L'ENTENTE CORDIALE AT WEYMOUTH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 96, 13 August 1914, Page 6

L'ENTENTE CORDIALE AT WEYMOUTH.

JACK TAR LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE. 'The hrotlierly relations existing between the British and French sailors ate Weymouth this week (writes the special correspondent of the Daily Mail on the 17th of .Time), make one regret that these .entente cordiale exchanges of \isits cannot he more frequently arranged. The French squadron came "cm Saturday for a week's stay, and liy now the French tars,with the coqr.ottis'i red tassel in the middle of the flat crowns of their caps, are the bosom' pals of the British Jacks. The effect is very engaging. One meets these new comrades everywhere—arm-in-arm'along the Weymouth streets, side by side in char-a-bancs, one behind the other on strings of bicycles "atong the : Dorchester road. Their friendship is most enthusiastic BRAVE DEEDS. .Tack's efforts to get a'grip of'the French language "are worthy to rank among the bravest deeds of the British Navy. The visitors are much better equipped with English than our sailors are with 1 French, but Jack is a fearfully conversational fellow when he is making a new friend, and at evening time, in the traverns where lie does his generous eiiterttiiniiig.he taxes the ingenuity of the French sailors to the utmost in his earnest endeavours to under-, '.stand the* answers to the questions that he rains upon them.

"BONG SARXTY!" "Well, 'ore's good 'ealth," said one Jack to a Frenchman who was the special protege of a group of bluejackets from the Iron Duke. They were all seated round a little table in the smoke-room.. Glasses were lifted, but before the beer bad time "to reach Jack's lips his linguistic anxieties assailed him again. He set down bis glass to inquire: "What do you say lor that in French mate;-"'' The Frenchman indieaTing' bewilderment, Jack performed certain pantomime gestures as of a" picture-palace hero pledging a comrade. "When you do that what do you cay?" "Ah!" exclaimed the beaming guest It ees 'Bon saute!*" , The successful extraction of this bit of scholarship gave extraordinary satisfaction to the British- sailors. For some time afterwards the}' hailed eacn newcomer with shouts of "Bong sanity !" very mystifying to the' newcomers, but received in the 'affable spirit'in which the strange greeting was 'evidently intended. ACTIONS SPEAK LOI'DER— Controversy arose as to the uniform worn by the French navy. " Was it a fact that all grades wore similar do- j thes. The Frenchman was understood to assent to the surprising conjecture.. "What about stokers:-'" asked an incredulous Jack ? The won! "stokers" beat the. guest. "Don't speak so fast to 'fni, Bill. 'E can't understand you when you run on like that," said'the first Jack. He got up from the table and, having roared "Stokers!" at the Frenchman, went through the movements of a man furiously .shovelling coal. Again British dramatic art i riumplied. "Fireman!" shrieked the' Frenchman, overjoyed. Loud applause rewarded his sharpness. Another "realistic Hit of acting itrought the conversation round to boxing. AN IDENTIFICATION. "You know Carpenter •" said Jaek. smiling archly at the French sailor. The latter failed to recognise the eon•queror of Wells as thus pronounced. whereupon Jack smote himself violently in the face With his list, and, closing one eye to signify the effect of the blow,touched it sympathetically with his finger. " "Oui!" shouted the Frenchman. "But in French it ees we pronounce 'Carpentier.' " . . In this way is the friendship between two great nations being'cemented in Weymouth, and if the British and French' fleets are never put ito worse use the people of both countries will, after all, get a valuable return for the money thoy have spent on the great warships that ride so haughtily, on the blue waters of Mie bay.