Welsh Journals

Search over 450 titles and 1.2 million pages

IN every mess, in every dug-out, wherever the B.E.F. is gathered together, three subjects are constantly being discussed-leave, promotion, and the end of the War; but the greatest of these is leave. Rumours of a move, or of a Zeppelin raid, or any of the fairy tales that come up to us almost every night from the transport lines, are received coldly but a hint that leave is to be cut down or stopped (it always seems to be one thing or the other) rouses us at once. As we have often been reminded, leave is a privilege, not a right." Within the limits of the regiment's allocation, leave is in the gift of the C.O., to be distributed as he pleases. It is a very effective aid to discipline, and many a man for whom Field Punishment has no terrors, will quake at the prospect of losing his place on the leave- roster. That is a document as jealously guarded as any secret maps or confidential papers. But most of us have a calendar with certain dates marked to show when our own turn will be due at present rate and as the date approaches, the closer do we watch the leave barometer. Hard experience has proved that one is never safe, not even when actually in the train for Boulogne. One luckless party had reached the quay when an order suspending all leave overtook them. But as soon as the travelling warrants have been handed out, we feel we may tempt fate to the extent of discussing what we shall do when we get home. A collection of our opinions and intentions would be interesting-and perhaps surprising-to most people. Put aside, of course, the universal desire for a real hot bath ignore, too, the fervent Another hot bath of a particularly grimy warrior, and his rhapsody at the prospect of getting hot water merely by turning a tap, what then ? Our proposals will be found divided into two distinct classes schemes that provide for seven days of high living and plain thinking, dinners, theatres, suppers and champagne, and those which envisage a d- slack time." I'm going to have breakfast in bed, sausages for tea, water carpet slippers, and put my feet on the mantel-piece," was the programme of one subaltern. But if we disagree about what we will do, we are pretty well unanimous as to what we wont. We will eat nothing off enamelled plates we will abstain from strong drink-such as bottled coffee, or tea that has been boiled for two hours (jock's favourite trench brew, calculated to destroy the roof of any ordinary mortal's mouth); we will avoid sardines and condensed milk we will turn away from potted meats and preserved peas, in fact from anything and everything edible that comes out of a tin or LEAVE bottle. These are some of our thoughts as we start on our homeward journey. Going on leave brings the various branches of the service together in a way that nothing else does, but the observant eye will notice that in the free- masonry of war there is several degrees. Infantry- men are inclined to form groups by themselves, and exchange notes on different parts of the line. The man from Arras is anxious to hear how his old haunts in front of Ypres are getting on, the fellow who spent last winter in front of Messincs wants to know what Plugstreet and Armentieres art: like now. Strange tales are told, and old battles are fought over again. Sappers may enter the discussions freely, and gunnels too, if they do not mind hearing legends about shells they have landed in our own trenches The close brotherhood includes all those who live and work within range of the German guns. Cavalry-men are on the border-line but foot-sluggers have too many painful memories of weary marches to be altogether at ease with the fortunate horseman, while certain other necessary. but safe and comfortable coips find it more tactful to get into the next carriage­ttow that it is impossible for them to slip down to Boulogne by car they miss heating some home truths. French railways aie hardly noted for record runs at the best of times, but there is only one thing on wheels slower than an outgoing leave train, and that is the train coming back. It creeps, it crawls, it trickles along, until one is sorely tempted to get out and collect a fatigue party to do some pushing. All leave trains seem to start about midnight, or at 00.35. as the time-table puts it. This, of course, is so that the traffic may not interfere with the ordinary service. Usually, too, leave parties have a good deal of time at junctions, during which to criticise the superb leggings and spurs of officers who have been no nearer the firing line than a casualty clearing station or corps headquarters. Sometimes, greatly daring, we may invade the privacy of those mighty men, the R.T.O.'s. If the information we get about the train service is mainly negative, we may, at least, admire the latest pictures from La Vic Parisienne, which decorate the sanctum walls. Fortunately, an out-going leave party is a good- humoured crowd, or on the return journey its R.T.O.'s would occasionally be lynched. By the time the leave-taker reaches the boat and gives up part of his warrant in exchange for that white card which has to be filled in and presented to the disembarkation officer (" name in BLOCK letters, please ") he is beginning to feel more at ease