes, however, it was suggested to me that it was liable to rot where it stood tor lack of labor to harvest or mill ft. In the centre of the town is a sun-dial on the side of a building, with the somewhat vague motto “i'ngit Irrevocable j 1777.” No doubt the words are the j usual reminder of mutability and the date that of the making of the dial, but the impression the motto left on me was that so far as the town wo | lirst went to was concerned Time had | “done a hunk” (jngit) in 1777,* and i had not been seen since. Alter a few days, during which it scorned to rain every day, making it uncomfortable for yours truly, sleeping under a hedge, the Second Brigde once more took to the road, and after a short march (quite long enough) pulled up at a back-block village, old-lashiouecl and decrepit in addition. The 14th Company were nicely placed in a big residence —probably the chateau of the place. There was a big orchid, but ! here, as almost cvevywhero else, the j trees had run to wood and the fruit p ditto. In the front yard there was a large house-pond, the water of which was green with slime. These horseponds are a feature of the country. Every considerable house has one ol - its own ,and there are frequently public ones in the streets. The public one in this village would probably take a 1 prize anywhere for sliminess. An early j start was made next morning, and an i easy march brought ns to a place on i the Somme before- lunch. Here halt ! of the 13th Platoon were accommoda--1 ted in a hay-loft, over stalls in which { three or four cows and some pigs wore kept. The next town was quite a change to the other places. The peo- | pie seemed of a hearty, cheerful sort, j and all hands were pleased to g:w i one a nod and a word. There were ! also some Fench artillery camped in i the. town, and they were as chummy as i they could he, allowing for difference lof language. A two-ended railway j runs through the town. Tlie night j was spent quietly, the 14th Company being quartered in the ont-hnildings of a big farm-house. There were two private horse-ponds, one ol which could be used for washing, and the public one was a regular lake and quite dean. The next days march took ns to the camp on the main road to a j spot from where the firing lino could be reached in quite a short lime. One is inclined to grumble when called np- | on to walk over the country carrying one’s equipment, with the overcast, | spare sak and other lia-ndkerch.ef- nx | the valise, but really there is no better method of seeing the country.

WHAT’S THE REASON?

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