Anecdotes of the great war, gathered from European sources
History
Anecdotes of the great war, gathered from European sources
World War, 1914-1918 -- Humor, caricatures, etc.
The Bishop of London discharges his duties in camp as the chaplain
of the London Rifle Brigade very thoroughly. One morning a number
of men were out scouting, and a recruit, very well up in his drill,
took advantage of passing through a wood to loiter behind and have a
surreptitious “smoke” behind a clump of trees. He was discovered by the
bishop, who, as chaplain, is, of course, an officer of the regiment.
The bishop gave the rifleman a good wigging as to his dereliction
of duty, and reminded him that he ought really to be the bishop’s
prisoner. The rifleman stood at the salute, and, expressing his
penitence, the offense was overlooked.
The rifleman, who stands well over six feet, in telling the story,
says, “That’s the second time I have been personally addressed by the
bishop. The first time was some ten years ago, when I was top boy in
our parish church choir, and after a service the bishop patted me on
the shoulder and commended me for my solo singing! I little thought
then that the day would come when I should be his Lordship’s prisoner
for my solo _smoking_.”
NECESSARY PRECAUTION
He was a very raw recruit, and was paying his first visit to the riding
school. He was allotted a horse; but it was obvious, from the nervous
way he handled the animal, that he had never been on horseback before.
When the instructor came up the recruit pointed to the girth.
“What’s it got that strap round it for?” he asked.
“Ah!” exclaimed the instructor, with mock admiration, “Fancy you
noticing that. You see, that horse has a terrible keen sense of humor,
an’ he’s subject to sudden bursts of laughter at some of the recruits
he gets; so we puts that band round him to keep him from bursting his
sides.”
STOPPING THE DONKEY
He was instructing some recruits in the mysteries of marching
movements. After explaining and illustrating his remarks several times
he approached one recruit, looked at him silently for a couple of
seconds, then demanded his name.
“Fitzgerald, sorr,” was the answer.
“Did you ever drive a donkey, Fitzgerald?” was his next inquiry.
“Yes, sorr,” was the man’s reply.
“What did you say when you wanted him to stop?”
“Whoa.”
The sergeant turned away and immediately put his squad in motion again.
The men advanced a dozen yards or so, when he rasped out:
“Squad, halt! Whoa, Fitzgerald!”
ONE ON SCOTTY
Some friends were in a restaurant the other day discussing the war,
when a Scotsman at the next table remarked:
“The Alleys are doing verra weel, ar-ren’t they?”
One, thinking to be smart, said:
“The Alleys! Whom do you mean?”
“Why,” said the Scotsman, “the French and the Scotch, of course.”
At this the friends roared with laughter.
“Aye, you can laugh!” said the Scot. “But I saw my mistake as soon as I
spoke. I should have said the Scotch and the French.”
DEFYING THE KAISER
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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