8

A Stroll with the Padre

\zoth December^ i939\
4 f*"^ OOD morning, Padr£/

/Good morning, Biddle. Out of hospital
I see/
Tes, Padr£/
A Church of England chaplain, the padre of these
gunners. Built like an athlete, with fine open features
that shone happily over his black stock.
The men greeted him cheerfully,
It took some time/ he told me, cto gain their
confidence. And now they come quite voluntarily
to tell me their family troubles. The poor Biddle
lad, who just saluted you, managed to make himself
very ill indeed a fortnight ago when he got
inoculated three times against typhoid/
'What, three times?5
cYes, three times. You see, when the whole
brigade was being vaccinated against typhoid, there
were three doctors working at three separate tables.
There was a long queue up to each of the tables.
The unfortunate Biddle thought he had to go to
each of the tables in turn. Hence the three injections/
'Good Lord ! The reaction must have been pretty
violent/
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