Our Despatches from the Front (No. 120).
Page 14
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Amidst Wintry Surroundings with a French Ambulance Unit in Alsace.
THE END OF THE LINE,
November, 1916.
(Continued from page 363.)
, Other wounded had come in. from different points, and later were sent on to the clearing hospitals. Now all is quiet once more, we hope for the night. As I write I can hear an occasional shell and see the flicker of the star shells, but having got rid of his hate Fritz will probably keep quiet—if allowed—until his feelings are once more worked up. Should anything happen, though, we shall put it down to the Mayor of M—. This gentleman is now a Boehe aviator, and everything evil is ascribed to him by the inhabitants of the little Alsatian village over whom he held sway.
The Endof the Line.
December, 1918.
Soon after my last letter we received orders that the ground over which we work was to be very much cut down, the reason being that a new division with its own ambulance section had arrived. A slight thickening of the line has taken place in fact, as we still have the whole of our original troops to serve but less ground to cover.
Rapid Weather Changes.
We received a hint that we may expect plenty of work, but so far the weather seems to have prevented any undue liveliness, for it has rung all the changes of which it is capable. It commenced with a heavy fall of snow, and scarcely had we finished preparations for the changed conditions when rain and
a thaw set in, and speedily left us floundering in a sea of mud. Two fine days with hare.frost somewhat raised our 'spirits and gave the 'planes a chance leadcra. tittle observation, but a week of fog and white frost effectually blanketed us off from friend Fritz Al) day the fog lay like a pall, and condensed on trees and telegraph wires until they broke under the weight of lice. Then suddenly a fine day broke the spell, the Bache aviators came over to see if they could obtain information, only to be chased off, of course, ' toute de suite." Now once more we have the snow, and I have not long come in from a 40,,mile struggle with it, for it drifts dawn out here in a slow, purposeful manner; which makes it impossible to seeemore than a few feet ahead, while forward progress is only obtainable as a result of alternate crab-like dashes from one ditch to another.
Nimble Capers of .Heavy Lorries ou Frozen Roads.
Then, of course, there is other traffic, the sturdy infantry plodding along in that seeming shamble which nevertheless gets them there at an incredible speed, the artillery, big and little, and the endless M.T. sections with the big lorries cutting absurdly nimble capers on the snow carpet of the roads. A battery of trench mortars I passed presented one of the most humorous pictures of the wan l have yet seen, Perched on his ugly, squat, toy cannon was a cheery " poilu," who alternately swore and whacked at a huge mule which drew the gun. He was treated to jests and cheers all along the road, but took it all in good. part. Probably he was the comedian of the battery, nearly every company -of infantry or squadron of cavalry of France's civilian army has its " funny man," who was a. musical hall artist before the war. Some of the "shows" I have been to just behind the front line have been wonderfully goad. I have listened to a famous tenor, and in his private's uniform he was more effective than in the moat gorgeous costume; and so the General of division thought as he stepped forward and shook hands with him at the close of his song.
Starting Difficulty Overcome.
We have now overcome the starting difficulty on frosty mornings by installing a boiler, so that there is always a supply of hot water. The amount of hot water taken by a driver must be replaced by an equal amount of cold, and in this way the supply is kept up without trouble. It is the task of the defaulters to see that the fire is lit and the boiler filled, and the omission of radiator emptying at night is liable to qualify the men as defaulters, a ease of poetic justice. Only a very stubborn starter needs the radiator filling with hot water ; in some cases a few hot rags round the carburetter is sufficient.
Varying Quality of Petrol.
I am sure that a large amount of the starting difficulty out here is due to the petrol, for not only is it sometimes a very heavy spirit but the amount of fine grit carried in it in suspension is beyond belief, and the smallest mesh gauge seems unable to prevent some of it find jug its way through to the carburetter. It is quite common to see a car standing idle with the engine 'turning over at quite a good speed, necause the pilot jet or other slowrunning device is choked, and restarting, should the engine be stopped, is a matter of difficulty if not impossible.
The French Bazaar Lorry.
The " camion bazar" is a great institution for a mess secretary faced with such a dinner, for not only can stationery, cutlery, towels, soap, etc., be bought at extremely low prices but there is a very Canaplete little grocer's shop and wine store in the one lorry. The prices charged are remarkably low. The :idea at the bottom of this is to prevent the overcharging of troops by shopkeepers, a very necessary precaution, especially when one gets " einq sous " or VA a day. Oh yes, the French " poilu" is well looked after, although he may be content with little.