Sidelights On The War

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 57, 23 February 1918, Page 15

Sidelights On The War

Some British battleships have searchlights so powerful that a newspaper may be.read by their light by a persona 18 miles away.

"When my time comes," said an applicant at Willesden Tribunal, "I am prepared to face the music." "The band has been playing for over three years," was the Chairman's retort.

A Brooklyn (New Tork) woman has founded an Order of Godmothers to "take an individual and parental interest in our soldiers, sending letters to them and little gifts of remembrance, and keeping track or them throughout the war."

Very nearly 2,000,000 pounds of Jam ln papier-mache containers are sent to Prance from England every week, and In April last year the contracts department had ordered 260,000.000 pounds. Twelve varieties are Issued, among which strawberry largely preponderates. In 1916 Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa supplied 41,000,000 pounds of Jam.

in a New -l'ork message to his constituents in North Hertfordshire, Lord Robert Cecil, Blockade Minister, asks them to have full confidence that the year 1918 will bring realisation ot those alms for which Britain entered the war.

The "Petit Journal reports that the delegation from Catalonia, which has visited the French front, learned with satisfaction that many Spanish subjects were fighting in the French Foreign Legion, and that several of them had received the Legion of Honour.

" DEAD " FOUR TIMES.

For the fourth time a Dundee woman has received Intimation from the War Office or hor husband's death. Instead of being dead, the man. ex-Sergeant J. S. Meadows, was some time ago discharged from the Army on account of wounds. He is now stage manager of the King's Theatre, Dundee.

A SOLDIER'S OPINION.

It Is evident that Sir lan Hamilton is or the same opinion still that the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula was a mistake. -Our Invincible sailors and soldiers," he says, "sailed away, not because they lost a. trench or a gun; not because of the Turk, nor yet because of the German. As to the reason—in war time no soldier is free to say what he thinks; after a war no one cares what a soldier thinks."

THE POPE AND PALESTINE.

The first authoritative statement as to the attitude of the Holy See towards the question oi' Palestine is published in a long conversation which one of the leading Cardinals in the Roman Curia granted to the editor of the Milan evening Journal.

"Le Sera.' The Cardinal declared that at the Papal Court, save for a small minority, the British occupation of Jerusalem is regarded very favourably. According to the official Catholic view; English dominion, on the score of Its traditional broad, conciliatory policy. Is thought to offer the best guarantees for the liberty of the Church.

HER "NUNC DIMITTIS."

An old lady from Eccles (says the "Manchester Guardian") Inspected the Tank with keen interest. She conducted a deliberate, comprehensive scrutiny, and then, her mission concluded, she said to the crowd: "I'm glad I came to see it. It was a long way to get on a day like this, but I don't regret it." After a pause she added, with immense satisfaction, as one might chant a Nunc Dlmittls: "And now I've seen Kitchener. Sir Daniel Mc.Cabe—and tbe Tank!" She then got on a tram and went home.

HUNTED U-BOATS.

German bulletins dealing with submarine warfare have latterly unwittingly testified to the anxious and harassed life the crews live, says an Amsterdam message. According to the latest semi-official bulletin, a TJboat which returned a few days ago reports thnt one day she was pursued by two aeroplanes in the English Channel lrom noon to evening nnd pelted with 23 water bombs. A few days later the same submarine, in the Irish Sea was hunted by several destroyers, which within a few minutes discharged 31 water bombs, ln this instance Berlin ls able to report no damage done, but does not say how many boats have had similar experiences with a different sequel.

TEN SONS LOST IN THE "WAR.

Ten sons from the home of Mr and Mrs S. G. Ball, of Vancouver, have been kUlen in action during the present war. Six years ago, Mrs Ball, who was a widow with five sons, married her present husband, who was a widower with 11 sons. All these enlisted In various branches of the Overseas Military Forces in Canada, and ten of them have been killed. Mrs Ball herself was wounded while serving as a nurse in the Boer War.

GIRL AVIATOR'S AMBITION.

The "Daily Express" learns from Washington that a special resolution asking that a commission be given to Miss Ruth Law, the famous girl aviator, has been Introduced into Congress. Miss Law has visited many French flying schools, and Is an experienced aviator. She will, it is declared, have no difficulty in passing the aviation tests of the American Army, either In straight or trick flying. Miss Law ls anxious to go to the front in France, and it Is her ambition to be the first woman to drop bomos on Berlin.

ESCAPED FROM ESCORTS.

The military police* have experienced great difficulty ln retaining Private Alfred Anderson of a Reserve Employment Battalion stationed in South London, who was charged at Romford with being a deserter. He was recently posted as an absentee, nnd subsequently the police found hhn In civilian clothes hiding undeT a bed. He was sent back to his unit under escort, but while undergoing a sentence he broke away from his military guard and again made for Romford. Upon his re-arrest, the military sent a specially strong guard to convey him back to his regiment. But he broke away after being handcuffed for an assault on the police, and was captured . some miles away. While doins his sentence be again escaped, and was re-captured at Ilford.

WHAT'S IN A NAME 1

A strange tale Is in circulation at clubs where men from the East foregather (writes Club Member In tbe "Liverpool Post"). It is said that, apart from Genera AUenby's unquestioned success, his name has had a remarkable effect on tbe Turks. For Allcnbv is by them interpreted as Allah Nabi, which means the man from Allah, or the emissary of Allah. Therefore, his triumph has been accepted as a direct divine interposition. This was a stroke ot luck which never entere*. the minds of the war authorities when they wisely gave him his command.

AMERICAN CITY IN FRANCE.

