BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2758, 29 April 1916, Page 9

BOOKS OF THE DAY

mNTHONY wildinc, athlete ' and soldier. ;.',v

" Onjthe ; title-page-.of Mr. A.-Wallis Myers's well-written, and, to every New Zealander, deeply, interesting, monograph, ''Captain Anthony 1 •Wilding": (London, Hodder aiid Stoughton), are quoted some ■ well-known lines by Sir Henry •Newbolt: •'■;.■■ .-, '-, lb .-'.- set' (the. . cause. above renown, .. ..;■ To love. the game beyond the prize,; To honour,'while you 'strike him down, ;- The foe that comos with fearless eyes; To count the life of battlo good, And dear the land which gave you birth. And dearer-yet the.brotherhood ■-■ That binds the brave of all the earth. . ' Nothing. could have been more ap-, propriate than the quotation of NewrDolt!s beautiful lines (from his noble poem' "Clifton Chapel") in connection with, the career, in sport and war, of one who- was 'the gamest. gild fairest • minded of sportsmen, and . who proved himself _one of the most gallant of soldiers. Vvith Anthony .Wilding,' the prize was never aught but a secondary consideration. It was-the game he' loved, the game, of war just as much as that peaceful pastime inpursuit of which he had won. a., .world-wide. 'reputation.,' ft; yis good ""'that -.the'-; main" facts" .'of is career,, both in sport r and .war, should be set forth for tho benefit of his fellow-countrymen and ; the men of the race to 'which, he,belonged, .for his was a life by' no means without a lesson for the younger generation of readers. After referring to Wilding's love of mechanical traction, and the renown he had won'at his.favourite pastime, his biographer makes special allusion to the bend of friendship and actual affection' which Wilding had the knack of creating ' between himself, and so many 'of those who met him. Mr. Myers says: Anthony WTilding ' had more . than lis body. to off or the world. ■ The man ".was finer, than his play. Ho' possessed, that rare, elusive auality called personal'magnetism. •'Beneath-his perfectly ■ developed frame/there beat.the heart of a child.. Like a child he was unconscious of control and: impatient of discipline. Like a child, using only the art of an. unsophisticated nature, he claimed andiron indulgence. Yet, when the real test- came— in sport or "in ..war—Anthony": .Wilding revealed a steadfastness,, a faculty. for concentration, a self-Tel ilancc and a resource-' fulness which made : up a strong character. Physically and' mentally ho became a, iman: spiritually; he was a. boy until the end.'. ■ ■■ > ': ,Mr; Myers'gives an interesting .account of Wilding's boyhood, of his peaceful and beautiful home at Cpawa, near Cniristchnrch,; ; 'He came of_ a family, of athletic and his, home life was siichy.as" : to encourage a love . of good,' clean" sporty He,was educated at Mr. .'J school-Yin Cranmer Square, OhristcKurch, his} earliest local triumph in lawn;/i^nnis':.being when he; won,' when the Canterbury Provincial: Tennis Champlonshio, his opponent; in the final,, curiously enough, beinghis' father's old partner, Miv E-. D; Barman, who.had held the title for-seven ; years, .and-,.was then a veteran.- His career at Cambridge, and his, earlier' tennis experiences, in England and on;: the ..Continent, are next described.' .Iri' succeeding chapters" Mr; Myers.tolls-.of Wilding's career as the . World's Tennis Champion, recounting Davis Cup memories and'referring to hisrhero's friendship .with imany notable P"oi)le. M. B. Fisher was one of his. great personal friends, 1 and the book contains'many references to this '. gentleman. 'i-Mr!.\ M^ers, .gives. l -' ton; an interesting' ■ •'■'. accphjvt,.'' "of ! -. Wilding's maw ,'■■ /mprpr.-cyolihg • . tours,"; oiH*. oi which;''!'. -took/'. ;him J; : v ; saS ; .;fe ; r ;• '. a field in Eurone-;as. -'Belgrade, and his mercantilevj'fexbe'riences-—he -was, ior; '.'. . .some: time-erigaged ; in the wood pulp; ." : business "in England;'.". It is;.