With our Fighting Men Part 20

"When the Prince of Wales Fund was inaugurated, Salvation Army officers were appointed to most of the local committees formed in the country, their close touch with the poor and their willingness and practicality rendering them of great a.s.sistance in the wise administration of the funds. In many centres, Leagues were formed for looking out and caring for the wives and families of soldiers and sailors. The women are visited in their homes, difficulties concerning their allowances and other matters are straightened out; they are invited to cheerful meetings held at regular intervals at the Army halls, and when the sad news of disaster or death comes with its paralysing sorrow into their homes, the Salvationist is at hand with words of comfort and deeds of helpfulness.

"One of our first calls to serve the troops of the new Army was in Wales, when the men poured in from the valleys to enlist. Until these men pa.s.sed the final attestment and had been enrolled, they were not under government responsibility, and arriving in such numbers as they did they could not be immediately dealt with. The Military Commander at Cardiff, explaining the difficulty in an evening paper, requested help. Within an hour of the edition leaving the press the Salvation Army had offered to cope with the emergency, and by six o'clock the next morning had actually commenced operations. The Council Cookery schools were handed over to us, and during the following days hundreds of men were suitably provided for. Not only were their temporal needs supplied, but our officers did much in the direction of advising and helping the men in an endless variety of ways. New Testaments and religious literature were distributed amongst them and their letters despatched to friends at home.

"More than 13,000 Salvationists have rallied to the Colours. Knowledge of the temptations and discomforts to which these men, in company with hundreds of thousands of their comrades in arms, are likely to be exposed in camp strongly appealed to General Booth, who determined upon providing as far as possible 'home away from home' for them. Thus there are over 150 halls and rest rooms provided for the use of the troops.

"During the warm weather the work was carried on under canvas, but with the approach of winter the marquees were replaced by wooden buildings. The men may procure wholesome refreshments, read good helpful literature, write and converse with the officers in charge; and in the evenings bright, interesting meetings are conducted.

Attached to many of these rest houses is an authorised post office. At some of our huts bathing accommodation has been provided. The rest centres are in charge of experienced married men, and the presence of a good sympathetic, practical woman amongst the troops is of untold value. The wife, ready for any emergency, 'mothers' the men, corresponds for them with wives, parents, and sweethearts, advises them on a mult.i.tude of questions. She prescribes for their minor ailments, does bits of mending and various other little kindnesses, which all appeal to the best side of the men. These officers, as a rule, have some knowledge of First Aid, and cases of slight mishap are frequently ordered to the Salvation huts.

"The troops bear hearty testimony to the blessings these havens of rest and happiness have proved to be. Lord Kitchener himself has expressed appreciation, and there have been many other most generous expressions from highly placed officers regarding the Army's efforts on behalf of the men. A general commanding one of the great camps said, 'Please do not thank me for arranging sites for your buildings; it is for me to thank General Booth and the Salvation Army for rendering us such service. I know the value of the spiritual and moral influence which the workers of the Salvation Army exercise over the men.' The senior chaplain of a great camp applied for Salvation Army officers to go and work amongst the troops, and himself defrayed the cost of supplying and equipping a marquee for the purpose. 'Your men go for the soldier's soul; that's why I want them,' he said.

"The value of over 13,000 Salvationists scattered amongst the troops and the fleet can only be faintly suggested here. A Salvationist is trained, from the moment he kneels at the penitent form, to confess Christ by his life and testimony; and never has he taken a braver stand than he is doing to-day in the barrack-room, on ship deck, and in trench.

"The following incident, which has been multiplied a thousandfold, ill.u.s.trates the power of example. A rough, illiterate Salvationist found himself in a barrack dormitory for the first time. Cursing, swearing, and ribaldry were going on all around him amongst a crowd of half-drunken, hilarious men. He knew he should kneel and pray, but never before did he understand the full significance of the Salvation Army song he had so often l.u.s.tily sung: 'I'll stand for Christ, for Christ alone.' Surely it would be easier to go into action than to kneel and pray in such company! He turned hot and cold by turns, then decided: 'Here goes,' and plumped down upon his knees. A few whistles and jeers, a boot, a pillow followed, but he did not move. The cursing gradually died away and there was silence in the room.

