TRIBUTES TO THEIR VALOUR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2755, 26 April 1916, Page 6

TRIBUTES TO THEIR VALOUR

NATIONAL MEMORIAL SERVICES : , WORLD-WIDE APPRECIATION

- ; The va'lour of the heroes of Gallipoli was oommemoTated yesterday, Anzac Day, the' first anniversaryof-/the landing' by and .New. Zealand troops on Gal-lipoli-Peniiisnlal' Throughout the' City the public buildings and business houses ■were beflagged, and the stopping'iva's-literally covered with- banting in honour of day.Ah improve'memorial service: was held in the Town Hall in the afternoon, and a great patriotic meeting was held at night.' Numerous gatherings were ' j'i f/also held*4n' ; .honoux ; ;'ofvtlie : 'Aiizacs. ' ■ ' , . ■v'ivv * . '/ The, general'i.history, of 'the now famous' Gallipoli campaign is familiar to all :.: : ... ! 'Ne)v Zealapdefs;:;bat.the following taain features ,of the land campaign may to .• again recited . , 1915. \ . .; : 'April 23.—First.lantling of allied forces on Gallipoli.' r'April'2-1.T7-British_capture Sedd-el-Bahr.* . . ... '/.■ ; ■:' April 25.-7-Australians and ( New Zealanders land north of Gaba.Tepe. ''.'April 26.—Turkish attack's repelled by,"Anzaos." '■ . : ; : - April.27. : rAllied troops advance and establish a front two miles inland from Cape :.Helles.: ■' : ■' v. . 1 :. 'April ;28.-rFurth'eiv advance made on Krithia front. .■ 1 ;^vJ\V;May/|2.^Allies-now-;hold _Galja'-.Tepe; '. •. •' • May • s.—Turks check Allies', advance at'Sedd-el-Bahr and'near Ari Burnu. . ' : 'T:T. : May''6:tp B.—Thiee days'battle.for.-KTithia.i. . r. May 9.—The Turks[ opposite Anzac Cove,'being reinforced, deliver a strong attack >"'i . • on the New Zealanders and' Australians, and are repulsed with, loss of ' ... 7,000 men.? Anzacs lost 500. ' '. '!,■% ' May 12; to 28.—Slight advance towards'Krithia. The Trench take Haricot Redoubt, j-June Turkish; attack at Gaba Teperepulsed. . June 4.—lighting for Achi'Baba; Anza'cs make"soo, yards progress. - : June. 22.-r-The. 'French attack the Turks, successfully'atKereves Dere. : June 23.—Attack on Achi Babii. The ;Boomerang Redoubt- and .three, lines' of . ' • Turkish trenches captured. : ' v': June 30.-:Kghting near. Krithia; several Unas of Turkish trenches captured. ;.,'v v July. i— I The Turks make several attacks on the Allies;' but are.repulsed with .'.v.''/','./ heavy losses. .;•••• ' '. -•. /J their line-half a mile irij the direction 1 of Aclii Baba. i/'Aug. 6—Landing of:forces,at Suvla Bay. . ' V.'-Vi'i- -. '' : : Aug. 7 to'lo.—Battle of Lone Pine;.casualties about" ■ British and Anzacs link up and establish united front;'aboiit frvo and a half-miles inland. V V .V ' Anzacs reach the crest of liut''have' to withdraw for lack r.... • of support by the Suvla Bay forces. [ ' Aug. 21—Hill 70. taken by ; Suvla forces,'and, again lost: . Anzacs take Hill • GO. >.■•' .v: . Allies'deliver a frontal attack on the Turkish lines round Anafarta. t Oct.; 20 —Sir. Tan. Hamilton,. Commander-in-Chief,'.'.'.recalled, and Major-General t .""'> . Monro sent to report,on : the situation. ('..- .'V Nov.'. 27.—Lord Kitchener' vidts-'.the: Anzac! and Krithia fronts. . i. ■ Dec. .lo.^Turkish'"attack at\Krithia.repulsed.by"New Zealanders.. i, f. Dec. 20.—1n accordance with" General Monro's recommendation, the Suvla Bay and i '.- • Anzac forces ovacuato their positions. ■ • • . :; r -. |... Jan. B.—British and French forces withdraw from Cape Helles, completing the j:--••'.' evacuation of Gallipoli Peninsula. • ..v

