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Breezy Bits Os News About The Soldier Boys
SOLDIERS CAMOUFLAGE
WHEN THEY MARCH
General Clement Gives Inter
esting Details of Observations
While in France.
Before leaving Augusta Major General
Charles M. Clement, former commander
of the Twenty-eighth Division, gave some
vivid impressions of his trip to France
when he, with a number of other Amer
ican major generals, toured the western
front from the fighting in Belgium to the
extreme end of the Franco-British line.
General Clement was impressed with the
absolute care and precision of both the
British and French in the preparation for
and execution of attacks.
‘‘Every officer down to the leader of a
platoon knows exactly what, he must do
at the ‘zero hour.’ ” said General Clem
ent, “and they are schooled so that th'ey
can perform their work well even in ab
solute darkness.” The geography of the
section upon which an attack is to be
made has been studied out so that there
will be no possibility of a miscarriage of
plans. When the “zero hour” arrives word
is flashed either by telephone or wireless.
Telephone wires are laid five feet deep in
the ground. Some times the commanders
have reason to believe that. German spies
in their own ranks have flashed a signal
to the enemy of the time of the attack and
in such cases the “zero hour” is imme
diately changed. One instance is record
ed where the ‘/zero hour” was changed
from five to four o’clock in the morning.
When the British attacked they found
many Germans asleep and those taken
prisoner declared that they were to-have
been awakened at 4:30 o’clock, showing
that some spy inside the British lines had
tipped the lioches off to the exact hour
planned.
“The development of aerial photography
is playing a great part in the war and
splendid photos can be taken from an al
titude of 1,000 feet. When allied troops
are marching, their ■ hetmets are covered
with cloth of a color which harmonizes
with the red clay roads and the sur
rounding countryside. Only one company
goes in a body. No soldier is expected to
look even though he hears a half dozen
hostile flying machines, for the instant
that Ito does, his white face contrasted
with the colors around him shows the en
emy that men are on the march. The de
velopment of camouflage, those optical
illusions which makes one think he sees
something he does not see and causes him
to tail to see that which he ordinarily
would see, is wonderful.
“France is not ‘through,’ not by any
means. Her people are confident that
victory will crown the allied arms and
though three women in four are in black,
confidence is strong in the outcome.
Os course, the French and the British
soldiers welcome the Americans with the
enthusiasm and fervor of a long lost
brother.
“i found the American troops billeted in
farm, in villages, and others in the camps
prepared for their use somewhat similar
to our National Guard camps. The clim
ate of France is very bad and the men
need plenty of warm clothing, clothing in
addition to tha* which the government
furnishes to them, so 1 repeat what 1 said
recently that the most essential articles
for soldiers are woolen Socks and other
warm clothing. The life of a soldier in
the trenches in mid-winter is not a picnic
on, a .Tune day, not by any means.
’ The sending of American troops to
Prance will allow thousands of Frenchmen
between the ages of 45 and 50 to leave the
firing line and go home and till crops for
next year. American help came just al
the right time:”
General Clement was asked about the
winning of the war, whether it would be
won as Howard Coffin says, bv some huge
fleet of aeroplanes, that would destroy the
Krupp works and demolish the war in
dustry of Germany, whether it. would be
won by infantry and artillery, or bv a co
ordination of these. The general said that
he would repeat what General Forrest
said and that is "The side wins which
gets there fustest with the mostest men.”
Os course General Clement is confident
that the allies will win, but it is evident,
that he thinks they have a real job on
hand.—Augusta I lerald.
Morris Logion
Members Wanted
All former employes of Morris &
Co., the great packers, are asked to
send their names and correct address
G. C- Daniels,- secretary of the Morris
Legion, care of Morris & Co., Cnlon
Stock Yards, Chicago, Hl. You will be
advised at once of the benefits which
come to you as an honorary member
of the Legion which has been organ
ized primarily to assist in keeping the
men in the field comfortable. Bring
this notice to the attention of former
employes whom you may know. Noti
fy the secretary if you expect to be
home Christmas.
Camp Librarian
Wants Assistants
Camp Librarian Robert P Bliss is de
lighted with the progress being made
on the new library building, corner of
Wrightsboro Road and 112th Street.
It will be but a short time before all
is in readiness and the men of the 38th
division will enjoy the privilege of a
first class library of 12,000 volumes.
Mr. Bliss desires the assistance of a
number of men during the evening
hours and all who desire the honor of
being on the librarian’s staff should
notify him at once, either in person or
in writing. At present, Mr. Bliss has
his headquarters in the Y. M. C. A. ad
ministration building.
Page 2
TRENCH AND CAMP
THREE BROTHERS
SER VING COUNTR Y
Mess Sergeant Young Has Had Inter
esting Career—Clearest Kitchen
in Division
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MESS SERGEANT JOHN YOUNG IS SEATED IN THE CENTER: ROB
ERT YOUNG, NOW IN FRANCE, IS AT THE LEFT, AND SAMUEL
YOUNG IS AT THE RIGHT.
