In Great Spirits

by Archie Barwick

  Just as we were going to bed tonight the mob rushes into our little hut & declared a rough house. There was Con Conellaw, Frank Ford, Pudding Pickering, Jack Hayes & a few more & what a lively time there was for a few minutes, everything upside down, lights out & men sprawling all over the joint. We often raid one another & this causes a bit of fun I can tell you.

  14th November. This morning we moved off at 8.15 for what proved to be the longest march this Battalion has ever done. We marched till 4.15 with only the usual 10 mins per hour spell, & an hour & a half for dinner which we had on the road, covering just on 19 miles. Not bad going that, but we carried no packs. Scarce a man fell out, which was pretty good.

  We are now camped for the night in an enormous great barn. We are back almost in the same place as we were first billeted on our arrival from Egypt, Wallon Cappel.

  17th November. This afternoon I went for a short walk down the little valley. Everything showed the signs of autumn: the trees slowly shedding their golden & russet leaves, gently floating down in the cold still air, covering the grass, which is fast turning yellowish, with a brown layer of leaves. The old trees looked very bare with the pale sunlight flooding the countryside & only here & there could be seen a few hardy flowers which still hung out in spite of the cold winds & frosts. Nevertheless the old valley had a certain kind of beauty which was unmistakable. It must be a very beautiful little spot in spring & summer & a delightful place to spend a little holiday in, so quiet & peaceful & far removed from any big town. Salvecques is one of those quiet little French villages that still lie buried far from the roar & rattle of the busy towns & railways, & kinder people it would be hard to find. Once we get away from the war zone the difference in the people we meet is remarkable.

  18th November. Sunday & on the move again. We marched out at a quarter to 9 & after nearly 3 miles picked up the rest of the Batt. Nearly the whole of the little population were there to see us off; they were bonzer people & we all were sorry to leave them.

  We did not have a very long march today, about 9 miles, & we are now quartered in a small little village, Bécourt. The old chap who owns the billet we are in was greatly against the boys going upstairs to sleep — reckoned the floor wouldn’t stand them. He was right, for tonight as we were playing cards there was a terrific crash & down came boards, plaster & etc & with it a man’s leg. Old Case had gone through it & the whole concern seemed to be cracking; the floor must have been a hundred or so years old by the look of the timber. When the Captain came in, we showed him the hole & he laughed like anything.

  19th November. Toddled off again this morning at 9 o’clock, & we had a fairly long march but most of it was very interesting & at times hilly. We had several splendid panoramic views of the surrounding country. Once, just as we got abreast of Desvres, the scene was very fine. As far as you could see towards the west, the land rolled away like gigantic billows, the sides all covered with green growing crops & grass. Scattered all over the place were clumps of trees, while at your feet lay the busy town with its tall factory chimneys, smoke curling slowly upwards. From here the road led gradually along a pretty ridge but ever climbing, climbing & at last we reached the summit & a splendid view was unfolded. We were on a high hill, the highest anywhere about, & away below us lay a beautiful fertile valley & on the opposite slope lay a fair-sized town & a white road stretching for miles. The boys all gasped when they saw this — these never-ending roads are not the nicest things to have in front of you.

  23rd November. Splendid news came over the phone last night, telling us of the 5 mile advance of the British down towards the old Somme way again. What a splendid performance the tanks put up, & they have quite justified the high opinion formed of them when first they were introduced last year.

  25th November. News came through tonight of the capture of Cambrai. Some victory this latest one of ours. There is great jubilation in France over it.

  Got a small batch of welcome letters this afternoon.

  1st December. 10 & 12 platoons got into a row over their billets this morning. They were dirty & the Capt went crook.

  This afternoon they kidded me to have a match with the Coy against D. It was a wet & dreary afternoon but nevertheless the match took place. I was playing centre-forward, that is one of the places in Rugby where 3 men on each side rush in with their heads down like mad bulls & try to shove each other off the ground. The scores were 5 to 3, D Coy winning. It was a fine game & very even, & I think I more than held my own — they reckon I did at any rate — but what a mess we were in, you should have seen us. Our jerseys & knickers were covered with mud from head to foot, & when we got home we turned to & heated some water up & had a hot bath.

  I stood it well, the running & bustling, for at the present I am in the pink of condition, never felt better in my life. Speaks well for the Army, don’t it, but I have been taking care of myself & I always have had a fine constitution or I should never have got away with the “originals”. I was a good inch under the required standard at that time but the Dr said I was so sound & solid that he would let me through. I was lucky, for at that time they were turning hundreds of big strong chaps down for miserable & paltry little defects, & it was a constant source of wonder to a lot of the lads how it was that I had passed & it is also a wonder to me even to this day.

  2nd December. A bitterly cold wind blowing this morning cuts like a knife, a regular east wind. The old sun is shining but you can’t feel no heat. We had turkey & fowl for dinner today, the results of a raid by some of the lads on a miserable old swine round here. It don’t pay to be that way for the boys will get even.

