MARSELLAISE, NEW VERSION.

Northern Advocate, 10 May 1915, Page 3

MARSELLAISE, NEW VERSION.

TOMMY'S LIMITED FRENCH

With things in their present state, unless actually in the trenches, everyone is in billets. It is largely a matter of luck what kind you get into, writes a trooper of the Life Guards. 1 have always found that you are much better off with poor people than large farmers, as the former :ire very glad to have you there, so as to make a few pence by selling coffee. They are also more willing to give up rooms, and do not mind a little extra work. Playing with the baby for a few minutes often means you get your utensils washed up for you. A pair of socks that you have finished with for a labourer means a few extra feeds for your horse. In nearly every case the usual place for troops to sleep in is a barn, and i think it is hard to find anywhere more comfortable. There are always heaps of straw. The great drawback is that you cannot smoke or use naked lights. The first and most important thing to do on arriving at a billet is to get on the right side of madame, and then monsieur. Just a few words of French mean everything, but Thomae Atkins seems to be a most hopeless person at picking up any language. His vocabulary here is usually limited to "Merci," "Allez," "Oui," and "Pomme de terre." "Ponime de terre," is a nice word to say, but it is seldom used when potatoes are required. It is quite s. common occurrence to hear a soldier say, after having been addressed at some length in French, "Ah, oui— pomme de terre!" I went into a safe the other evening, and heard the Marseillaise being sung by about 40 Tommies. The words were "Pomme de terre, pomme do terre, pomme de terre," etc., etc., varried by "Pomme, pomme, pomme de terre." I heard a chap telling'a Frenchman about a bomb that had been dropped from an aeroplane and killed some men. "Aeroplane—'bomlbr—droppit — men 'oppit!"