The Sunday Oregonian., December 21, 1919, Magazine Section, Image 81

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VOL. XXXVIII.
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 81, 1919.
no. sr.
MEMORIES HOLD STATED SERVICE SONS FIRMLY PATRIOTIC
Home Again, Allied Soldiers Contrast Lot of Today With That of Year Ago Among Scenes of Devastation and Ruin.
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BY DB WITT HARRY.
(Copyright by Emma Hyatt Morton. 1
A YEAR ago. Hardly able yet to
believe that their work was ac
complished the men of the al
lied armies lay in their camps and
anticipated the time when they could
gret to their homes. It was the hard
est period of the war, that time of
waiting: and longing, when home w;is
almost within their reach, but so dis
tant. The satisfaction of a bad job
well done failed to recompense them
for their period of enforced waiting,
they chafed and strained at the mad
dening restraint. Habits of 51 months
of fighting could not be forgotten in
a short month of theoretical peace.
Billeted in areas foreign to their
nature, associating with peoples who.
while sympathetic, were not of their
race or in accord with their inner
most thoughts and longings, the big
men overseas were so homesick that
many feared that they would perish
of lonesomeness. Nothing could please
them. Sheer ache for home and what
it meant, for a mere sight of their
loved ones, for a glimpse of familiar
scenes, became an obsession with
many.
Portland's sons were scattered all
oyer the map of Europe and Asia, and,
in common with the other boys, were
very 111 with that anticipation of home
delights. Quite naturally, and un
reasonably, they wanted to be home
for the holiday season. Many of these
strong men were, as most men are
beneath their surface veneer of devil-may-care
adventure, boys in their
wish for home and what it meant.
In France, among the ruins of the
ravished and battered country, there
was little to avail in simulating holi
day cheer. The civilian- populace, if
they had homes, had scant material
with which to properly observe a pe
riod usually set'aside for celebrating
peace on earth, good -will toward
men." However, misery loves com
pany, and the Oregon boys there were
ever, more wretched than were the
civilians, for, while they had not ac
tually fluff ered the privations and
been prey to the despair so general
In that sad country, they had so much
to remember of their happy land and
the contentment that they enjoyed
while home, that .they could hardly
bear being so far away, especially at
this time, when all united in holding
high holiday.
A year has passed since then, and
!t should be of interest to recall some
of the things that happened when the
great time of privation was on, and
to make contrasts. Most of the boys
who were "over there" have returned,
and the average have been home six
months and have had an opportunity
to get set once more. In their expe
rience there are doubtless many inci
dents that would be much better for
gotten, tut wouldn't it be a mighty
good thing to inspect the thoughts
tf n -year ago. recall now what the
conditions were then, and gather some
1 Ruin of the cloth hall at Ypres. 2 Ypres-Poelcaprlle road near Pamn'heudarlr, near lvhfre mat aivwioa pcm
holiday araaoa. 3 War airplane photograph of Valenciennes, where half of Canadian corps spent Lhrisima.
4 Prince of Wales visiting Canadians and attending- holiday mass at Denaln. 5 Sample camp of Nlaaen hats
as occupied by Americana last year. 6 Headquarters non-commissioned officers, i2th battalion, Canadian engi
neers, with their V ulrtide hostess, at Vlenx Sart Wavre, near Brussels. 7 Last year's turkey was mainly con
spicuous by his absence. This year the boys are home.
realization of how fortunate is Ore
gon and what a great country it was
for which her sons made their fight?
France, Belgium, Italy, yet lie in
ruins" Years will ensue before they
are once again in their original state.
if this happy condition is ever again
reached. Their populace is reduced.
and those who remain, as the overseas
men well know, can hardly make shift
to properly handle the necessary
work. Financially the countries are
on the verge of national disaster. Un
rest bulks large in America, but it is
accentuated In Europe, and the last
chapter is a difficult one to foretell.
Visualize once again the ruined cit
ies and towns. Think back on the
many pitiful scenes that were legion
last year, at this time. The discom
fort of the camps, the mud, the food,
but above all, the feeling of isolation
and. utter wretchedness. What home
meant then, and how remote the
chance seemed to ever get there! How
relieved the average man was that
he did not have to go out in the line
again, especially if he had been
through .several years of carnage.
What dreams of home were had, what
logins iiigs,"- what", resolutions -for - the
future made, and what plans originat
ed for governing their life success!
