WHEN THE BOYS COME HOME

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2878, 16 September 1916, Page 10

WHEN THE BOYS COME HOME

—__4 _■ A little incident is described in a letter received from one of the doctors engaged in an important clearing station ill Franco through which pass largo numbers of wounded from the' front. Ho Writes:— , "At a recent concert there 1 , were about 300 wounded soldiers who had come through with their lives from ths • attack. They were a nondescript collection of boys, rough and .unkempt looking, their clothing and boots torn, and every one of them swathed in bandages—some with just a small bandage, others with many bandages. One of tho Sisters got up to siug 'When tho Boys Come Home.' She had a nice voice, and as soon as she had sung a line or two I felt as if something was gripping ino by the throat and my oyes became misty. ,1 felt ashamed and was afraid of being scon. Presently tho hoys took up tho chorus lustily, and I Ventured to look round. You should just hear that chorus! They sang fiercely, many cf them, with tears coursing down their cheeks and each 0110 pouring out his' soul in the chorus. No wonder! Had they not come out of hell r (that's their term). Not a man of them cypeoted to - see- home again. This crowd, brave as lions when €fci«s the guns, men to the core every one of them, yet the sweet voice of a brave little nurse turned them one and all into a lot of little children away from home. She - touched the best in them with the simple words of a little song of home. That is tho feeling that animates these men. They are ready to fight at any time. They swear to . do all sorts of things that one wishes they would not do, but just touch the right chord and you can mould them as jou •will. lam glad I came out here to do mv little bit; you in England and Wales cannot do too much for them when they roturn."