FROM A TRAINING CAMP IN FRANCE

The editors of THE MAGAZINE last month announced the policy of publishing each month at least one letter from a Dartmouth man in foreign service. This month they have1 selected the following extracts from letters written by Lieutenant William Sewall '17 to his father, the Reverend John L. Sewall '77. Lieutenant Sewall is now at a training camp "somewhere in France"; his accounts of the life there are of particular interest when compared with his article on the work at Plattsburg printed in the November number of THE MAGAZINE:

"Where are we? Well, of course no names can be given; but we are at a British army school for study with a number of British officers, all of them right out of the trenches, and some of whom were fighting two or three nights ago. The stories they can tell, and the things we're learning! It's the most fascinating game in the world, and these Britishers are such a splendid set of men. This is the biggest opportunity any man could have—to be here for five weeks of work and study with these men who know the new warfare because they have been at it during the last week, and who have had experiences without number. And then after that to be—no, just to be on the safe side, that had better be omitted! You see we censor our own mail, and are therefore responsible for anything that goes through.

"We have real English schedule here. Breakfast at 8, lunch at 1, tea at 4, and dinner at 7.30. But I quite like it, perhaps because it gets in another meal during the day; and one really .gets as much out of the work done in less hours as one did under the stiffer schedule at Plattsburg. Our commandant, besides being a splendid officer and gentleman, is an extremely sensible man, and says we get more out of our work if we are fresh and keen all the time than we could if we were fagged. And it is true; we thought we were getting a lot at Plattsburg, when we plugged hard all day and were so stupid and tired at night that we slept through the lectures.

"Oh, by the way, we all have servants! It's quite a unique experience for most of us, but still quite nice to have a kiddie shine your boots and polish the buttons on your tunic. There is another officer in the same room with me, and we have one between us; he is only a youngster who was too young, faked his age, and then got caught. He's only seventeen but has been at the front seven months; they are holding him here till he is old enough to go in.

"... Now it is Tuesday morning, and I am snatching another minute for writing; thus it will continue to be, I fear; work comes first, and there's a lot of it. Then between times there is so much valuable information to be picked up just by talking to these men that when we drop into a little group and get to talking it's hard to break away. I'm fast getting to be an old and hardened veteran! Have been in two or three air raids already, and one a pretty hot one. We all huddled in a trench waiting for a Boche to get rid of all his pills,. and it was some time before that was accomplished; and before we thought it necessary to get under cover we were standing against a building, and shrapnel from the anti-air craft gun zinged down about twenty-five feet from us, so that we beat it to the trench! But they haven't hit me yet. Aeroplanes are so common that we don't even look up when we hear them coming. I'm getting so that I can distiguish between the Huns and our machines by the sound. It's quite different —and incidentally a good thing to know!

"I'm hoping by now my first bunch of letters will, have reached you, and that no submarine waylaid the mailship that carried them. lam sorry you have had to wait so long for word from me: but I tried twice to cable, and was told to 'forget it', once in those very words. Our baggage has not arrived, and it is very inconvenient. It is real October weather,—a damp, raw cold that goes right through the thin clothes we brought with us from the port of debarkation, and we have really suffered this last week. Yesterday I went down town and purchased some more clothing at the British ordnance department, and spent a more comfortable night, but we will be mighty glad to get some more blankets and clothing. The stuff will turn up sometime; it's just one of the things that make you sore but which you can't do much about...."

(A later letter.) "... Nothing of particular interest is happening beyond what I have written about. No more air raids for a day or two, chiefly because of bad weather conditions. The wind was right this morning and we heard the booming of big guns not very far away, all through church service; quite a unique accompaniment. Church attendance is compulsory, and while they have service for non-conformists, I .went to the Church of England.

"Our first week of training is over, and I've learned a heap. Some of the work is a bit tedious, but most of it isn't, and it is surely a wonderful opportunity to get everything that these men know who have been in this bloody business for three years. They are all glad to help us in any way they can, and it is instructive just to hear them tell their experiences in the various battles. They are so matter of fact about the whole thing that it is hard to realize that .they have any feelings at all. That, of course, is the British way, and one that you have to admire a lot; but now and then you see under the surface, and get a glimpse of what some of them have been through. It makes one ashamed that we didn't come in until the Germans were beaten; for if we had, this war would have been over. But we're going to get our chance, I have no doubt, and I want to be here when we go in."

(A later letter.) "Don't know how far I'll get on this letter tonight, because it's getting late and I'm cold and my eves are tired from working on aeroplane photographs. We had a very interesting stereopticon lecture, a few davs ago, on aeroplane photography: and to see how much we had learned they gave us four photographs to study out. That meant tracing the important features; and it was exceedingly tiring on the eyes because we had to use a magnifying glass: But it was interesting work, and shows very readily why the supremacy of the air means the winning of the war. The photograph is exactly like a map, and with little practice and experience they are able to recognize all the important details of trenches and defenses of every sort. Don't know how near my report came to the truth: but no one can charge me with lack of imagination, at any rate; I found no end of railroads and pill-boxes and things! I'll write more tomorrow. We Americans are having gas helmet drill from 7.30 to 8 every morning, which means that we arise half an hour earlier; and it all counts....

"And now it's Monday morning, and I have had the regulation breakfast of porridge, ham and eggs, bread and butter, and marmalade and tea. Any variation? Oh, jolly well never! It isn't done, what ? But I don't mind so. long as there is enough, and there always is. The food here is excellent, in spite of sameness; we will be lucky to get anything as good after we leave. Still we know nothing as to where we are to go after the course. It perhaps wouldn't be wise to tell anything. We heard a bit of news that gave us the hint that we were to join one of the divisions at once; but that may be all bunk; hope it isn't though."