"TOUT DE SUITE" CORNER.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13975, 11 September 1917, Page 8

"TOUT DE SUITE" CORNER.

'NEAR THE HINDpNIiURQ LINE.

<By a YJVI.O.A. Worker;)

ITavc yqii' learnt to sny; "Tout do unite" jet?. If not, you must do so, "Tout de suito"-before the boys come home, It is ono of our ,raost- popular adaptations from , the French, ;"Toot' sweet" wo call it, and use it constantly. An officer likes to be obeyed "Toot sweet." Wo all want the Avar over "Toot sweet." If your chum's waiting and getting-impatient, ypu tell him. you're coming "Toot sweet." At a Y.M.C.A. counter we -try to serve our customers'' Toot, sweet.'' Comprcc the idea?. Yes, that's it, anything to be done immediately, without delay, is to be done "Tout de'suite."

.' So ypu sec our address, "Tout de Suito Corner," is somewhat boastful—at,least, it would be if we had invented it ourselves. As a matter of fact, the men christened \\i, and we Tivoudly accepted the title. There is an'interesting story of a piece of Y.M, work in the wny we were able to earn so enviable a nanv?'

i I think Providence must have selected the spot for us, and Providence certainly protected us while we occupied it. It was at • the junction of five roads, the most advanced canteen of any sort- on the most advanced and most important sector.of the British front at that time. From the moment we opened, a month ago, our doors have never been shut, and our boilers have never been out.- Night and day men have been served with tea, cocoa, fee, biscuits, and cigarettes, and not; one penny has ever been taken. That's why we were "Tout de suite" Corner., Customers can be dealt with "Toot sweet" when there's no money to take and no change to.find. No statistics of the actual number of men served have (been kept, but it must lrtive run into tens of thousands. Forty-five uriia of tea were made one night between eight in the evening and five in the morning. Generals, majors, captains, indeed, all ranks up to full privates, have been among our clientele, We had a monopoly of the trade of the whole district.

There was no other canteen' anything like so near the line, And the men marvelled to find even the Y.M. up so , i close. They marvelled still more when at night on several occasions ■ a Y.M.C.A, worker appeared in the trendies, having taken a load of bisfuits and .cigarettes for free distribution I lieve,

A nip of linl drink, a packet of bismils, and a few cigarettes docs not sound iiiiicli, but it means a great deai to men out here, if they can got it at the right place and moment, ■ Men came to us straight'from the trenches, shelled and suffering losses almost to the very doors, They came dazed, weary, worn to the- last extreme of human endurance, and a cup of cocoa, biscuits, and a smoke made the difference almost between life and death.

"By Jove! thatis good—that's the first warm drink••• 'l've had for five

days." '"Thank God for that —tliaf's saved my life." These are the expressions you could hear a score of times in any quarter of an hour at the counter at night. One man staggered up, panting: "I'm done. . Can I leave my rifle and pack' here? I can't carry it another yard!" "All right, chum; let's have it," We took away rille and pack, gave him his cup of coffee, biscuits, and and in about five minutes' time he came agaiii. "I say, chum, let's have my rille and pack, I'm all

right now." Walking wounded by the hundred have been served, scores of wounded Germans have partaken of our hospitality, men gassed, men buried a.nd dug out, men suffering from shellshock; men utterly broken by the strain of wn'r, have rested and been eared for, .and sent on for further treatment.

It must not bo forgotten that the horrors of wai; at the front aro at least equally great for officers and for the rank and file, and officers of all grades have blesssed "Tout de Suite Corner." They have lost brother ollicors and men in the trenches, coming out of the trenches, on the way down, and have literally fallen into our chairs With "My God, this is. awful; this isn't war—it's—murder. Human beings can't stand this." And the Y.M.C.A. welcome—the cocoa, bis-, euits, and cigarettes liavo forked their miracle, with them. _ .Notes for ten, twenty francs have been offered us again and again, but we have always refused, jealous (of our reputation Of never having taken a penny And the Y.M.C.A. will not lie the loser. "Well, I shall do something, decent for the Y.M. after the war," said one in my hearing to a brother'officer; "send them a cheque for £2O or so." "Yes, I reckon the Y.M. will never want for money after this," said the other, One would like those who are familiar with our palatial huts at the bases in Prance and at Homo to seo the buildings, or rather bits of building, that' serve as huts near the front, "Tout do Suite Corner" was a fair sample. It was a part of what was originally stable buildings, AH had been' completely wrecked by shell fire except one room—the only structure of any kind left standing anywhere on the crossroads. One side of this was shot away and served conveniently as ui window counter. The floor was some two feet deep in horse litter, that we were ' never able properly to clear. There was just sufficient/ceiling left' to concentrate the rain into the room, and then the floor became morass. You wouldn't have paid a big rent for "Tout'dc Suite Corner." , One has to confess that lifo under such conditions is pretty tough'and'not' without its dangers., Our billet . was another bit of stable on a par with the hut. Boaclie an ever-present danger, and to be'out of reach of one's helmet was practically suicido? Our > position on a crossroads was sufficient ■■• ■■'■'■'■■' ; .' L -u' v: . ..-■■.'

})ion' oiniiK mj!y: snj£:;:sfs; liavp lilt" ;ii6';>all ( 'and ;new ahell : hoies constant-. y. appear , oil tins •ship and that. {BiiV i kiiully Providence .'".watches over "Toufc ,de Suito Corjier,'.' audi tho fiepicnt prophecy of the-men,'"lt's bound 10.go; up S ome day,"'has not yet l)ecn 'ulfilled. .V ,-: .