ANZAC IN LONDON.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15488, 15 January 1916, Page 3

ANZAC IN LONDON.

HEROES EVERYWHERE. HUSH FOR E>"GAGBME>"T Kl>' gs(From tho "Sun" Corrc;po n " dent.) LONDON, November 20. is he—a millionaire?" ■Chv," low comedian in the latest I^ ll oQ revue. "Wc-el, not quite," answers the la - est Ixindon revue "luit he s an tralian soldier from the Dardanelles. That is one of the ways the - ,ls tralian convalescent has struck don ; jKisaibly l>ecause it is so difficu to separate him from a taxi-cab. >u there are many other aspects that are already familiar to ]>ondoncrs. Tho Australian soldier came to land with a good reputation, due in tne first place to tho sympathetic <h spatches of Mr Ashmead Bartlctt an later to the wise policy of the Loinmonwealth in issuing the, letters _ Captain Bean broadcast to the Britisn Press. Finding he was a. good iavouiite here, Tommy Cornstalk made np n s mind to deserve the position taoroughly. The standard of bohaviour lws fixed for those wearing the of the A.I.F. is an ambitious one, but Vg is so generally observed that the m [have increased their prestige with c\erj succeeding week. • » Take, lor instance, the matter personal nppearanc. The uniform issued. to him when he leaves hospital is ordinarv slop-made affair common to tho British Army. Bift the Commonwealth Military Office substitutes smai t riding breeches, and lie is allowed go to a tailor and provide himself " it a tunic of the best cut. , prico the slop-made jacket is allowed ' lim ' matter of little more than 10s) • tiio balance he pays out of his own P°£et' . and judgincr from tho W ost Lnd s." P' *- he. sometimes patronises, the differ • must be a tidy one. , But the result is, that alongside the British Tommy, with his slacks bulg)' over his puttees, and his jacket n » where it touches, the Australian IOOU like a racehorse beside a battery mule Neatly-fitting brown boots, pol.shcJ < frequent intervals in defiance of ■ Ijondon mud, complete a get-up has impressed a city by 110 means - prcssionable. "Thoy ali ?° k . lko f ! ?:1 | airy majors," said an 1/nglish fnend •io tho writer after a mid-day usit t the Anzac Buffet. . Another abiding impression is tnat, of their cheery good humour. hoon after their presence here was felt a Press photographer had the the happ> inspiration to photograph a dozen 01 moro of them separately, each man wearing a broad grin. The pictures were published under the heading, "Soldiers from the Land of the Happy Smile." . , , r, 1' London just now is the home 01 tlie everlasting grouch. _ _Laughter has been extinguished with light Jhe old Cockney jesting is dulled; the streets are filled with auxious-lcoKitig girls going to the new employments that war and circumstances have created for them. In_ such _ conditions the natty Australian, with the smile always lurking about his eyewrinkles, makes one of the bright spots 011 tho dull pavement. And Xondon loves to see him there, and has learned to smile with him. The men arc übiquitous. It is said that thero are 10,000 of tlicin in this country, but there arc times when it seems there must be ten times as many. One finds them everywhere; they turn up in the oddest places, always enjoying themselves most obviously. Recently, tho- writer was called upon to visit a "High-brow" women's cluh, much patronised _by those -women of the learned professions who arc now coming so rapidly to the front. The centre of attraction was a group of . half a dozen Australian privates. who were chatting to tneir hostesses with an absence of self-con-sciousness that was infinitely winning.

This absence of. self-consciousness is carrying them far. They are not wounded heroes for oue minute of the day, but just Australians in his Majesty's uniform, having a good time in liondon, and discreetly doing .just as they please. They go to and Iro on their lawful occasions, without one touch of pose or military .swagger. Ai.d, between ourselves, London is just a little tired- of youths who are trying the. effect of a little newly-acquired military swagger. A couple of , them electrified Selfridge's big stores the other day, without being in any way conscious of the effect they were producing. They were doing their Christmas shopping for Australia, and presently steered 1 to the department for children's clothing. where tho taller of the pail-— both were six-footers —announced his intention of "buying something for my sister's kids."

They calmly priced children's garments of all kinds, some of a description so intimate that one smart shop assistant retired blushing from the counter, and made way for an older and staider colleague. The news spread about the department store as though some wireless magic -were at work. Astonishing the number of pretty shop assistants whose business took them to that department! Enormous the number of shopping ladies who looked in. and retired to the writing-room for a comfortable laugh! Wonderful the sympathetic interest of shoppers and snoppces alike in the' Antipodean purchases. But Andy of the Antipodes and bis mate Billjim seemed quite oblivious of the sensation they were causing. They made their bargains judicially and without anv undue haste. Tlif goods were parcelled up. and thev walked off with them, without winking an eyelid. It was a feat beyond the Englishman, especially the Englishman in uniform. The Australian soldier is an inveterate sightseer. He mav be found at anv time of day inspecting the free sights of London: and those are tho best sights the big city affords. The picture galleries and' churches, the narks and museums, have become familiar to him. The old curator of the mummy room at the British Museum lias his own story of an Australian comment on his pet exhibits. ■ "Egvntian mumnnes," lie says. "Humph, nity the ain't all mummies."

Mr John Burns has also a tale of two Australian soldiers whom he took to tho House of Commons and afterwards for a walk through his beloved London. Tn Whitehall he stopped and showed them a historic window, where a former Ivins: of England came to a sudden and nitiful end. "And now."' said one of his guests. "I shall be able to go back to Australia and tell them I saw the place where old Charlie was shortened."' Last, hut not least. There is a shop in Victoria street where are sold Australian badges in all metals, and other articles of jewellery as well. If you got to know liim well, the proprietor of that shop will affirm his honest belief that the first thing an Australian does when he is certified for furlough, and draws his arrears of pay, is to buy An engagement rine. This is sad telling for Australian mothers and sisters, but the romance of the Australian soldier is very apt to begin in a British military hospital. First act, the visit of the sympathetic English girl and her mother; second act. visit of the convalescent Australian to the pleasant English home. The scenes follow' in quick succession. "And so," says Thomas Cornstalk, as he modestly tells the tale of his confiuest, "when I go back to Australia 1 shall not go back alone."' I wonder I