PLAYFUL TROOPS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 9020, 16 December 1914, Page 3

PLAYFUL TROOPS.

IRREPRESSIBLE FRENCHMEN

FUN IN THE TRENCHES,

Many amusing stories come from the front which show that tb,e French soldier on service has not lost his sense of humour and the love. 1 of a,good joke which has always beefl one ot the predominant characteristics of his nation (writes G. Ward Price in the- "Daily M*ii"). ■■■■•>.... ' : When they are hot fighting the solders in the trenches are. always eager for some practical joke to play on' the ' enemy. Their ruses art' sometimes very ingenious. .■. '. At one point near Rheims, where the French trenches were only 200 yards distant from tho enemy's position, the French troops had throughout the day been galled by a particularly effective from a German quick-firing gun installed at .an angle of the trench- ! es. The fire ceased just before night- | fall, and a French soldier noticed that the Germans had neglected to take 1 the quick-firer ;back behind their lines, but ' had merely put its canvas cover on it and left three men on duty near it. Owing to its position, the gun was partly out of.sight of the Germans occupying the main line of trenches. In the'middle of the night the sergeant and three volunteers crawled along the gfotind to the German trenches, silently disposed of the one sentry they . found—the others had evidently rejoined their comrades 50 yards off — and seized the gun. They were about to return, when a sudden idea struck the sergeant. He seized three or four small wooden props, used by the Germans in the construction of their trenches, and placed them under the canvas cover so that it looked as if the quickfirer were still there. The little party then made their way back to their own trenches and reported to the officer in charge. At dawn the French started a hot rifle fire aimed at the trenches where the quickfirer had been, and loud was the laughter all along the line as they heard the shouts of astonishment and anger from the Germans which revealed that their coup had been discovered. Cheap Milk and Meat. At another spot a German soldier left his trench to fetch some milk'from the neighbouring village behind' the lines. When he came back he lost his, way and made towards the French trenches. It was dark, and as he stumbled on his way he called out, " Are you there, Fritz ?" A French soldier with a knowledge of German shouted "back, "Here," and the German walked straight into the French trenches. \ He was much surprised when the French soldiers seized.him and helped themselves to his milk. , They were good-hearted, however, and filled the German's tin cup for him. Then taking away his arms they told him to lie down in the trenches and keep quiet. " To-morrow," they said, "you will have a nice journey to the south of France." A pai'ty of German soldiers who left their trenches to fetch back a number of sheep which had strayed were less fortunate, for they were all shot, and the sheep, frightened by the sound of the firing, ran. straight, to the French trenches, whence' a few hours later the most appetising odour of mutton stew was being wafted by the breeze to the hungry Germans a couple of hundred ] yards away. , '■; Soriie daring French . officers . have found it quite easy to cross the German lines, and even pass their sentries, at night without being discovered. When they are challenged they reply in German in a brutal tone of voice with .an order to the sentry to keep quiet. The brutality of the answer at once convinces the German sentry that! it is one of his officers, and the French-| man passes on his way. ■. '.; The Alsatians Helped. -i On the' eastern battle front the French arc constantly receiving help from the Alsatians and the Lorrainers, and soldiers from the annexed territories often..desert to the French. An amusing incident occurred the other day. A long.German convoy was winding along a road in■ Meurthe and Moselle with two Alsatian soldiers driving the two front motor-cars, on which the officers' baggage had been placed. The convoy was guarded by 200 soldiers. ;- '.'.■;

The convoy reached a turn in the road when a patrol of Uhlans dashed up and ordered them to halt. A squadron of French Chasseurs was half a mile ahead. When they heard this the two Alsatian soldiers instead of stopping put on full speed and tore as fast as they could round the turn in 1 the road. In a minute the Uhlans j were after them, firing as they galloped. The runaways wre not hit, however, and after an exciting chase reached the French troops in time to send them off after the convoy, which was promptly captured and destroyed. Both of them have now joined the. French Army. ii;Priest and Rabbi. Humorous anecdotes from the front are not limited to the doings of the soldiers. One French army corps has both a Catholic military cliaplain, and a Jewish rabbi with it. Father Narp and Grand Rabbi Ginsburger were frequently seen together on their coincon mission of seeking the ' wounded. One evening they had both been working hard helping the wounded and consoling the dying, and when they reached a village they found there was only one bed available. Both of them were worn out and lay down, fully dressed, to sleep. Father Narp, turning to the Grand Rabbi, said, "What a pity there is not.a photographer here to take a. snapshot' of us—the Old Testament and the New in the same bed."