A curious feature about this place is the almost complete absence of
birds. One never hears birds singing as in England. The result is that
the earth teems with spiders, etc., on which birds are accustomed to
feed. I was on guard at ---- during the past twenty-four hours, and
it was intensely interesting to chat with French Tommies who gathered
round our fire. They are frightfully “bucked” when they meet anyone
English with whom they can talk. A large number of the H.A.C. speak
French. For this reason, if for nothing else, the people here pay us a
good deal of attention. They are deadly keen on getting souvenirs. If
it is discovered that we have parted with our grenade or our shoulder
letters, our leave is stopped. At the place where we landed 5 francs
were offered for the letters “H.A.C.”: _A Member of the Honourable
Artillery Company_.
Quite Royal!
The nearest approach to our reception in France is like what the King
got when he came to Notts. There are hundreds of chaps in England who
would give twenty years of their lives to get such a reception as we
get wherever we go. I should advise any chaps coming to France to bring
a corkscrew with them, because they will get loads of wine given them
by the French peasants--they can’t do enough for us. And the girls!
By Jove, there are some beauties--it’s Nottingham beauty over again.
Our greatest needs at the present time are English cigs., blankets,
and soap. I have only got thirty cigarettes left, and the chaps here
will give anything from 1d. to 6d. for a cigarette. They are far more
valuable than money. Another thing which is valuable is water. Water is
more scarce than petrol. We have to walk about half a mile for water,
and then it’s not very good. We’re not afraid of washing after one
another in the same water. I’ve seen about a dozen wash in one bucket
of water.... The French soldiers do look funny in red trousers and blue
coats, compared with our khaki suits. Half our chaps are minus badges
and buttons, which the French girls have taken as souvenirs--I got a
little doll off one girl when we were at Rouen. I might mention that
hardly any of the chaps have any money--I’ve got the large sum of 2½d.:
_Pte. F. Smith, Army Service Corps_.