"Next day several men sought him out to confess that they, too, were Christians, but had not dared to face that fire alone. Next night several of them knelt to pray unmolested, and by degrees the Salvationist became the conscience of the company. A military officer of high rank remarked to one of our leading men the other day: 'I really did not know the Salvation Army until the war, but I have watched your men. Now I deliberately place Salvationists with the wilder of our spirits, and invariably find that after a week or two the tone of the company has noticeably risen.'

"During rest time at the front, Salvationists hold meetings behind their guns and at their trenches. These 'unofficial chaplains' have won many souls for Christ. During the coldest weather of this winter some took off their greatcoats for their mates to kneel upon, and there, within sound of the enemy's fire, they pleaded with their comrades to turn from sin and seek the Saviour. One night twenty-two men responded to this invitation.

"The authorities in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have appointed Salvation Army officers as regular chaplains to the troops and conferred military rank upon them. These officers are serving with the Expeditionary Forces in Egypt and elsewhere.

"In this country and at the base on the continent special facilities have been granted to us for visiting the wounded in hospitals and also the prisoners of war. Services are conducted in the German language, and literature of that tongue is distributed amongst the German prisoners by Salvation Army officers who have been engaged in our work in the Fatherland.

"It is an interesting fact that sufficient men to form an entire battalion were recruited from our social inst.i.tutions. Without exception, these men came to us in a state of complete physical unfitness. Drink and exposure, and in many cases other vices, had robbed them of all the spring and confidence so necessary in the soldier. After several months of good food, steady occupation, and the message of cheer which our homes bring to their inmates, these men, so recently the country's waste, marched out to serve their King and country. Two of the number from one Home formerly held commissions in the regular Army, but lost them through intemperance. Both were Reinstated. One clever fellow, speaking several languages, was attached to the Intelligence Department.

"To our home-loving nation one of the saddest circ.u.mstances of the war is the depopulation of Belgium. General Booth with his officers was among the first to come forward with offers of help when the dest.i.tute and stricken people poured into our country. Three of our homes in London were at once thrown open to receive them, and at port towns, such as Folkestone and Cardiff, where the refugees arrived in such numbers that they could not be distributed, accommodation was provided for thousands in buildings adapted by the Salvation Army officers. The refugees sheltered in one of our London homes despatched a message in French to His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace, expressing profound thanks for the kindly reception they had been given in England, and for the way the 'Armee du Salut' was caring for them.

"The value of this effort has been fully recognised by the government, and a communication from the Local Government Board on the subject of the Army's work was expressed in the following terms: 'I am directed by the Local Government Board to express the Board's appreciation of the action of the Salvation Army, and its officers, which has been of great a.s.sistance to them in dealing with the situation, which for a time presented considerable difficulties.'

"The a.s.sistance to the Belgian people was not confined to those in England. General Booth despatched an experienced officer to Belgium with orders to visit every centre of Salvation Army work in that country. He succeeded in his mission and placed financial help with the brave officers who had refused to leave their posts, though many of them were right in the battle area, and had been exposed to the utmost personal danger. Thus a.s.sisted, they were enabled to succour hundreds of most deserving and starving people, and to continue their spiritual ministrations to the people who clung to them for comfort and support in their terrible experiences.

"A work of first importance was also undertaken by the Salvation Army at the request of the Belgian government, viz. the care of the wounded Belgian soldiers in this country. When fit to leave the hospital ward, the hospital authorities in whatever part of the country the soldiers were being nursed--from Aberdeen to Plymouth--communicated with our headquarters in London. The men were brought to the Metropolis under Salvation Army escort and provided for by our officers until they were fit to return to military service, or to civil life should they be permanently incapacitated. Our land and industrial colony at Hadleigh in Ess.e.x has proved to be a veritable boon as a convalescent depot for these brave men. More than 8000 Belgian soldiers in this way have pa.s.sed through our hands. The efficiency of the arrangements for the comfort and well-being of these men has earned unstinted praise from the officials concerned of both the Belgian and our own governments.

