Central Collegiate Institute - Ye Flame Yearbook (Regina, Saskatchewan Canada)

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REMINISCENSES Hugh Wayne looked silently at the great bronze commemo- rative tablet before him. Old friends, comrades-in-arms, had owned these names. Some were dead, some in high positions, some tramping the road. He, himself, was but one more transient in shabby clothes, but his broad shoulders and slim waist, and his soldierly carriage gave him distinction. His good-humoured, square-jawed face bore a pensive expression, but his right cheek was marred by a. long scar. 1914 was a horror-stricken year for Canadians. The tales from the front and the remorseless German drive with its useless cruelty filled the enlisting offices as nothing else could. Hugh Wayne and Lance Cole were chums in every sense of the word. When Central Collegiate was first opened, the two had met as second years, both fifteen. Together they had skipped classes, worried teachers, and done everything of which a boy of their age could think. Hugh's father was lame and was not a.ccepted for the service, while Lance had lost his in the Boer war. Therefore, it was their one ambition to get in the army. It was a pair of shame-faced boys that went home one night after cheerfully lying about their ages. The recruiting officer unfortunately knew them, and smilingly sent them home, t'Curious, he remarked, 'chow much older the Collegiate boys have grown since the war broke out! Hugh remembered with a grin the time he had pensively thrust out a foot just as one of the teachers was backing down the aisle. Then there was the day Lance had poured half a bottle of ink down his back. Yet, with all their fun, they spent spare time practising drilling and shooting with a rifle owned by Hugh's father. 1915. Still Hugh and Lance were gloomy, fearful that the war would end before then chance came. That was the year they had broken the blackboard and risen to high commands in the cadets. Lance's eighteenth birthday came at la st, but he managed to wait a month for Hugh's birthday. Thanks to Lance's uncle, a colonel, and also to their ability, they received commissions. 1916. France, sunny France! Anything but sunny felt Hugh as he thought of the marches in the rain, the cold, and then the wet trenches. He lingered his scar. That nearly sent me west, he mused, 'HI can see it all--. Over the top! That was a command that did not tend to cheer one up, but Lance and Hugh were always first over. There was one great attack they made, but it was a dangerous one. The Germans swept their ranks with machine-gun fire and shells, and met their attack with bayonets. Hugh had received his scar when he deflected an officer's sword-thrust from Lance, and it dazed him. He found himself in the German lines with Lance trying to rescue him. Unfortunately they were both captured. ' 20

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1917. A year of deadly monotony in prison camp. Escapes were planned by Hugh and Lance but few were feasible, and when they tried one they were caught. Hugh was taken to a prison camp near the border, separated from his pal. He did not give up hope, but learned the routes from the prison and the plan of the rooms as well as possible. In the daily routine he kept himself physically fit for an escape. 1918. A mad break for freedom with official papers from the prison office that he managed to seize. No telling what they might contain. He galloped across the Dutch border on a stolen horse half a league before the Boche pursuers. The papers held important plans of the front, and made a large attack successful. The flight turned Hughis hair grey at the temples, but it brought him promotion. Armistice! Lance was finally freed from the prison camp, and by 1919 the two were back in Canada swapping tales. It seemed as though they were doomed to be separated, for Hugh received a position in South America and Lance remained in Regina. They swore vows that they would be chums always, write often, and never marry. They agreed to meet at Central Collegiate in 1934, Central's twenty-fifth anniversary, if it were humanly possible. Slowly the years passed, and Hugh and Lance lost contact. Hugh was a rover, and finally he and Lance drifted out of writing. Then at last came the depression and the crash of Hugh's fortunes. He worked his way back to Canada, and drifted across the country, doing odd jobs and keeping alive 1934. Hugh remembered his promise. The date was to have been 24th of May, and with a sudden whim he worked his way back to Regina. Well, here he was in the halls of Central, and despite new additions and changes, it was familiar. Old scenes flashed before him. He wondered if Lance would remember. Anyway, he could wait hours, no money, no food. His mother and father were dead now, while he had been away. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Hugh! old pal! Yes, it was Lance, an older, more serious Lance, but still full of fun. They clasped hands for a full minute without speaking, smiling at each other. Do you remember?-- began Hugh. 'fRemember that time- started Lance. Again they smiled, then Lance drew Hugh's arm into his. Come to my suite, he said, There is so much to talk about. I'm in business on my own now, and Hugh, won't you come in with me? You know, our motto has always been f'United we stand. You're a good fellow, Lance, said his chum, So be it. H It was close to midnight when the two old soldiers and chums ended their tales. Ah, well, said Hugh, stretching lazily, f'We've passed through everything a man could. Perhaps we're has-beens now, 21