  4th December. The whole Coy went to Etaples today in motor buses for a bath. Took us a good hour to get there & we went straight in & got our wash. They told us we were going to get a clean change of clothing, so we were not prepared for the surprise they sprang on us. In marches a little Tommy & slings on the middle of the floor a bundle of the filthiest & dirtiest clothing I have ever seen. We were all speechless for a few secs then you should have heard the roar that went up. Len jumped up on a bench & advised the mob not to touch the stuff until an officer was brought round to have a look, so away they went to find an officer & make a complaint.

  The Tommies were dumbfounded, for they never expected this sort of thing to happen; they must have thought we were like themselves, take anything that’s given them & ask no questions as the majority of them undoubtedly do, but not so our chaps. They demanded their own clothes back, for they were 10 times better than those they wanted to give us, & when the officer came round they insisted on it. They had to carry it out & return all our clothes, & would you believe it they were in a far worse state than when we handed them in. They had put them through the disinfecting machine & they were in a pretty state — you should have seen the tunics after coming out, they ruined them absolutely.

  The Coy were split into 2 parties & they went to different baths & exactly the same thing happened at both places. Surely this is not how they always manage things, or perhaps they were trying to pile some rubbish on to us. If that was their intention they used bad judgement in their choice. At any rate we are a sorry-looking push now; the Coy went down looking smart & businesslike but they came back like a lot of swaggies & sundowners, & all concerned are mad about it.

  7th December. My Paris leave came through last night, so this morning I have been getting ready & etc. Left Somer in a cattle truck on the first stage of my journey to Paris, & I got out quite close to Boulogne. Just before the train moved off I saw Tom Flattley. He also was going to Paris, so we hopped in the same carriage, but on the way down at Amiens I lost Tom while changing carriages in the crush but expect to pick him up on arrival.

  A funny little thing happened to me while waiting at Amiens. I was holding the door of a corridor carriage open, looking out for Tom, & I noticed a French officer walking up & down. At last he said something to me in French. I could not understand what it was so I says, “What’s the matter, digger?”
The old boy says, “Me no speak.” An English officer was standing just close & he said to me with a laugh, “That’s a French General you were calling digger, Aussie.” Not bad was it.

  8th December. After travelling all night I arrived in Paris at 6.30. It was raining steadily & quite dark so I could see very little. A guide met us at the station & collected all the new arrivals & took us round to the Club, which is in an immense & beautiful hotel (Hotel Moderne). Here we booked our beds, had a wash & trooped down to breakfast, which we had outside in a big café.

  This evening, after cutting about all day, we went & saw the Alhambra — they put on a good show there. One thing in particular got me & that was the way they used the coloured lights, easily the finest I seen anywhere.

  9th December. Did not get up till 9 o’clock this morning — had a lovely bed & I was very tired last night. Another chap & I went for a stroll round some of the little side streets, & in one café we struck we had a bit of fun with some girls. There were all sorts: French, Belgian, Spaniard, Italian & etc, & they were hard cases you can bet. We stopped there drinking coffee & sweet wine till dinner time then we came back to our hotel & had a good dinner. Here we picked Frank Forder up.

  We all went to see if we could get a seat at the Comique Opera, a magnificent theatre where they were playing “Carmen”. We were too late so we booked seats for “La Traviata” 4 days ahead. From here we taxied down to the Rue de Sebastopol, & as it was getting late we decided to have our tea so we went into a big restaurant & set to work. I ate something tonight which I never thought I would be game to tackle in the “creation of eats”, nothing less than a plate of “escargots” (snails). Fancy sitting up to a plateful of them. The snails were dished up in a little tray, boiled in their shells with a little bit of green chopped very fine over their mouth. A special fork is provided to eat them with, & would you believe it they do not taste too bad. We ate them quite easily, what do you think of that. They have a sweet taste, something like liver.

  Before leaving Paris I must taste some frogs. They reckon they are pretty good & I should not be surprised after the snails.

  10th December. Frank & I have been out in the city all day long & have just arrived home 12 o’clock A.M. Paris is a lovely place & no mistake easily the finest I have ever seen — knocks London into a cocked hat. The streets are so wide & beautiful with the trees growing along both sides & the magnificent buildings all so regular.

  11th December. Have been roaming all over the city & the more I see of Paris the more beautiful & stately it appears to get. The Tuileries Gardens are magnificent & what they are like in summer when all the leaves are on the lovely trees is better imagined than anything else. The Invalides, where all the German trophies are shown, is well worth a visit; they have Captain Guynemer’s plane on show in which he brought down 19 German planes. She is only a little thing & the French keep it covered with flowers in honour of one of the greatest aviators who ever lived.

  I love strolling about in the Boulevards for they are full of life, pretty girls & dresses, & if they don’t open your eyes well I’ll eat my hat. I wouldn’t have missed seeing Paris for something.

  The old Australian & Canadian are easily the most popular of all the troops in Paris — you can get a kindly glance & smile from almost every Parisian. The Yanks think a lot of the Colonials too; they say that if they can do as well as our chaps have done they will be satisfied & I don’t think they can pay us a bigger compliment than that, & they are sincere.

