THE ANZACS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLII, Issue 89, 16 May 1916, Page 3

THE ANZACS.

♦ »» WISE TO HUN TRICKS. SNIPERS DO 6000 WORK. " SCUM OF THE EARTH " GIVE BOCHES A LACING.

SOMEWHERE IN FLANDERS.

IIJG'JJI-AMi OFFICER'S TRIBUTE. LONDON, May 10. ,V Jfi-ml;< 11 ■ 1 officer states: "There is a consiMisu.s of opinion tliat the Australasians are the truest troops ever seen on tin' west front, and are the best Hotbed ami equipped men to be found anywhere. They arc big, strapping fellow.-, with no surplus fat, anj they will play the Dickens with the linns. They are well disciplined, though their discipline is not quite on the same lines as ours, being more elastic and better suiting tin 1 Anzac spirit of freedom." A photograph showing endless lines of Australians marching past General Joffro during his inspection has arrived in London. A youiifr Australian who lias arrived in London tells a typical tale. He spent a period in the front line trenches of a salient, a good part of which is now held hy the Australians, with New Zealawlers to the south and Canadians to the north. His unit relieved a Scottish regiment, who told them: "Fritz is not so bad, and if left alone he will not worry you.' Only bombing and shelling hail oi-eiirred to date, and there was a gas attai-fi to the north of them, but he heard that only one or two Australians had been gas.-ed. He said the Huns were a different class of adversary to the Turk. Their artillery fire was far worse, hut their sniping was much less. The line is reputed to be fairly quiet, but heavy shelling is commencing. Part of their front has sandbag trenches, because the uater is close to the surface. Flanders is more comfortable than Gallipoli. He was much struck by the continuous sinking of the Germans at night lime. They were a cheery lot, and he thought they must have a plentiful supply of liquor. Orders were given to the Australians in France not to write home for live weeks, heii.-e ;l | OM g delay in receiving letters must be expected. FRENCH PRESS LAUDATION. PARIS. May in. The newspapers, commenting on the arrival of the An/.acs, pay a warm tribute to the bravery displayed by them hitherto. Le Journal say,s:"'' There is not a liner title to glory in this war than theirs gained on Gallipoli. Their sacrifices proved vain, but they gained undying fame, and history 'will tell again and the story of the great deeds of these improvised soldiers from Hie Antipodes, who struggled vainlv to "est the key to the Dardanelles. These have men of Anzac are now to partake "' onr battle,, and w j|| |j,i<l nm , brothers in-nnns worthy of them." IN THE TRENCHES. LEAKING STEEL HELMETS. JNTEKKS'I Kl> [X AIK DUELS. (Veiul fr..,„ the New Zealand Ollicial War Correspondent.') WELLINGTON, May JJ. Anzac Day passed quietly in France. rb « general commanding the army inJPMted the various Australian and New «>lan.] units. i n a manly speech, PMtly appreciated bv the troops, he !ta N that (ieneral Bird wood's name *™il for ever be associated with the PMws of Anzac, and he felt sure the ! h,s °f the past would be repeated '" w new sphere. In concluding, he ™t upon the necessity for discipline, ta t»)g that the best disciplined troops «M always proved the most successful. Beautiful weather has now followed Pon a i oß p speJl of ( . o]d ail( , wet) and ■'Australians and New Zealanders in w trenches and the reserve are fit and "good hear;. The line at present is J "''• ''X'-cpt for some shelling in the |Woli| l , tri . Ml ., u . Si There is little rifle '•l'"' siupin, „,, ] )0tll si ,| es | )t , u)ff so o,i|^l„a,|. ai . (l h ept down. In one JJ» the <;,.,-„,„„ front line is less than J-ards ;,,v:iy. The trenches, which j rat-mtVsted and wet, are beiug SS;" y . i,,,pr °' p,i - ti,c " olo,lial, ar ° the V*"' '"-''"'els, which, replacing tout t fdt hatS ' give them an un ' (J a PP ear ance. At times heavy filing ~,„ bo hear(| in the d;s . JJ lf :" l '"« f -«l'l.-.lailv to witness air isli»i r ; "'"'- ''M'loits jf one Britturas tv ,V, '° S, '° l ' ,,r ' ,lau *? er ai "' re " *ith i° 0, -' sen 'ation timeJ after time £\° f shra fi»erburatiug close >ta»t' ' earned their stinted «awon : ° aeof the first si « hts we >okb f arnval in Prance was a German ■*Mti e -i n!ulg ,lown behind our lines ' tw o t! • being march c<l off between f* d . v mn ! les w ith fixed bayonets. A plan. [ S , . a l ter ow guns hit a German i^£'l fe ! froraagreatliei « ht ' t""» aad observer being killed.

r CENSORSHIP FATUITY.