"On one of the worst nights of this winter a party of 200 Canadians, Belgians, and a number of Russians arrived from across the Atlantic to join the forces. They had no place to go to. 'Send them to the Salvation Army' said the military authorities, and to the Salvation Army they came. Coming in such an unexpected number in addition to the hundreds of Belgians already under the Army's roof, they presented something of a problem, but a little rearrangement soon enabled us to warmly house and feed them all. The next night seventy more arrived and were similarly cared for.

"Salvationists are a poor people. Their only riches consist in love and power to serve. Nevertheless, out of their scant means they contributed between three and four thousand pounds to the Prince of Wales Relief Fund, and also raised a further 2500 for the purchase and equipment of a Motor Ambulance Unit consisting of five cars. The unit is manned by Salvationists. It is no new thing to send ambulance brigades to the front at war time, but it _is_ a new thing to see that they are all conducted by Christian men.

"The cars have splendidly stood the severe tests imposed upon them, and the men in charge have borne themselves so well that they have become known as 'The White Brigade.' No drinking, no smoking, no swearing amongst them; always on time and carrying out the orders of the medical staff with the utmost satisfaction, it is not to be wondered at that our officer in command of the unit was promoted to the charge of a section--with the management of twenty-five cars. A second unit of six cars was despatched to France in February, with which Her Majesty Queen Alexandra was pleased to identify herself by personally dedicating the cars--now known as the 'Queen Alexandra Unit.'

"Apart from the work of the ambulance party, Salvation Army officers are exerting themselves for the comfort of the troops in the battle area and at the base hospitals. At Boulogne, Rouen, and Paris our women officers are continually visiting the wounded. In Paris alone, they visit seven hospitals for the British wounded. Hundreds upon hundreds of letters have been written to anxious relatives and friends, and where husbands have been in distress about their wives in ill-health or poverty at home, a swift message across the channel has been sent to our officer in the town mentioned, who has gladly gone to comfort and a.s.sist the distressed ones concerned, and our Army sisters have received scores of 'last messages' to wives and children as the brave fellows have been pa.s.sing away. Testaments, papers, stationery, and chocolates are distributed, and a thousand and one of those gentle heart ministries peculiar alone to women, whose hearts are filled with love to Christ, are performed. Every week two large sacks of clothing made by Salvationists in England are sent to the visiting officers in France for distribution amongst the men.

"At Boulogne, Le Havre, and Abbeville rest rooms, similar to those in Great Britain, have been established.

"Pa.s.sing mention must be made of the patrols of Salvation Army officers at the great London railway stations, such as Waterloo, Victoria, &c. The special work of these officers is to care for men stranded on Sat.u.r.day and Sunday nights. Rooms have been opened in the neighbourhood where the men are provided with blankets and refreshments. Some of the men, whose troubles have resulted from drink, have been led to renounce their drinking habits.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Drawn by Paul Thiriat._ IN THE FOReT DE LA NIEPPE.

An English private and a French sergeant bind each other's wounds, and then faint from loss of blood. Both were rescued, being discovered by a dog.]

"In this brief review reference has largely been confined to the Salvationists in Great Britain in connexion with the war. This serves as an index of similar efforts which are being actively carried forward by Salvationists in every part of the world, especially in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and even in Germany. They are caring for those reduced to poverty as a result of the war, caring for the wounded, succouring the refugees, and lending the hand of help in many other ways.

"We are unable to more than mention the splendid service rendered by Salvationists in the United States, who organised what was termed an 'Old Linen Campaign'; 300,000 articles for the wounded--comprising bandages, pads, &c.--in a large variety have already been made up, and after being sterilised and labelled, sent forward to France, Belgium, and Germany."