.MEMORIAL SERVICE

GREAT GATHERING AT THE TOWN HALL ■ LESSONS FROM GALLIPOLI ''• "We have met. to-day not only -. to oommemorate the \alour of our ■ . oitizen-soldiers, . but also to pay : our. tribute of sorrow to tho mem- •. . , ory_ of . those, who, regarding hot . V their lives unto the death,': >died «.<•/.'- •that. Britain', might live. : We had need of them, here,. .bu/t the -Em-' ! pire needed them still more, and - ■ so they .gave,.their .bodies to ..the '. . ' deadly hazard, and now they' are . numbered with the dead." . In these words did the Rev. Dr. Gibb express' the - purpose .of . yesterday's National Memorial Service in the Town Hall. . The service , was attended by a .very -large gathering of citizens and" soldiers. Every seat in the large building >vas occupied, some hundreds were staad-. ing, and • numerous others were unable to gain admission 1 on account of the lack of accommodation.V Admission to the hall was by ticket, and there wa9 considerable. . crowding :at -the main door as the hour of 3 o'clock drew near., .The Rev. Dr. Gibb; of St. John's .Church, presided, and' among those seated on the platform-wore: Their Honours Mr. Justice Cooper and. Jlr. Justice Hosking, the Minister of Internal Affairs (the lion; G. W. Russell), representing the Government,. the Hon. O.' J. Johnston,'M.L.C., 'Briga-dier-General Robin, and staff, SurgeonGeneral Henderson and ."staff/ the. Mayor .P: Luke), the Acting Town Clerk (Mr. R. Tait), city councillors, aid other representatives of public bodies. ■The'following.was'the order of' the service:—Hymn, "Our God, Our Help: in Ages Past"?; Lesson, Psalm xc.', Rev. John, Dawson (Methodist); Prayer, Rev. A. M. Johnson, M.A. (Anglican); Hymn, '"Lead, Kindly,. Light"; Lesson, 1 Corinthians, xv., 35—58, Colonel Powley (Salvation Army); Prayer, Intercessional and .Lord's. Prayer, Rev.-.1. -Seed- Glasson- (Congregational); Hymn; : "Lord God of. Hosts, Whose Mighty Hand"; Organ Solo, Dead March in /'Saul/' Mr: H. S.. Claughton; "Last Post"; Address, Rev. James Gibb, D.D. (Presbyterian); National Anthem; Benediction, Rev. W. H.'.Hinton (Bap- ; tist). ' "■«;■ '' '; • Dr. Gibb's Address.

