AT VERDUN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2981, 19 January 1917, Page 3

AT VERDUN

FIRST LADY VISITOR

LUNCH WITH GENERAL NIVELLE

Hiss Kathleen Burko, tho first lady permitted ■ to enter Verdun since tho commencement of tho German offensive, has written, a series i of articles for "Land , and Water," in which sho describes her journey and her experiences whilo in that shell-swept area. On her way back sho was entertained by General. Nivclle, now Commandor-in-Chief of the French armies, who was responsible for tho final stages of tho defence of tho citadel, and also arranged tho successful counter-pffonsivo which resulted in the enemy being driven out of the ground which he had gained along tho Heights of the Meuso.

Tho Genera!. Describing her meeting with General Nivollo on her return, journey, Miss Burko says:—From Thiaucourt wo •went straight .'to tho headquarters of General Nivello. They had just brought him tho maps rectified to mark tho French advauco. The advance had been inado whilst wo wero standing on tho torraco at Verdun tho night before. Wo had seen tho rockets sent up requesting a tir do barrage (curtain of fire). The 7o'.s hadrcpliea at once, and the French had been able to carry out the operation. Good news had also como from the Somme, and General Nivelle did not hesitato to express his admiration for the British, soldiers. Ho _ saicl that there was no need to praise tho first troops sent by; Britain to France, everyone, know their value, but it should be a. great satisfaction to Britain to find that tho now army, was living -up to tiio traditions of the old army. Hβ added: "Wo can describe the new army of Britain in two words: Ca mord—it bites."

The father of his own men, it is not surprising that General Nivello finds a warm corner in his heart for the British soldier, sinco Ms mother was an Englishwoman. At lunch General Nivelle and the members of his staff asked many questions as to the work ,of the Scottish Women's Hospitals. I told them that what appealed , to us most in our French patients was tho perfect discipline and the gratitude of the men. We are all women in the hospitals, and the men might tako adrantage of this fact to show want of discipline, but wo never had 1 to complain of lack' of obedience. These- soldiers of France may, somo of them before tho war have been just rough _ peasants, eating, drinking, and , sleeping; even having thoughts not akin to knighthood, but now, through tho ordeal of blood and fire, each ono of them has won his spurs and comoout a _ chivalrous knight, and they bring thoir chivalry right into tho hospitals with them. We had also learned: to lovo them for their kindness to ono another.

The Hospitals. When new wounded are brought in and the lights are 'low in the hospital awards, cautiously watching if tho nurse is lookiug (luckily nurses have a way of. hob seeing everything) ono of tho convalescents will creep from his bed to the side of.tho now arrival and ask the inevitable question: "D'ou viens-tu?" (where do" you come from?) "I coma trom Toulouse," replies tho man. "All," says tho inquirer, _ "my wife's grandmother had a cousin who lived near Toulouse." That is quito a sufficient basis for a friendship; the convalescent sits by the bedsido of his new comrade, holding the man's ;hand whilst hjs wounds aro being dressed, telling him ho knows of the pain; that he, too, has suffered, and that soon all will be well. ■ . ' - '

Lions to fight, every ready to answer to the call of tko defence of their country, yet these men of France are tender and gentlo. In one hospital through which I passed thcro was a baby. It was a military hospital, and no civilian had any right there, but the medical officers who inspected the hospital wore remarkably blind—none of them could ever seo tho baby. One of the, soldiers passing through a bombarded villago saw a little tody lying in tho mud, and although he believed tho child to he dead ho stooped down and picked ifc up. At tho evacuating station tho baby and the soldier were sent to-tho hospital together; tho doctors operated upon tho baby and took a piece of shrapnel from its back, and onco; well nnd strong it constituted itself ! lord and master and king of all it surveyed. "When it woko in the morning it would call: "Papa," and twenty fathers answered to its call. All the pent-up love of the men for their,own little .ones from whom they had been parted for so long they lavished on tho tiny stranger, but all his affection and his whole heart belonged to. the rough. miner soldier who had brought him in. . As the shadows fell, ono saw-the man ■walking /up and down the war with tho ' child in his arms, crooning tho "Marseillaise" -until the tired little eyes closed. He had obtained permission from the authorities to adopt the child, as the parents could not be found, and- remarked humourously :—"Mademoiselle, it is so convenient to have a family without tho trouble of being married I"

What wo must remember is the rough soldier, him'self blinded with blood and mud, uncertain whether he could ever reach a point of safety, yet had timo to stoop and pick that little flower of France and savo it from being crushed beneath the cannon wheels. I told General. Nivello that the hospital "staff intended'to keep the child for tho soldier ilntil after end of the war, and wo all- hoped that ho might grow up to tho glory of France and to tho eternal, honour of the tender-hearted fighter who had rescued him.

• After lunch wo stood for some time watching the unending stream of camions proceeding into Verdun. I believe it has been stated that on the average one passed through the village every fifteen seconds, and that there- are something like twelve thousand, motor vehicles used in the defence of Verduijj. The splendid condition of the roads and the absence of all confusion in the handling of this immense volume of traffic form a great tribute to the organising genius of the chiefs of the French .army. We left General Nivelle, as General Potain predicted wo should find him—smiling.