HONOUR TO THE BRAVE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 278, 22 November 1915, Page 4

HONOUR TO THE BRAVE.

————* The story of the torpedoing of the transport Southland in the Aegean Sen, as told in our cable columns to-day, i* a tnost inspiring record of the gallantry and fine spirit of our colonial troops. The great majority of the 2000 soldiers on board the transport werr Austra-, lians. But though there were only a lew i Kew Zealanders, the soldiers of the j Commonwealth and the Dominion have heen associated together so dosely in. Egypt and at Gallipoli that we believe the people of Xew Zealand take atoost Oβ much interest and as much j pride in the exploits of the Australians a≤ in the doings of our boys; and this incident reflects honour on all concerned. Remembering the fate of so many victims of submarine I warfare during the past year, we can I well believe that a torpedo attack at I sea is one of the severest tests of courage and self control that soldiers can ever have to face; and our colonials seem to have stood the ordeal admirably. Xot the least satisfactory feature of the episode was the splendid discipline that the men preserved while waiting for what well may have seemed certain death. Magnificent as was the heroism of Australians and Xew Zealanders at Gaba Tcpe and Sari Bair. we may well doubt if the fighting at Gallipoli can show a more splendid proof of physical and moral courage than the calm and undisturbed bearing of these colonial troops standing unmoved on the deck, awaiting their doom with the hope of rescue lessening as each moment passed. The fact that they were nearly all saved in thi end doee not detract in the least from this splendid display of courage, whicb I shows that our colonial troops are well worthy of a place beside the soldiers and sailors who in past centuries have shed undying lustre on the records of our Army and our Navy.