In the course -pf his address, Dr. Gibb . 6aid;'*imong"the ganarit.'(rdops, 7 ; a dash >nd /..intrepidity", unsurpassed ...in all 'the ,} gi;eat? etolry Vof->British --military prowess, in. the;'face .'of. a'.hail' ofnead'.and bursting, shells, stormed the; tangled-sorub and • perpendicular cliffs '.'Gaflipolv' no men were more; : gallant;than,, .those who. looked ; to' New-' Zealand" as;their home. ■We, indeed,' claim for them ino monopoly uf ■ manhood. From first to last' of the tragic operations, in the Dardanelles, the Home-born, the Australian, and . the New Zealander vied with , one another in [gal- • lantry. But on this occasion we'"Shall be forgiven if wo think only of our own bravo sons. No man will gainsay us-if, for.this brief hour,, we.are conscious only of a jnstiprido.in; their, sphndid achieve-; ment, "of admiration <>f their superb co'ui- : age, of sorrow that: so many of them will come'back to us no more. It was -'ray.-privilege to.' Teiid a :letteii'i to'„his y-notlier from a yonng Scotsman, who took .part in the great adventure. • He escaped nvithout injury, in the landing, .but a few .lays later was:numbered with.the dead. In his letter he said:' "You..kmjw.'how projid; I am that I am a Scottish man, •but after this I shall be no less-proud if anyone takes me for a New Zealander. Their courage was wonderful." A Scotsman could say no more, and what he 6aid all the world has been saying, • Dr. Gibb went on to refer to the manner in which our citizens had rallied to tho flag*j and to the price paid in wounds -and death-Hie inevitable Tesult of such an onset as the New Zealand men made at Gallipoli. With the rote of sorrow for those who fell was blended a note of triumph for those whose manhood endured the greatest test, and whose sacrifice ] had laid their country under an,endless debt of gratitude. We might not let ■'. the occasion pass by with merely a tribute of sorrow and admiration. From their graves our departed ones bid us 'care for those left behind, and it would ■■ be 'a shameful thing if any woman, whose husband died for New Zealand, or any— a mother, whose manly 6on was her sole support, should know the pinch of poverty because of the loss of the breadwinner. The dead men also sent a message to the laggards and the shirkers urging them to carry on to completion the worlc already began, and not to let their toil, the agony and the dying ,be in vain. Not alone to the men fit for military service did the heroes of 'Gallipoli speak. They called to tho whole body of. pooplo, bidding them to realise the gravity of the position. There seemed, indeed,.little reason to fear that tho French, <?r the British lines would be driven back, and less that there would be any invasion of .Britain. But what likelihood was there of breaking through tho embattled German hosts?; In actual

distance we were much further from Berlin, than the : Germans were from London.;' ; *'if,"' continued Dr Gibb, "the accursed ; militarism and . 'arrogance : of Prussia is not so smashed and pulverised that it. can' nevor again raise its ghastly head, ' then all the blood, and treasure spent -'.in this conflict will have beeu spent, in vain.. AVith some-of. the sentiments to'which frfeqiifent. expression has been given of.' late, and which', if' given effect .to, would. place Germany for all time'routside the pale, of European comity,' I have no sympathy. We are fighting not for the annihilation of Germany or the Germans, but for the destruction of a military caste, fot the emancipation' of th'e. German people themselves, for the brotherhood- of the Tace, for the Parliament: of man, and the federation of the world." He asked how many of us realised- what was required for the mightytask ahead. , During 120 months of war there had been in this country all increase. .of'- frivolity; an increase of drinking, an increase of gambling, an increase, of immorality, of at least of the prevalence of unmentionable diseases, an increase of money spent on' foolish and vapid amusements. . Our very .efforts to raise money for wounded soldiers and bereaved families had : been conducted — many of them—in an atmosphere of foolery as becoming as would be the dancing .of a clown oh a new-made grave, to raise money for the headstone to the man ly,ing beneath. , *-These dead men, in .their 'graves at .Gallipoli,. cry shame on us," 6aid Dr. Gibb.. "Shallow,- superficial, lacking in greatness and dignity .of spirit, we are unworthy of the'men - who have died for us." Finally, did hot the dead bid lis' turn to the (Sunreme Disposer of all events for forgiveness for our shortcomings, and for guidance in the midst of our perplexities. That God's hand had been upon us in the past made it but more imperative that we should now look to Him. and! trust in the shadow oi His,' wings. , "We would get. the victory when wc were. worthy of it! , Surely it was now for ns to turn with our whole hearts {to fch& Lord, - "who would have mercy upon uSr'to our God, Who would abundantly pardon. As Joab of old said to the hosts of Israel on the .eve of battle: 'Be of good courage and let us plav the men i.for" onr. people and the cities of God. : But the purpose should be to make Britain and: Europe and the world •worthy of Him, 'Who, by inalienable right, ■ is our Supreme I-ord and Master."