Show i BRITISH TROOPS ARE AE WELCOMED BY FRENCH I BRITISH ARMY HEADQUARTERS IN FRANCE Aug 28 Tri Tri Triumphal arches were erected by the French soldiers to welcome their successors successors when the tho British took tooka over a section of the line lino from tho French a a. while ago An c occasional snipers sniper's bullet and the oc occasional burst of a shell shen accompanied the informal ceremony The peculiar thing is that the tine French do not like to go said a astaff astaff astaff staff officer They have spent many months in building up their trenches to mal make e them comfortable and as secure from the enemy's fire fireS as S possible They are proud 0 of their trenches In a sense they feel Ceel that the results of their labor belong to them Besides they nave got set tied in the tho associations of the thc village village vil vii lage to the rear where they arc bil bit They know all the tile local peo- peo pIe Strictly speaking alt all that t happens Is that that- thata a British battalion marches maches marchesin in and a French battalion marches out after atter the officers of the Incoming incomIng incoming ing battalion have spent a lla lay day or two in the trenches familiarizing themselves with details But to the tIne themen themen men of ot both sides it is a great event Though tho the British and the French are are allies tho the soldiers of the two armies rarely meet Each is on his own side of the line Une which bounds the tine zone zono of the two armies Probably not one out of or fifty French soldiers speaks English Eng Eng- lish hish said an officer and certainly not one out of fifty British soldiers speaks much French Yet in five minutes they are aro talking together together- and some way or other they make ono one another understand What interests them most is the comparison of or equipment They most try the tine mechanism of each others other's rifles The Briton must try on the thene ne new French steel helmet which tho the Frenchman wears to protect his h head ad from shrapnel bullets and splinters After Arter the helmets ho lie must examine the French knives which the French use at ot close quarters in trench I fighting when the bayonet la in unI unwieldy un un- wieldy and after that comes a comparison comparison com corn I parison of bombs and bomb throwIng throw throw- ing methods Gestures serve pretty well for this tIlls kind of a conversation Meanwhile every overy bit of school book French and English is in play in the tho midst of laughter Tho The outgoing outgoing out out- going soldier expatiates on hl his dugout dugout dug out and how comfortable h he has tried to make it and the tho newcomer Is properly complimentary In this diplomatic diplo matte matic interchange between tho the men uren in khaki and blue When Then the French go they say goodbye and arid the British tr try their hands bantIs at an au revoir There is certainly one thing tIring our soldiers can learn from the tile French said a British officer Though a Frenchman has never done dono any cooking before ho lie soon Boon learns to tomake tomako tomako mako make an appetizing stew Our men are aro doing better Camp life Ufe is 15 a a. good goodteacher teacher |