WHY CONCEAL WHEREABOUTS i SYDNEY, May 11. The Daily Telegraph comments that the arrival of the Australians in France marks the occasion of one of the best jokes of the war. "The censor allowed the fact to be cabled that the Germans opposite to otir men's trenches welcomed them, which could hardly have been done if they did not know where they were. Yet the censor conceals their whereabouts from the public—i.e., though he lets us know that the Ger- | mans know where our men are, he will . not let us know where they are, for fear ! of letting the Germans know that wo j know that they know. How on" earth j would it help the enemy if they were to make the important discovery that we know that they know where our men are.' Only the censorship knows." MARCH IN NORTH LONDON. INTENSE PUBLIC ENTHUSIASM. LONDON, May 111. Two thousand Australian and New Zealand troops in the Loudon area gathered at the Alexandra Palace at Mrs Fink's invitation and marched through the crowded streets of Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill. The excitement in North Loudon was equal to that of Anzac Day. For miles the streets were lined six deep, and women filing (lowers on the troops. Char-a-bancs were provided for the wounded. THE ANZAOS' FIRST FIGHT. GERMANS TASTE THEIR QUALITY. * LONDON, May 12. The Morning Cost's correspondent at the British headquarters writes: "The Anzacs did not have to wait long to blood their steel on real Germans. They achieved their heart's desire on the night of the 7th inst. A Hun reconnoitring party, armed with bombs, tried to get a glimp.se of the trenches. In such cases one of two things usually happens. Either the men stick to their trenches and suffer casualties from bombs, or they clear out, allowing the enemy to obtain the information he desires. The Anzacs took a middle course. They sprang out of the trench and met the bombers on No Alan's Land.- A verv 'pretty' fight followed. The Germans, seeing that their party was hard pressed, sent up supports, and the Australians did likewise, until the Anzacs drove back the raiders, who sustained substantial losses in killed and wounded. This was it new thing, and pleased the An/.acs' imnienselv. I "Since the An/.acs lauded no time has been lost in getting them back to 'the tiring line. They may take it as a com- ■ pliment tiiaf they were given one of the. ■most famous sectors of the front, where vigilance ami all soldierly qualities are constantly needed. The Anzacs are one of the most useful contingents who ever came out, owing to their preliminary . training in the severest kind of warfare. j There is no wonder-that such experience : tempered their mettle. They were utilised almost immediately, but have something to learn before they are thoroughly adapted to the kind of lighting in France. They have a profusion of heavy artillery, and a multitude of deadlytrench weapons, which are more or less a novelty.'' "Above all, the Anzacs are busy learning the Huns' tricks. All agree that the Turk is a gentleman, but inex-, perienced; his tactics are more cultured than those of Fritz. As a general said: 'The Anzac is not naturally a tricky j fighter. Though trained in the art of ■ war, and knowing, like a sportsman, how to take cover, his chief preference is a vigorous rough-and-tumble, stand-up fight in the open.' He has attained a high standard in musketry, and the forces produce excelleut snipers. The ' latter have already done good work,' find have inflicted many casualties. The snipers make it a point of honour never j to report a hit unless they arc absolutely ! sure. The Anzacs have made fighting a ' business, and work their hardest, put- j ting their defences into super-fine order.' Their experiences on Gallipoli have made . them fastidious regarding their tren- ! dies. They have constructed wonderful broad and deep communication trendies I on the hill sides. The underground galleries and trenches are sometimes 30 feet deep, necessitating stairways to reach the firing platforms. Water is too abun-'' dant, and the Anzacs' enthusiasm is un- ! damped. They are delighted with their billets, with real beds and furniture, and even hot baths, of which full use is | made. The horse transport is a wel-j come change after mule packs. The recollection of hard times at Gallipoli serves to stimulate the Anzacs to hearty enthusiasm.

! ARRIVING IN LONDON DAILY.

"THE SCUM OF THE EARTH." BEAT THE PRUSSIANS. LONDON, May 11. Though London is accustomed to the Anzacs, it is a novelty to see them with | full .kit fresh from the trenches, with mud caking their putties. Some of them arrive at Victoria Station almost daily. They are delighted at the change from Gallipoli to France, which is like home to them. They declare that the fighting there is a picnic compared with Gallipoli. They are delighted with the excellent organisation, especially as regards the commissariat and the daily supplies of bread, water and bully beef. The Prussians recently, after hoisting boards calling the Anzacs the "scum of. the earth," attacked their trenches, but were driven back. This Prussian repulse was evidently to the satisfaction of the Saxons, who replaced the Prussians, and who hoisted a board with the inscription: "The scum of the earth j have beaten the Prussians."