-however ; Mr. 1 Myers's-/account .of Wilding's; con-_ nection with "the war, his service nt;tke Western front "with the Duke pf Westminster's armoured '■■ motor-car'service,' which/will ' specially interest ;, many : readers of the. " • book., , When war broke out Wilding was - playing" in . international matches ■■ in the United States: one of his opponents at Pittsburg being a German, named Froitzhoim. "I remember," says-Mr. Myers, ''that Anthony'chaffed Froitzheim.'as he, left.to. catch the boat ; at • New York, on" the prospect of a bayonet tussle on theoourts at Hornburg, which both of them knew, so well:/ The .priir irony of that Country Club- banter ofter "occurs to'-me now. Little did eithei imagine that the one would be a, pris oner of war: in England "for r man; months, the other'blown "to'pieces by.: German .sTiell in Flanders;" ■')' ■'■■■■::■'■'■' Upon .arriving in -England,* Wildih; : at once answered the nail of duty. Fror the first, says Mr. Myers,' he '''smcl ; petrol,"; and began to -'worrv.:round : to see "'.'what iwas going -in: the moto line." "His "friend-Wins+on Ghurrh)' Helped him, and'■ 'early- in October. 1914 he was gazetted second lieutenant i the Royal Marines, from which was f bo drawn/a special brigade to inclnd armoured cars as auxiliary units. Hi sneci?,' knowledge '«f th" r 'nntii>ont -"■ his skill as a motor driver" won hir .in appointment, 'h'roc+lv he arr>"ed ' France, in th? Headquarters _ Tntpll: rence Corps. Lat=r on, he joined th Naval Air Win", "with arm""fed cm pr. : n side-show." Finally; in the sp'rin " of last' rpnr. he became busilv engage in- act".?] 'fighting on the La Ba.«"« linr His b'ogranher , gives .a . detailed • *ii dcpnlv-intpr"stiT'g n"cou"t of the fin work dor« hv tho New Zealander. ,0 Mux S. Wilding, ."'ho had volunteer" f-r the job. was toM off with -bis- iunir eflWr. Lieut. H. ■ 0. Wondwarc K.N.T.P., to take . char?e of, som 'armoured motor-curs, carrying gun.; ■ which'wer" to be taken into. a_very lie vancoi-l n"d very dipterous position, th pnocial obiectu-Cr being the dp*tructio of some of the ene-nv's machine-gu posts, which nromised to eivo ent trou 1 dii'-"io- the rriiect"d. >'l vnnce 11i" f . Wil'%f* 'full rpco'miisod th» v"T\b "f th-; ' shown hv 'the W-°r winch. h->fnr .'"""illg f"r the -.dvani"d 'Vint at f"rov Barhee. n — + " tijn's friend, Lieut. Commander Chilcot: For renllv the first tirni in seven and half months I h--.ve a ioh in hand whip is likelv to end in. eun. I end the whpi outfit ti»in? blown to hell. However, it i a. sporting, chano". ond if we succ".e'i w will- help orir infantry no end. I Kno t.hn ioh.'emctlv. end. the objects .in vie from mv st.udv of them—it is v™ oni wav to play in.business T vn-r. Wl">t' write to vou .about is this: If my t-railc and t get forcibly wit out of action, p.sk you . . . (here followed ■«■ few. simn] ins'tructions as to tho disposal of hi mo ; ir-car and "other property"). The journey, "to tho advanced,, posi tion was made "at night, and withou lights, AVilding and his C.P.O. takmi turns to walk in front of the trailer, s bad were the roads.. Three trips.; t bring up adequate ammunition, had t he niade—"under a galling- fire in th pitch dark." At the front'AVilding me an old tennis friend, Lieuteu ant Milburn, of the 4th Suffolk (seriously wounded a day or two later) and "a second old opponent on the courts Lieut. Barnes.-also of the 4th Suffolks turned up in the trenches. Just befdri the New Zealander wrapped himself ii an old coat, to snatch a brief sleep Damss'saicl ;to, him: -".Well,, old man

you wore in rotten form when you met Brookes."' Wilding, merely shrugged his broad shoulders and replied: "Un& can't always bo at. one's best." It was his last reference to the''game which lie loved. At dawn, 4.50: a.m., Wilding's gun orewopened fire, ,and continued firing: with intervals, for over ten hours. ' It.wa=--:toiigh work.

