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Western Mail, Thursday 16 February 1933, page 2
Men Who Served Again.
The German West African and the German East African campaigns were fought by two distinct expeditionary forces. Each was enlisted for but one campaign and discharged on its termination. A South African field artillery brigade in our division was largely made up of men who had served through both of the African stunts, their joining the artillery having been their third enlistment. Some, moreover, wore the Boer War ribbons.
Admittedly, Africa was not the shambles of Flanders. However:
While waiting for my discharge papers-at the Crystal Palace, my curiosity was aroused by a little group of men standing nearby. Though only privates and junior N.C.O.’s, most of them were wearing M.C. or/and D.S.O. ribbons. In the end I approached one private and queried his right to the decoration.
“Oh." he said, "I collected that in France. I held a commission there. We are just back from Archangel. We re-enlisted!" ... "Yes, they were all, officers. That chap there (indicating another private) was a colonel in France. The corporal next to him was a captain," and so on.
And in those days the battlefield was no glamorous memory of the lone ago, but a grim reality of yesterday.
147344; R.A., Forest Grove.