CHAPTER XI

HEADS OF ARMY WORK AT HOME TELL THE STORY OF WORK AT THE FRONT

Church of Scotland Commissioned Chaplains--One Hundred Civilian Ministers of Scotland Offered Their Services--The Rev. W. Stevenson Jaffray's Report--Many Forms of Service at the Front--From No. 10 General Hospital, Rouen--The French Decorate Our Soldiers' Graves--Report of the 1st Echelon General Headquarters--A Chaplain's First Lesson--After Neuve Chapelle--The Work of the Y.M.C.A.--A Breathlessly Summoned Council--Six Hundred Centres--A Glorious Nine Months.

I am indebted to the Rev. J.A. McClymont, D.D., V.D., Convener of the Church of Scotland General a.s.sembly's Committee on Army and Navy Chaplains, for the following account of Presbyterian work at the front. It will supplement and bring up to date references to the work of this great Church in the earlier chapters of this book.

"Before the outbreak of the war six ministers of the Church of Scotland held commissions as regular military chaplains, and all of them, along with four of our Indian chaplains, who accompanied their regiments from the East, are now serving with the Expeditionary Force.

The names of the former are Revs. W.S. Jaffray (1st Cla.s.s), J.T. Bird (1st Cla.s.s), F.W. Stewart (3rd Cla.s.s), A.R. Yeoman (3rd Cla.s.s), J.

Campbell (3rd Cla.s.s), and D.A. Morrison (3rd Cla.s.s); of the latter the names are Revs. G.E. Dodd, Andrew Macfarlane, G.C. Macpherson, and J.H. Horton McNeill. In addition to these, about two hundred civilian ministers of the Church have offered their services as chaplains at the front. Among them are many eloquent preachers, many distinguished scholars, and not a few accomplished athletes. Some have had valuable experience as chaplains in the Territorial Force, or have served as combatants in that force or in the Officers' Training Corps, while others can produce evidence of experience and skill in connexion with the Red Cross Society, the Boys' Brigade, or the Boy Scouts. Some of them can preach in Gaelic, others have a knowledge of French and German and other continental languages, and a personal acquaintance with the countries in which the war is going on. Some have served with acceptance in the Boer War or at a military station at home or abroad.

Keen sportsmen are to be found among them who can shoot, ride, cycle, or drive a motor.

"Until lately the number of additional Presbyterian chaplains allowed by the War Office has been much smaller than was generally expected, considering the many thousands of Territorials who have volunteered for foreign service, and the immense mult.i.tude of recruits who have enlisted in Kitchener's Army. The ideal arrangement would have been to a.s.sign a chaplain to every battalion; but, instead of this, the appointments were at first made to _divisions_ and _hospitals_, the result being that after eight months of the war only eighteen additional chaplains had been appointed for service at the front.

Recently the number has been increased to thirty-eight, making fifty-four Presbyterian chaplains in all; and further additions will soon be made.

In the part.i.tioning of these thirty-eight new chaplaincies among the several Presbyterian churches, the War Office has been guided by the Advisory Committee on the appointment and distribution of Presbyterian chaplains. This Committee was created by Mr. (now Lord) Haldane some years ago, and consists of a representative of the Church of Scotland, the United Free Church, the Presbyterian Church of England, and the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, respectively, with Lord Balfour of Burleigh, a trusted elder of the Church of Scotland, as chairman. The Convener of the Church of Scotland Committee on Army and Navy Chaplains was asked by Lord Balfour to nominate eighteen of the new chaplains, bringing the number of Church of Scotland chaplains on foreign service up to twenty-eight. The Revs. H.Y. Arnott, B.D.

(Newburgh), H. Brown B.D. (Strathmiglo), Geo. Donald, B.D. (Aberdeen), A.S.G. Gilchrist, B.D. (Applegarth), Professor Kay, D.D., James Kirk, M.A. (Dunbar), Oswald B. Milligan (Ayr), A.M. Maclean, B.D. (Paisley), A. Macdonald (Gla.s.sary), D. Macfarlane (Kingussie), J. Campbell McGregor, V.D. (Edinburgh), C.G. Mackenzie, B.D. (Methlick), James MacGibbon, B.D. (Hamilton), J.J. Pryde (Penpont), D.A. Cameron Reid, B.D. (Glasgow), Thos. Scott, M.A., T.D. (Laurencekirk), Patrick Sinclair B.D. (Urquhart), and Geo. Thompson, B.D. (Carnbee), were so nominated. All of these and the other Presbyterian chaplains above referred to, with the exception of three who have gone to the East, are serving in France and Belgium under the direction of the Rev. Dr.

