The Brighton Boys in the Radio ServiceDriscoll, James R.
General
The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service
Driscoll, James R.
United States. Army. Signal Corps -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
Occasionally there were stops, when the soldiers were allowed to leave
the train "to give their legs a stretch." At such times they were
greeted affectionately on all sides by the men and women of England.
"Hi say, Slim, old top," Jerry imitated good-naturedly as they boarded
the train again after one of these delays. "Hi say, did you 'ear that
'andsome little Hinglisher out there say as 'ow 'ealthy you looked?"
"Did 'e?" asked Slim, grinning.
"'E did," answered Jerry. And then, winking to Joe. "But 'e added, old
top, that 'e thought you looked a trifle 'eavy."
Only the sudden jolt of the starting train saved Jerry from the wallop
that Slim directed at him; and had it landed, Jerry doubtless would have
found it "a trifle 'eavy," also.
There was a general laugh from the others in the car, for all three of
the boys from Brighton had become immensely popular with their
companions in arms, all of whom by this time had become well accustomed
to this sort of gentle fun between the red-headed Jerry and "the
'ealthy, 'eavy lad" called Slim.
When they had been riding for another hour they came upon one of those
vast English concentration camps where thousands of young Britons were
being trained and equipped for war.
As the train slowly, very slowly, passed around the outer edge of this
camp, England saluted America, and America saluted England through
their fearless young warriors. The young Britons shouted, waved flags,
threw their hats into the air and sang. And the Americans, hanging from
the car windows, and crowded out upon the platforms and steps, returned
the demonstration with something for good measure.
From this point forward the journey constantly was punctuated by scenes
and incidents significant of war. Here was an ambulance and Red Cross
unit mobilizing for removal to the very heart of smoke and battle and
bloodshed; there stood a row of houses whose battered roofs and
tottering walls testified to a ruthless aerial night raid of the
Germans.
It fired the blood of the Americans as they were reminded that these
meagre evidences of Boche barbarity were as nothing compared to the
deliberate and vicious ruin wrought in Belgium and northern France.
Dover at last--the channel port which marked the beginning of the last
lap of their journey to France! The boys hardly could wait until the
train came to a stop, to get a glimpse of the water, across which lay
the scene of the bloodiest war in all history--a war in which they were
to take an important part.
"They say this channel is awfully choppy," said Slim apprehensively, as
they left the car. "Do you think, Jerry, that we're likely to get
seasick again?"
"Don't know," responded Jerry, also somewhat dubiously, "but there's one
consolation about it--it's only a short trip."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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