White Bluffs Drills for War
Local men organize a volunteer 'Home Guard' to prepare for potential service in the Great War.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Probably more interest and enthusiasm has been stirred up among the men of White Bluffs, both young and old, by the preliminary organization of a home guard during the past week, than anything that has happened for a long time. F. M. Weil, who received his training under regular army officers, is acting as instructor and it is the unanimous opinion that as a drillmaster he is an artist. Thirty-four were out Wednesday evening and, considering that with three or four exceptions they were all new at the work, they all performed in an excellent manner. Uniforms will probably be ordered next week and drilling started in earnest. It is hoped that a unit can also be organized at Hanford for it is believed that with the two places working together, a sufficient number can be enrolled to secure free rifles and ammunition. The training is good for everybody and can hurt no one, and with the end of the war apparently some time off, no one knows but that he may be called to the front. If he is, the training received now will be time and effort well spent.
“If you want to know how clumsy you really are, try the Home Guard drills some night.”
The 'Home Guard' represented a domestic mobilization effort that occurred in nearly every American town in 1917. Today, these drills serve as a reminder of how the Great War's reach extended into the daily social life of small towns like White Bluffs long before the first major wave of draftees departed.
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