Simms, K.H.C., a minister of the Irish Presbyterian Church, who, but for the war, would have retired on account of the age limit before the end of last year, but is now the responsible and honoured Head of all the chaplains of every denomination at the western seat of war.

Many grateful tributes have been paid to the faithful services rendered to their countrymen by Presbyterian chaplains in this war, and four of them have had the honour of being mentioned in despatches, two of whom are ministers of the Church of Scotland, namely, the Rev.

J.T. Bird and the Rev. A.R. Yeoman. So far, only two chaplains have been wounded, namely, Mr. Yeoman and Mr. J.H.H. McNeill, who are both ministers of the National Church. Before giving a few extracts from letters and reports received from chaplains at the front, it may be well to mention that upwards of twenty ministers of the Church of Scotland and about fifty University students who were studying, or about to study, in the Divinity Hall have joined the Army as combatants--some of them as officers and some of them as private soldiers--while others are serving with the R.A.M.C. Several have done excellent work in connexion with the Y.M.C.A., notably the Rev. L.

McLean Watt (Edinburgh), who was unable to accept a chaplaincy for the period required by the War Office, and the Rev. Hugh Brown (Strathmiglo), before his appointment to a chaplaincy.

"Rev. W. Stevenson Jaffray, senior Chaplain to the Forces, writes as follows:

"'On the evening of October 2, 1914, I received telegraphic instructions from the War Office to join the 7th Division, British Expeditionary Force and reported myself for duty next day. On Sunday, October 4--the last day and Sunday so many hundreds were ever to spend in England--the Division was suddenly ordered to proceed to embark.

Few who were present at the open-air Parade Service that day are likely to forget the scene of the great square, composed of such famous units as the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, and 2nd Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, gathered together for divine worship. The Division--the first British force to land in Belgium--was, within a few hours of disembarking, holding in check no less than five German Army Corps. How the various units added fresh l.u.s.tre to their glorious traditions is known to all who have read the story of Ypres.

"'The chaplain's work at the front is thrillingly interesting, frequently dangerous, and often pathetic, and may be briefly described under four heads.

"'1. _Visiting men in billets._

"'The first duty of a chaplain is to get into intimate touch with his men. He can hope to be useful and influence the men when, and only when, by constant visiting he wins their confidence and goodwill. The shyness, stiffness, and indifference so familiar to chaplains visiting barrack rooms in peace time is altogether unknown at the front. On active service the chaplain is welcomed as a comrade and friend. The men are in billets for a fixed number of days, after which they return to the trenches. Every endeavour is made to get into personal touch with the men during the periods of rest, and to become acquainted with their difficulties and needs.

"'2. _Visiting wounded and dying._

"'The wounded are removed from the trenches immediately it becomes dark and are brought to the Field Ambulance. The hospital work extends far into the night--at times all night, for nights in succession, particularly when a big fight is in progress. This is the most important and impressive part of our work. After the patient has been dressed by the medical officer, the chaplain kneels beside the stretcher and gives whatever comfort and cheer he can. The heroic and patient suffering of our men, their thankfulness and eagerness for spiritual help and consolation, their thought for wives and little ones, their absolute selflessness make one grateful and proud to minister to such n.o.ble souls. Many messages are entrusted to the chaplains. The wounded request a line to be written to allay the fears of loved ones at home. The dying whisper such n.o.ble words as these: (actual message) "Tell my wife I have merely done my duty." "I have a wife and five little ones, G.o.d help them. I never thought I would come to this, but I have done my best for my country."

"'3. _Divine Service._