AN AMERICAN SOLDIER'S TRIBUTE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1389, 22 November 1918, Page 6

AN AMERICAN SOLDIER'S TRIBUTE.

In the current number of (bo Literary Digest appears the following tribute by an American soldier to the British “Tommy : Resent any slurs on British troops just as quickly as you would resent an insult to ours. Toll lluir critics to go up thc lino and see for themselves. 'Jhe spirit, the. brotherliness, the unselfishness, the kindliness, ami the, quiet courage of these British lads are things to bo admired, no matter what .someone “has heard.” No matter what misguided statesmen have done in the past, or may do in 1 he l future, T. Atkins, of whatever shire, of whatever station in life, is a gentleman up the line. And the Jocks—l doubt it the Jocks have superiors. James Norman Hall—here’s to him !—was right about the Tommies. “One wonders (not long, however), how ho cun over live without them.” They’re the greatest ever. Kindly, whole-hearted, and simple-hearted they are. No matter what is on, it’s simply a ease of “carry on” with litem. Heroics are absolutely unknown. Before I knew the Tommies I thought their reputation foi trench humour had been overrated. Now I know it cannot be overrated. Not that, life in tho line is one grand round ot repartee, but to my knowledge there has never arisen a situation, no matter how serious, that some Tommy didn’t have something funny to say about it. And their songs—you shall certainly hear them when 1 get back. But. although I may be prejudiced because of my ancestry, the prize crew is the Jocks. 1 was my good fortune to live for four days with a little detachment of kilties from Lag Hay’s own regiment, tho Argyll and Southerland Highlanders. They weren’t from his own battalion, though. Harry Lauder’s son was in the same regiment, too, you know. These lads were part, of the iirst hundred thousand, so you can well imagine tho pleasure I had. They might well have stepped from out the pages of “Tho First Hundred Thousand.” With their arguments, (heir songs, and their pride in “Auld Scotia,” they simply took thc cake. And they sang that song lan Hay speaks about, “Hold Yer Hand Got, Yo Naughty Boy,” although its about five years old. They hailed mb'as an American Scotsman,” and immediately christened me “Scotty,” ht tho same time insisting’ that 1 was getting “Scotchief-looking” every day. Oh, it was a great week-end!