Driver W. Cryer, Royal
Field Artillery, relates in the _Manchester Guardian_ that, at St.
Quentin, Sir John French visited the troops, "smiling all over his
face," and explained the meaning of the repeated retirements. Up to
then, says Cryer, the men had almost to be pulled away by the officers,
but after the General's visit they fell in with the general scheme with
great cheerfulness.
Summing up his impressions of the nerve-strain of these weary rearguard
actions, a famous cavalry officer writing home, says: "We had a hell of
a time.... But the men were splendid. I don't believe any other troops
in the world could have stood it."
X
BROTHERS IN ARMS
There is a fine fraternity between the British and the French soldiers.
They don't understand very much of each other's speech, but they "muddle
through," as Atkins puts it, with "any old lingo." The French call out,
"Bravo, Tommee!" and share cigarettes with him: and Atkins, not very
sure of his new comrades' military Christian name, replies with a cheery
"Right, Oh!" Then turning to his own fellows he shouts, "Are we
downhearted?" and the clamorous "No!" always brings forth a rousing
French cheer.
Having seen each other in action since they first met on the way to
battle they have grown to respect each other more and more.
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