It is curious how near humour is to tragedy in war, how quick wit
may serve a useful purpose, and even save life. A young French
medical student told me that he owed his life to the quick wit of the
women of a village and the sense of humour of a Saxon officer.
Whilst passing from one hospital to another he was captured by a
small German patrol, and in spite of his papers proving that he
was attached to the Red Cross Service, he was tried as a spy and
condemned to be shot. At the opening of his trial the women had
been interested spectators, towards the end all of them had
vanished. He was placed against a barn door, the firing squad
lined up, when from behind the hedge bordering a wood, the
women began to bombard the soldiers with eggs. The aim was
excellent, not one man escaped; the German officer laughed at
the plight of his men and, in the brief respite accorded, the young
man dashed towards the hedge and vanished in the undergrowth.
The Germans fired a few shots but there was no organised
attempt to follow him, probably because their own position was not
too secure. He was loth to leave the women to face the music, but
they insisted that it was pour la patrie and that they were quite
capable of taking care of themselves. Later he again visited the
village and the women told him that beyond obliging them to clean
the soldiers' clothes thoroughly, the German officer had inflicted no
other punishment upon them.
A certain number of inhabitants are still living in the village of
Revigny. You see everywhere placards announcing "Caves pour
25," "Caves pour 100," and each person knows to which cellar he
is to go if a Taube should start bombing the village. I saw one
cellar marked "120 persons, specially safe, reserved for the
children." Children are one of the most valuable assets of France,
and a good old Territorial "Pe-Pere" (Daddy), as they are
nicknamed, told me that it was his special but difficult duty to
muster the children directly a Taube was signalled and chase them
down into the cellar. Mopping his brow he assured me that it was
not easy to catch the little beggars, who hid in the ruins, behind the
army wagons, anywhere to escape the "parental" eye, even
standing in rain barrels up to their necks in water. It is needless to
add they consider it a grave infringement of their personal liberty
and think that they should be allowed to remain in the open and
see all that goes on, just as the little Londoners beg and coax to
be allowed to stay up "to see the Zepps."
Passing the railway station we stopped to make some enquiries,
and promptly ascertained all we wished to know from the Chef de
Gare. In the days of peace there is in France no one more
officious than the station master of a small but prosperous village.
Now he is the meekest of men. Braided cap in hand he goes along
the train from carriage door to carriage door humbly requesting
newspapers for the wounded in the local hospitals: "Nous avons
cent vingt cinq blesses ici, cela les fait tant de plaisir d'avoir des
nouvelles." (We have 125 wounded here and they love to hear the
news.)
In addition to levying a toll on printed matter, he casts a covetous
and meaning glance on any fruit or chocolate that may be visible.
Before the train is out of the station, you can see the once busy,
and in his own opinion, all-important railway official, vanishing
down the road to carry his spoils to his suffering comrades.
Railway travelling is indeed expensive in France. No matter what
time of day or night, wet or fine, the trains are met at each station
by devoted women who extract contributions for the Red Cross
Funds from the pockets of willing givers. It is only fair to state,
however, that in most instances the station master gets there first.