Bernard McElwaine of Finchley, London, England, says he served four years with the North Shore (N.B.) Regt. About 30 per cent of the regiment was French speaking, though all commands were in English.
One day a French-speaking sergeant was marching a company back to billets in Boscombe, a Bournemouth suburb, when they approached barbed wire on the seacliff. The English command “Mark time” completely deserted the sergeant, but suddenly, inspired, he barked: “Left right, left right, but don’t go anywhere.” Everybody smartly marked time.
Advertisement