Napoleon’s trite utterance, “An army
marches on its belly,” is the slogan of the
mess officers of Ambulance Co. No. 2,
103 d .Sanitary Train, which holds the rec
ord of having the cleanest kitchen and
best fed company in the entire Twenty
eighth division.
The editor of Trench and Camp has
the pleasure of messing frequently with
the company and so modest are the offi
cers and men about the distinction that
has come to them, that it was not until
a few days ago that we learned of the
high standing of the unit.
Some time ago there was a wedding
in the mess hall and the way the men
worked to beautify the plain walls and
rafters would have done credit to Del
monico’s expert decorators. The interior
was a mass of pine branches and autumn,
foliage and an artistic bell hung over
the dais, besides many other unusual
features. The decorations were kept up
until a few days ago and no sooner
were they down than the kitchen detail
went after the dust which might have ac
cumulated and scrubbed the ceiling and
rafters as carefully as they do the floors
each week.
The absence of the decorations and the
neat appearance of the room attracted
the editor's attention and a little ques
tioning brought out the fact Ambulance
Co. No. 2 was credited officially with
being the best fed company in the divis
ion and having the cleanest kitchen. And
this is not the boast of the men. The
verdict came from division headquarters
when the inspection of the camp had
been finished.
Captain George E. McGinnis is ably as
sisted in supervising the cleanliness of
the kitchen by Lieut. Thomas C. Ross,
who is in direct charge of the mess ar
rangements. Great credit, however, is
due Mess Sergeant John \V. Young, who
takes keen interest in his department
and is very proud of the distinction that
has come to him. Sergeant Young is
the original cop of Spotless Town and he
never happy unless he is chasing
Enemy Dirt with a big He has
had a varied and interesting career, hav
ing spent many years in the United States
navy and he is frank enough to state that
he prefers life on the rolling sea to
being on land with the military forces of
Uncle Sam. The smell of the salt is in
his nostrils and he cannot shake it off.
Sergeant Young enlisted with Ambu
lance Co. No. 2, June 23d, 1916, and went
to the border as saddler. He is an of
ficial of the Philadelphia Bureau of Cor
rection and has served for several years
as keeper in one of the institutions, where
he has never missed a day or been late,
and when he returns from trimming the
Kaiser his position will be waiting for
him. He has been mess sergeant since
the company came to Camp Hancock and
his success is due to the fact that he
takes a personal interest in all that per
tains to the kitchen. He is on the job
at 4 a. m. every day and sometimes is
at it until 10 at night. On Thanksgiving
eve stayed up all night, getting ready
for the turkey dinner. It was a real
home dinner, with white table cloths arm
and all the accessories, including table
bouquets, and there were thirty invited
guests.
When only 14 years old, Sergeant
Young enlisted in the navy and before
being accepted, his parents were obliged
to sign the enlistment papers. Special
clothes had to be made for him. He spent
six years and twenty-one days in the navy
and has done almost everything but com
mand a ship. He has'been on many of
the smaller coast vessels and among them
was the President’s yacht, the Mayflower.
He served as coxswain of President
Roosevelt’s launch and has been helms
man for some of the most noted diplo
mats in the world who were guests
aboard the Mayflower. Although he has
never crossed the rolling sea, he has
bowled along the South American coast
and has touched at Cuba, Guatemala.
British Honduras and other places. He
and three assistant cooks provided daily
for 1,600 men aboard the Yankee.
In the accompanying photograph, Ser
geant Young is seated in the center. His
brother Samuel, on the right, is cook in
Ambulance Co. No. 2 and his brother
Robert, on the left, is a member of
Pershing’s infantry in France. The moth
er of these patriotic young men is as
sistant deaconess in Holy Apostles Epis
copal church.
SAND WfFROM
112TH REGIMENT
Drills Called Off When Ice
Covers Field. Mail Clerks
Ready for Christmas Rush.
Splendid Health Record Con
tinues.
Dreams of Southern skies and Southern
warmth, with a total absence of wintry
weather, were given another shattering
blow by the cold wave which swept Camp
Hancock during the past week, bringing
the rigors of winter camp life home to
most of the youngsters for the first time.
Unexpected and unscheduled, the mercury
tumbled and kept on tumbling, until 12
and 14 degrees above, were recorded by
thermometers on the wind-swept drill
field. Tuesday night witnessed the first
fall of snow and Wednesday morning
dawned, with tents, mess shacks and drill
field covered with a glaze of ice. Drills
were out of the question, not only on
Dec. 19, 1917.
Wednesday morning, but on Thursday as
w r ell.
The coldest days that Camp Hancock
has had —Tuesday and Wednesday of
last week—despite the temporary suffer
ing from the cold they brought along, also
brought joy to the boys in khaki. They
were pay days for the whole regiment.