  It seems to be a great fashion among the girls over here to powder up their face until it is as white as snow & then for some unearthly reason darken all round their eyes — I reckon this spoils their otherwise good looks. They are all so neat like a new pin, & talk about dress & fashion well here is the place to see it alright, but when all is said & done the English & Australian girls stand out on their own & are incomparable. From what I have seen of this old world, girls in Australia are treated with more courtesy & respect than anywhere else, & the average Australian girl thinks most men rude & rough. Well she just ought to take a trip over to this part of the world & she will go back with changed opinions.

  I went through 2 of the most modern shops in Paris, the Rue Lafayette Galeries & Au Printemps — they are simply wonderful inside. It is one of the prettiest sights imaginable to stand on the 6th or 7th gallery & look down on the thousands of people & many coloured lights below. The shops are all being decorated for Xmas; from what I saw this afternoon I shall have to change my opinion for I fail to see how they can very well be improved, they are absolutely splendid.

  Another remarkable thing about Paris is the almost entire absence of children. I have scarce seen one in the city, though there are plenty on the outskirts. They reckon that nearly all people come to Paris for amusement so leave what children they may have behind & I think this correct, for almost everything here caters for amusement & a good time. Oh she’s some city, this gay Paree, & you want rolls of notes to keep going.

  Got introduced to a decent but fast young lady & I got her to show me round some of the places I had not seen. We kicked off with a taxi & went to the highest part of Paris, Montmartre. From here there is a splendid view of the city & surroundings. Back again to the city & to a café after dinner, which cost a pretty penny. We went to the fashionable theatre Casino de Paris, & I shall never forget this performance. The dresses were magnificent & there were over 300 of the prettiest girls in Paris & London performing there. The theatre itself was a revelation; I’m satisfied we don’t know much about such things neither in England nor Australia compared to Paris. In fact I’m just beginning to realise I’m alive & kicking.

  I had only one difficulty with the girl in the theatre. Like all French girls she was passionate & wanted to put her arm round my neck & kiss me in front of all the people. She could not understand why it was that I would not let her, for all around the French people were doing it & nobody takes any notice, but we English have never been used to that sort of thing & it was abhorrent to me so I would have none of it. She was a beautiful girl & no mistake, as most of these Parisians are, but when all is said & done give me our own girls. They may not be so chic & smart, but there is something about them which puts our girls in a class on their own, & to me they will always be incomparable; they have a certain proud manner & carry themselves so well, as if they realise they are the finest women in the world.

  The performance, scenery, dresses, singing, dancing & so on was splendid, & the enthusiasm was boundless when 20-odd English girls came on the stage dressed as English officers & sang the telephone song “Hullo My Dear”. It even made my cold blood run hot, for it is then that we realise what a nation England is & what they & the nations think of us, & we realise how practically the whole world is leaning on old England & looking to her for lead. At any rate I shall never forget the applause with which this little item was greeted; it practically brought the house down.

  Some of the French people nearly went frantic on several occasions when English items were on, especially when in one scene on a great latticework the girls formed a beautiful Union Jack. There was a great outburst & the whole theatre rose like one man & sang “Rule Britannia” & “God Save the King”. The curtain went down amidst an almost indescribable scene of enthusiasm & cheering. I can tell you my chest swelled out for I felt proud of being English or British, for it is all the same.

  After this we had supper & by a streak of good luck we got a taxi, for they are very scarce at night time, & so I run her home & then back to my lodgings. She was a costly girl but the experience was invaluable. Whoever reads this at home will think I am a funny sort of fellow I suppose & I guess they are right. There is a big difference in the Archie of old, who in 1914 was almost too shy to kiss his sister, & the same ruffian of today. Knocking about the world has worked wonders, whither for the best or not I should not like to say, that will be for other people to judge, but this is certain: I look upon life in an entirely different manner to wha
t I used to at one time long long ago.

  Unlike London, Paris at night time is a blaze of light & splendour. They don’t seem to trouble about the Zepps & planes one little bit, & it makes the city seem ever so much better. It looks beautiful at night with its many coloured lights & crowded streets, for Paris does not wake up till about 10 o’clock. She is some city from then on till 12 or 1 in the morning.

  The last day I was there Len came & saw me. I was in bed — never used to get up till 11 o’clock. Oh I can tell you we make the most of our opportunities when we get them & what a change it is to lie back & ring the bell & wait for the maid to bring your breakfast up or early in the morning a cup of coffee, tea or chocolate & a roll of bread & butter, nice & hot. The rooms themselves are lovely. I had a golden room, everything in it was of that colour, & all modern conveniences such as hot & cold water, baths, steam-heated room, life-sized mirrors, side tables, flowers, 3 different-coloured mantles for the electric light — blue, golden & rose — electric buttons at your head & many other little things. Everything here is built for beauty & comfort.

  When I left Paris it was snowing heavily & quite 4 inches were lying on the ground. I would have liked to have stopped that night, for it would have been very pretty next day, but my leave was up & I had had a splendid time so I thought it best to get back & not spoil things. At 7.20 that night I said goodbye to gay Paree & the finest holiday I have ever had & the biggest eye-opener of my life. I will never regret as long as I live the money I spent here, for I had the full worth of it many times over.