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[Page 66]
(60)
Paris Leave
After the Armistice our Division, the Third, was camped in various places around Abbeville and Amiens. I then applied for leave to visit Paris and Brussels, which was granted to me whilst I was at Brigade Headquarters at Rambures.
On March 1st 1919 I received my pass and went over to St Maxent and stayed the night with my Battalion. My pals lent me some of their clothes (mine were old and worn out) such as a new hat, tunic, breeches, puttees &c. I had £25 paid to me out of my credit in pay book. That afternoon walked into Abbeville where I had a hot bath at the Municipal Baths and feeling fresh and happy caught the midnight train to Paris. My pass didn't date till the next day, but the M.P's (Military Police) let several of us on to the station and get away by the midnight train. The Military Police had a very bad name but this instance shews that they weren't all as bad as they were painted. Travelled all night and arrived at the great Railway Station of Paris (Gare du Nord) at 8 a.m. We were met by an Aussie leave sergeant and taken in a motor lorry to the British Headquarters in Paris. Were then given a lecture on how to conduct ourselves and told of many of the doubtful places not to visit. We then went to the Hotel Moderne and booked up. This was a huge hotel run by the English ladies in Paris for the British troops. There were 500 beds in large dormotories. The prices were reasonable 4 francs (3/4) a night for a bed and we could also get a very good meal for 3 francs (2/6). Food in the city was very expensive and a decent meal in a good resturant would cost up to 8 francs (6/8). All the time I was in Paris I never touched meat. I was told that the Parisians ate all horse flesh and as I had a horror of eating same, abstained from meat all the time I was there. We saw the Parisians eating stewed frogs' legs. Only the high class Parisians eat frogs – the feet only – the bodies are not eaten. A certain kind of brown frog is cultivated for this purpose. The ordinary French peasant would no more eat a dish of frogs' legs than an ordinary Englishman.
Sight seeing parties, in charge of the various English ladies, would leave the hotel every morning, afternoon and night. Paris is a wonderful city of 5,000,000 people. It is not as large as London but more beautiful, being built for show and spectacular purposes. The city proper was remodelled and rebuilt by the last of the Emperors – Napoleon III. The streets (they are called boulevardes) are fine. They are very wide with trees on either side and in the centre plots with gardens and flowers, statues and water fountains. The Boulevarde of the Italiens is one of the finest streets in the world – three miles long.
The buildings are marvellous. The city is full of small parks and large squares. The Place de la Concorde is half a mile square, with trees, fountains, and statues in it. The shops were a revelation. We saw the famous stores of Au Printemps, Worths and Paquins and