Saturday morning witnessed the disap
pearance of every camera in the regiment,
as a result of a division and regimental
order putting the ban on picture-taking
without a permit. Many a boy who had
high hopes of getting some good views
of the soldier boys in various formations
has had his desires killed before they had
developed.
No longer do the Machine Gun Com
pany’s trucks take care of the mail.
Instead, one of the supply wagons, with
four mules, in charge of Wagoner Dil
ley, looks out for the carrying of the let
ters and packages to and from the post
office every day. Travel is a trifle slower,
but the mules “get there”—and that is
what the soldier boys desire. The mail
clerks are delighted that their office in the
room of headquarters has been fixed up,
and now they are “on edge” to take care
of the Christmas rush, expected to de
velop during the week.
One improvement in the delivery of the
mail which has eliminated much conges
tion at headquarters is the blowing of
mail call. Heretofore, all the mail order
lies for the various companies were
grouped in the mail room, interfering
with the careful assortment of the mail.
Now they remain outside until the call is
blown, and then the mail room is emptied
in a twinkling of its entire contents.
Announcement that there will be a total
of seven holidays during the Christmas
season, two of these days being Sundays,
however, is cheerful news to the boys in
the 112th camp. Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday of Christmas week, as well as
Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 31st and Jan.
Ist, have been designated as holidays,
routine drills being dispensed with and
only fatigue and guard duty being per
; formed.
As never before, the boys of' the 112th
Regiment realized during the recent cold
spell just how useful lied Cross sweaters
and wristlets are. A liberal supply has
been received by many companies in the
regiment from the lied Cross societies
back home. A number of the companies
had wristlets for their men, long before
the issue of woolen gloves was made last
week.
Mess Sergeant Ralph Green, who used
to watch carefully to see that the 340 and
more men of the Hcadquartet s Company
had enough to eat, is now Mess Sergeant
for the Supply Company, his place being
taken at headquarters by former Cook
Clyde Ferry. Victor Humbert, Supply
Sergeant for Company B, is once again
detailed to the Supply Company, and is
hard at work.
Owing to the shortage of wood for many
of the squad tents, some soldiers were
lucky enough to. possess money when the
cold wave broke, and bought coal for
their stoves. Some even bought small
coal stoves, at $lO apiece, supplanting the
government issue.
Company F boats of a flint class barber
shop, located in the last tent on the
street. Needless to say, it is doing a
thriving business, when the barbers have
time enough oft from drill to attend to
their tansorial duties. The barbers in
clude Louis Brennan, Albert Harton, D. B.
Drolsbaugh and Frank Kurtz.
Every battalion of the outfit has had a
flr.ig at real trench work during the past
week, and under conditions that slightly
approach those prevailing now on the
western front. It was cold work, but the
boys did not complain in the least.
The members of the 112th Regimental
band certainly miss their bass drum
mer, Leroy Johnson, of Oil City, who was
one of the score of boys in the regiment
dischaiged the, past -week because of
physical disability. Johnson’s ability as a
drummer was long recognized, and in ad
dition he was a mighty good pal of the
others m the band. His place is being
ii.led now by Nathan Cohen, violinist of
J. on fl, )ail - V P ’ played for two vears at
the Buz m Philadelphia.
The cadence in marching has been
changed trom 120 to 130 a minute. That
the men might have every opportunity to
get accustomed to the increased pace, a
5. ? ie “ a , t^ a * ion passes in review twice
daily. The two bands are kept pretty
busy now, with a heavy schedule, but
are taking turns filling the schedules
of battalion review, guard mount and con
cert each day.
The Christmas rush of visitors to Au
gusta has already started. Parents rela
tives and friends of the boys, expecting to
see some of the soldiers home for Christ
mas and having abandoned that hope as
a result of the announcement that few
TUiloughs would be granted, "are arriving
day after day, to remain a week or so to
see their loved ones.
Holly sprigs above the doors of some
real wintry weather and pay day
bringing with it well-filled pocketbooks
for a few days, lend a Christmas atmos
phere to the whole camp. Outside of that,
the boys feel little of the holiday glory.
Announcement is made that turkeys are
going to be available for issue as features
of Christmas dinner in eamp—and the
stock of contentment has taken another
jump on the camp market.
A new megaphone, to lend force to the
bugle calls and send the sound echoing
down the company streets, was erected
the early part of last week in front of
Regimental Headquarters and is giving
satisfaction.
Official announcement has been made of
regimental court martials, to take the
place of that formerly representing the
brigade, and which Colonel Rickards and
Colonel Ellis have headed as presidents
since the first case was tried on October
15th. Lieut. Col. Robert B. Gamble is
president of the 112th Regiment court,
and all of the battalion adjutants—Lieu
tenants Frank Ruffing, Howard Gibson
and Charles R. Galbrath—are included in
the membership of thirteen. Lieut. John
F. Graff, Jr., recently appointed judge ad
vocate of the brigade court martial, re
mains in charge of the prosecution.