An American city. the population of which will be more than 100.000, is in process of construction ln France. This city Is not a cantonment In any sense of the word, but a regular American city, the great majority of the inhabitants of which will be civilians. The great arsenal which the Ordnance Department of the army U building in France is responsible for the creation of this American town in the heart of France. The arsenal proper will comprise forty-eight buildings, each larger than an average New York City bloc'i. while one of the great ordnance plants will alone be lnrger than all the arsenals ln the United States put together. The city will have Its own police, Are. and health departments, while thousands of small dwellings will be erected to house the workers.

THE KITCHENER MYTH.

The other day. at a dinner party In tue North, says a writer ln the "Pall Mall Gazette." a lady declared she had positive proof that Lord Kitcheuer was alive, the proof being that the sword Lord Kitchener took with him on board the Hampshire was now in the Tower of London, being kept for him. A letter was at once written •by one of the guests to an officer stationed at the Tower to ask if this was true. The answer came that there was certainly a sword of Lord Kitchener's in the Tower, in a glass case, together with Lord Wolseley's sword and Lord Roberts' revolver. But od further inquiry It turned out that the sword wa6 an old Royal Engineer sword worn -by Lord Kitchener ln his younger days, and not a Field Marshal's sword, which would be the only one he would have had on the Hampshire.

MAD SOLDIER WITH BOMB.

A thrilling story Is told of n mad soldier a* large with a tiomb. and a chase after him by a R.A.M.C. man. in connection with the award of the Albert Medal In gold to Private (Acting Lance-Corporal) Jnmes Collins. 14th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C. Near an advanced dressing station In France last November, a lunatic soldier escaped from his escort, and ran away along the trench. Collins ran after him, and the man threatened him with a bomb. Collins closed with the man, who then withdrew the pin from the bomb, and let it fall in tbe trench. In order to save the patient and two other soldiers who were near, Collins put his foot upon the bomb, which exploded, killing the lunatic and injuring Collins severely. Fortunately, the two soldiers were not hurt.

SURE WAY TO END THE WAR

One sure means of ending the war toutside of the imagination of the writers ot romances) exist, and a French contemporary does not forbear to urge the use of it. In Madrid, in a certain public square, stands a statue of Our Lady of Almudena; on a gold chain about the neck of the statue hangs a ring richly set with diamonds. Nobody meddles -with it. Even thieves let it severely alone. And the reason is plain (says an exchange). For the ring is endowed with a terrible power, as its history proves. Alfonso XII. made a present of It to his wife, Queen Mercedes. Queen Mercedes died a month later. Then the king gave the bauble to his sister, the Infanta Maria. A few days afterwards the Infanta died. The ring, reverting to the royal giver, was next presented to his late queen's grandmother. Queen Christina, who was dead within three months. After that the monarch kept the ring ln his own jewel casket. Within the year he was dead. Ever since then the ring has hung about the neck of Our Lady of Almudena. The French suggestion is this: Why shouldn't the present King of Spain offer the ring to the Kaiser?

SOLDIER'S FATAL DELUSION.

An Islington jury found that William Osborne (31), a driver in the Australian Artillery, commuted suicide while of unsound mind. According to the evidence he was admitted to St. Alban's War Hospital from France on Decemiber 3, suffering and gas. On tbe 14th he was granted 14 days' leave. He went to stay at Queensland Square, Holloway, nnd at 7 a.m. on Christmas Day walked ta Hornsey Road Police Station and informed the sergeant that he had cut his throat, and that he wanted to die. as he was the most despicable man alive. In hospital severe wounds to tbe throat, including a severed windpipe, and wounds on the chest near the heart, as well as on the thighs and wrists, were discovered. Deceased stated that he had committed a terrible crime, saying that It was so terrible that he could not dlsoose what it was. Medical evidence showed that decenned was suffering from pneumonia and pleurisy, and had Inflicted the wounds while ln a state of delirium.

LONE SENTRY MURDERED

A dispatch from American headquarters ln Prance says:—ln order to keep American soldiers Informed of the actions of the

enemy and of the inhuman excesses he is

capable of, bulletins are being issued to tbe

One of the bulletins, which was

communicated orally by all unit com-

manners to their men, and posted on the

bulletin boards, describes

the savage

brutality the Germans engaged in when tbe American trenches were raided. The fol-

lowing is what the troops had read ont to

them:—"After a raid by the Germans on

one of the trenches held by American troops, a lone sentry of the Infantry was found with his throat cut from ear to ear.

He had been surprised by an overwhelming force of Germans, and must have been so

A PLUCKY MUNITIONS GIRL. The King and Queen, accompanied by

Princess Mary, visited munitions factories

in the London area a few weeks ago. At

the first factory the royal party, after

signing the visitors' boon, were equipped

with rubber shoes and entered th e danger

zone, wliere thousands of women and girls

were working in isolated buildings -preparing high explosives and fining large shells.

The Queen spoke to several of them, ex-

pressing her appreciation of their work.

At one -point In the huge works the Quoen and Princess left the King and visited the welfare department, in which Her Majesty

showed deep interest. The King also personally thanked many of tho workers for

tilled after capture. Such 'brutality is familiar to old' soldlere who have served! against savages In the Philippine campaign." Another bulletin -which has been posted on the bulletin boards tells the men how the Germans in occupied sections of France and ISclgium are turning out women and children from their homes into the snow, the buildings being then occupied if the soldiers, their liorsee, ana materiel. |

1 their efforts. His Majesty spoke to a gtrl ' named Hannah Spash, -who has worked In three different shops which have been Tvrecked liy explosions, and remarked: •'And to" still come to work here?" "Oh. certainly, sir," said the girl, "I've been blown up three times, so I'm cettin- weed to It now." The King laughed heartily, and expressed his admiration of the girl's I courage. - w