During tne summer and fall of, the
last year of the war the American
army in France got an opportunity of
getting into action, and they showed
conclusively of what manner of metal
they were made. However, they, in
common . with the other troops who
had been in the game for a longer
time, speedily came to realize that
there was nothing to be gained by
carnage and destruction, and they
lor.ged for thj decisive ending of the
war. When the tidings came that all
was over, they speedily found, to their
sorrow, that they could not get on
the next boat and be home in time
for Christmas, with the remit that
they ate their hearts out in an agony
of wretchedness.
This is the first Christmas home
from the war for the majority of the
boys who saw service at the front.
They cannot but help contrasting
their happy fate of this year with
that of a short year ago. Then war
was so close that few really knew as
yef whether It was finished. Now
war and thoughts of war are remote,
but the lessons of far-away France
and of the sad scenes Been" there must
always remain. The bravery of the
people, their makeshifts in putting up
a cheerful front, and their glory in
the victory, made even the Yule sea
son of 1918 a happy one.
Home again to most it really be
gins to seem now as if it were
true. Many of the boys have man
aged to become adjusted once more
to their accustomed civilian pursuits,
and they can enter into the holiday'
spirit with abandon, carefree as in the
past. How remote seems a year ago.
and how few of the boys would care
to spend another similar period un
der the same circumstances. In re
spect to civil adjustment America was
much more fortunate than countries
that had men in the field for longer
periods.
Seeing Europe through the sights
of a rifle has its disadvantages, and
not the least of these is the wait
after the show is all over for per
mission to go home. What did it
reajly matter if a fellow received a
pass for the holiday season? he would
be out of his element and there was
nothing fitting to do. True thevwel
fare workers did their level best to
smooth the way, but they could hard
ly furnish the proper atmosphere of
snug home and the faces 'that' were so'
badly missed. Many of the messes
had their holiday feasts approximate
ly as in peace times, all the accus
tomed essentials coming across the
sea from well-wishing friends. The
elaborateness of these spreads de
pended mainly on accessibility and
the cleverness of the men in charge
of the rations.
The 91st division, in whose ranks
were numbered most of the men from
the northwest, was stationed in an
area north of Ypres. The majority of
these men were in battered villages
for their holiday, and were so fresh
from the field, being only some five
weeks away from actual battle -at
this date a year ago, that they almost
believed themselves yet under fire.
They had been sent to this area after
they completed their advance, in con
junction with the Belgian - army," bo
near Brussels. They were stationed
right on the Belgian-French frontier
and were In an area of ruin and
devastation which had been the scene
of most of the heaviest fighting be
tween the British and Belgian armies
and the Germans.
The contrast between the. areas
where they now found themselves,
and the country from which they
came when the apex of their advance
had been reached, was a revelation
Everywhere here was ruin, and the
territory which they had penetrated,
behind the German lines, was practi
cally in the same shape as a peaceful
countryside. But the civilian popu
lation, everywhere, bore the impress
of much suffering and did not have
the necessary supplies on hand to
properly nourish themselves, much
less have a holiday f east,'
Here came in handy the resources
of the home gift boxes and of the
organizations that were in the field
to furnish the boys with cheer. For
of all things the American soldier was,
not greedy. He wanted his rightful
share of seasonable goodies, but he
did not want to hog the whole thing,
and took more pleasure in passing out
the major portion of the dainties that
he received to the starving and un
nourished populace than he did in
eating them himself.
In contrast with the surroundings
in Belgium and northern France,
where they saw the brunt of war con
ditions, was the garrison area of the
troops in the army of occupation in
Germany, of which possibly the Ore
gon batteries had the most advanced
position at Hoare and Grenhizen in
the Coblenz bridgehead area. These
men were stationed In the heart of
the Rhineland in a country truly for
eign and hostile, and they were
forced to be on the alert even while
trying to enjoy their Christmas cheer.
Different from tne conditions In the
nvaded country were those in Ger
many this Christmas. While the
people did not have much of the deli
cacies usually regarded as essentially
holldaylike, they possessed ample
food of a substantial nature, and were
even better fed. in many instances,
then the men of the occupying forces.
Fats, sweets, and some more desir
able dishes were scarce, but in the
main the Hun at home had all that
lie wanted and kept his belly filled.
Especially was this the case insofar
as drink was concerned, and at no
time did it seem that Germany went
without her tipple.
Christmas has always meant a
great deal to this people, and they
went about celebrating the season
given up to good will with, so far as
externals would Indicate, a clear con
science. Dancing and merriment
ruled the times for the civilians, and
the soldiers marked timo and set
themselves with gritted teeth to do a
task that hurt more than actual dan
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