I have just had mother’s favourite potatoes and butter, French wine,
fish, and rum and coffee, and apples and eggs to take home. I must say
they are very nice people. They will do anything for you. It’s just
like being in England. The only difference is the language. We can’t
understand them, and they can’t us, but still we have done fine up
to the present. You can get plenty of beer, but I would not disgrace
myself with that, especially being on active service. I am very pleased
with the way the French have treated us. They are good-hearted people.
Don’t matter whom you see out, they all salute you, and the ladies bow
to you. What more could you wish for? _Pte. A. Rogers, Royal West Kent
Regiment_.
“Bonnie Fighters”
One thing, we are safely on the road to victory, without a doubt, and
the gallant French army are doing great deeds. The town we are near
is properly deserted, for during the day the enemy are shelling the
surrounding country, and the villagers go up the hill into caves at
daybreak, and go back to town at night. The French folk treat us very
kindly, letting us use their wells and buckets to water our horses
with, and letting us have anything we want, but the one outstanding
difficulty is understanding what they say. Each regiment has an
interpreter, and when we want anything in town we have to go to him and
he puts us on the right road: _Corpl. Cadwell, Royal Engineers_.
“No Germany!”
They are a fine lot of people, the French. They will give the British
troops anything. When we march through the streets men, women, and
children run to the doors and wave their hands, throw kisses, and all
that sort of thing. They are always pleased to see us, and in all cases
they have aprons and baskets of fruit of all kinds, which they give us
gratis. But the sight that touches the heart is to see the burning home
of some poor old peasant, who can ill afford to lose a copper coin.
But, believe me, the time is not far distant when there will be no
Germany, and all I can say is, “God send it soon and sudden”: _Pte. J.
R. Coates, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)_.