AUSTRALIAN FLEET.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8208, 4 August 1915, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN FLEET.

READY FOR ACTION. FAITH IN ADMIRAL BEATTY. i " Tiiiugs are protty hot round this quarter,"'said an officer with the Australian Fleet,..in,,the. course of a letter to a friend in Melbourne. "We are always ready to open tire, and wear our lifebelts continuously, to give us a chance if we strike a mine or meet a submarine. .- .

" For the first weel^ ?>: he went on to say, " the anxiety, was a torture. I used to have the nightmare when wo first started business, and so did a good many more, but one soon gets tired of thimting about war and settles down to a normal condition.

"The cold weather has bowled over a few of our fellows. We %uried four in Scotland. The last burial was very sad. We carried the: victim to the little graveyard while the snow was falling, and the Union Jack was all covered with it when the service had been read by. the-chaplain. The - men all sang ' Abide with; Me,' and his specia-1 chums lowered the body into the grave/ After the. ceremony was over, everybody saluted. No volleys were fired.

"The men afterwards took up a subscription and gave it to the old white-headed sexton of the church. He had a little daughter, and he promised that as long as she lived she would'tend the four graves of the Australians, which are side by side, and put fresh flowers on them. He was a venerable old soul, and the daughter reminded me of Little Nell in the Dickens yarn. I was jolly glad when the band marched us back with 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary.' I had a good draw of the pipe before I got my spirits back.

"The sfeip is joined up with a powerful squadron of her own, class. There is no mistake that if we do meet any of the enemy'a ships we will give them a had time, although we will, perhaps, get a rough handling ourselves. They are no douffers at the game, you know; but we have every confidence in Ad-^ miral Beatty. 1 hardly think there can be' anything else done. to make us moi-e ready. "It was fine the other day to see the spirit of our follows when we got close to the enemy. Stokers were shaking hands with the seamen, and all hands were soon moving about' at top speed. Lots of youngsters came up to me and said,.'ls it a dinkum show this time, sir ?' or 'Are we going to get a smack at them this time," sir ?' and so on. I never saw men so keen. Mere boys have been carried down to the doctor, completely exhausted with colds and coughs before they would give in. That's the sort of grit we want. Most of these young Australians are vrery keen on snowballing. They think the snow is wonderful." ■■'•■■.■■