True Stories of the Great War, Volume 6 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 6 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
The next day I was passing through a thickly populated neighbourhood
over which they had been flying for an hour. Suddenly a child bolted
out of a house as fast as it could go. But his mother caught him and
administered two resounding slaps. "I told you to stay in the house."
"Ah," protested the urchin, "ye don't only keep me from seein' de tobe,
but cher lick me in der bargain."
These are trifles, will perhaps be said. Do you think so? Nothing is
small that reveals the immortal soul of a people. And we found it so
everywhere. Don't lose patience with me if I speak without order. My
words resemble the days I am living. They have a unity, however, as
from them always shines forth the trials, the smiles, the bravery of my
country.
V--"THEY ARE ALL DEAD NOW"
What have I seen?... I saw a white glove stained with a gray spot and
a brown spot. Here is its history. When war was declared all the young
students of the Saint Cyr Army School were promoted second lieutenants.
Their average age was about twenty years. How happy they were to fight
for France. But to fight was not enough. They must do it with grace,
with style, carelessly, according to French traditions. They all swore,
those boys, to go to the first battle wearing white gloves. They kept
their word. But the white gloves made them a mark for the ambushed
sharpshooters. They are all dead. The glove I saw belonged to one of
them. The gray spot is of brain--the brown spot is blood. Piously this
relic was brought to the mother of the dead young man. This special one
was only nineteen years old.
And let us not think that it was a useless sacrifice. It is well that
in the beginning of this war of surprises, mud and shadow, some of our
children died in the light, facing the enemy, and facing the sun, for
the good renown of French allegiance.
What I have seen ... Yesterday I received a letter. It came from a
sergeant in the Argonne, an uneducated workman. Here it is, with the
spelling and punctuation corrected:
* * * * *
"Madame, thanks for letting me know that my wife has had a little girl.
But do not think I am worried. We love our families, but our duty is to
love our country first. And if I do, those at home will be taken care
of, I know it, madame.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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