Little Old Lady Tends N.Z. Graves

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 220, 17 September 1938, Page 11 (Supplement)

Little Old Lady Tends N.Z. Graves

LABOUR OF LOVE AT BROCKENHVRST

A PARTY of New Zealanders at present touring the British Isles recently paid a visit to Brockenhurst, England, where a hospital was established for wounded New Zealand soldiers during the Great War. Miss May Sherriff, of Auckland, who was a member of the party, sends the following report on their visit to Brockenhurst:

There are 100 New Zealand soldiers, thtee Belgians, one Englishman, one Canadian and, I am not sure, but thjre may be some of other nationalities. Out of about 250,000 soldiers who want through the hospitals here, these J»re all who died, and the Brockenhurot people are very proud of that record. But listen to this:

During the war, a lady used to go and read and talk with the soldiers, and ever since then «he goes up to the graves of the New Zealand soldiers and puts fresh flowers there two and three times each week. She ie over 70 :iow, and has to bike there, and is the wife of quite a poor labouring man, but -she loves to do it.

Each grave k marked with a stone slab, with the name, age and regiment of the soldier, while over all is a huge white cross, and it is at the foot of this cross that the flowers are placed. They were there when we arrived, mid no one knew—not even ourselves—that we were going. Everything is very neat and tidy, and we all thought it was so wonderful of her that we took up a collection for this little old lady—Mrs. Botting, Woodlands Road, Brockenhurst.

Overshadowing the churchyard is a tiny ancient church so peacefully s'it amongst trees. One yew is 12,000 years old and still alive, placed only in church - yards, because it kills cattle if they eat its leaves, hence it is grown out of their danger zone. At the gateway is an oak tree 1000 years old, but now dead and just a sjump. This old tree was mentioned in the Doomsday Book, the caretaker told us. We spent a few moments in this little church and saw that a New Zealand flag hangs there, while one of the bolls i 3 a memorial to the New Zealand soldiers. I wonder if the relatives of these 100 New Zealand soldiers know that the graves of their dear ones are so well tended. Mr. Ritchie, our tour director, "wrote on behalf of the party a letter of thanks to Mrs. Botting. ♦ ♦ ♦ * "SHORTS" PROBLEM How It Was Solved JT happened that the infantry regiments of the N.Z.E.F. were ordered to Ismailia in the early part of 1915 with a view to taking part in the defence of the Suez Canal, and having their first taste of the stark and grim reality of war.

Spick and span the regiments arrived at the camp, near Isinailia railway station. The weather became very hot. The Indian regiments in the vicinity were clothed in drill shorts. A soldieV belonging to the 2nd South Canterbury Company cut off the legs of his trousers and appeared in "shorts"' on parade. He was "tried" the next morning and sentenced to one day's "C.8.," but in Orders Part 2 the infantry were allowed to cut the legs off trousers above the knee, and in a day or two there were sufficient half trouser-legs of khaki cloth lying about to start a rag factory. J.D.