THE BRITISH "TOMMY."

Taranaki Daily News, 19 November 1918, Page 3

THE BRITISH "TOMMY."

AX AMERICAN SOLDIER'S • TRIBUTE ; In the ciirent number of t'he Literary Digest appears the following tribute by an American soldier to the British "Tommy":— Resent any slurs on British troops just as quickly as you would resent an insult to ours. Tell their critics to go up the line and see for themselves. The spirit, tho brothcrliness, and the quiet courage of t'hese British lads are tilings to be admired, no matter what someone "has heard." No matter what misguided British statesmen have done in the past, or may do in the future, T. Atkins, of whatsliirc, of whatever station in life, is a gentleman up tllte line. And the Jocks—l doubt if the Jocks have superiors.

.Tames Norman Hall—here's to him!— was right about the Tommies!. "One wonders (not long, however), how he can ever live with them; and tihen ho ffonders how one can ever live without them." They're the greatest ever. Kindly, wholehearted, and. simple-hearted they are. No matter what is on, it's simply a case of "carry on" with them. Heroics are absolutely unknown. Before I Knevr the Tommies T thought the reputation for trench-humor had been 1 over-rated. Now I know it simply cannot be overrated. -Not that life in the line is one grand round of repartee, but to my knowledge there lhas never arisen a situation, no matter how serious, that some Tommy didn't have something | funny co say about it. And their songs —you shall certainly hear them when I get back. But, altl-ouali T may he prejudiced because of my ancestry, t'lic prize crew is the Jocks. It was my good fortune to live for four days with a little detachment of kilties from lan Hay's own regiment, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. They weren't from his own battalion, though. Harry Lauder's son was in the same regiment, too, you know. These lads were part of tfne first hundred thousand, so you can well imagine the pleasure I had. They might well have stepped from out the pages of "The First Hundred Thousand." Willi fSieir arguments, their songs, and their pride in "Auld Scotia," they simply took the cake. Here's the address of one of them; save it in case I should lose it: M. Quinn, 7, Park-lane, Stirling, Scotland. And they sang that song lan Hay speaks about, "Hold Yer Hand Oot, Ye Naughty Boy,'' although it's about five years old. They hailed me as the American Scotsman," and immediately chris- i tened me "Seotty," at the same time 1 insisting that I was getting "Scotehier- , looking" every day. Oh, it was a great' week end! j