Firing had to be stopped several.tames because of shrapnel bursting over the gun. arid because the.eand bags on a.level with the muzzle became ignited. < and . smouldered. Anthony, observed and directed the Bre both from the gun-platform and the trench, all the ■ time under, the hottest counter-shelling. It was miraculous, no was not hit, considering that the gun was four feet about the parapet of the trench.'. "Captain Wilding was very cool, as usual," 'isays C.P.O. Kobhins, "and his attitude 'undoubtedly hod a very fine mora,! effect .on his men." During the day .Anthony, received a . message' from Woodward—wfco was od the, La fßassce Road-advising him that the armoured cor was hit, and had, 'stuck in a she'll hole, and could not get ■ out. Would he direct his fire on tho particular enemy's work . that was shelling the car?

\ At .4.30 p.nu,.on that fateful 9th of May, Wilding had finished his own particular ' work: When his gun orew came down into the trench they had loosed off. altogether some 400 rounds against' the Germans. .He,looked for a place to lie down, cracking ~a joke • with his C.P.O. Against the advice of more than one officer, who' said there .was less ■risk in the trench-itself, : he crawled into a dug-out,- excavated to the' right of,his gun emplacement. Poor,fellow, within less -than,. twenty minutes death had overtaken him.;.

- A young subaltern. of - the 4th Suffolks sat'talking to him at''the-entrance. Shells were hurtling near them.. It was one oi tho greatest trench bombardments of the war. At 4.45 there came a hearty bufst of laughter from the. dug-out. Immediately afterwords a: heavy shell exploded on its roof. . The catastrophe was complete, Aided by four'men of the Suffolks, 0.P.0. - Rdbbins dug through 1 the debris. The bodies of two privates were taken out first-., then Lieut. Pretty, still breath-ing;-finally, from a mass, of .iron,' earth, and sandbags, all that remained ot Captain Wilding. He had been killed instantly. His face was not damaged by the.shell. Lying-intaot amid the wreck-' age, blown out of his pocket, • was a gold cigarotte case, a souvenir of Riviera law* tennis briwnplis in 1914, -presented to Anthony, by his. friend and doubles partner,Orai'g. Biddle. Digging'i his. oar out under cover of Lieut. Woodward, advanced: with a party of Indians, bearing a fresh eupply of ammunition and rations' for Anthony's party on the morrow. He knew--nothing of the tragedy then. On, the way, taking, shelter from & .burst of. firing in some ruins he encoun'tercd "one of the sapper captains previously mentioned, engaged■ in writing' his report by tho light of an electric torch. Recognising Woodward, he said:.."Your, friend. Wilding is 'dead." ■'• It was a knock-; down blow for his hearer, who, like many; another, had.loved Anthony. -Arriving at' thei-gun: position, Woodward found C.P.O. Robbins'sitting witih : his--face in his hands.'.' "That's all there's left of him,"- he choked but,' pointing to-a heap nnder a blanket. Reverently gathered together,' Anthony's. Temains -were quietly buried the '■ next morning, : with many another, .hero, in an orchard which lay at the back of the . trenches/, The shelling had ceased. It was quite.a; Hiviera'day,. warm and sunny. Lieut. Barnes and members of the guncrew' were among the few who were able to jwitness the simple burial service. A rough . cross was made from packing-case wood, and hisname and rank inscribed on' it:': . . ;.-- ~ •.■:■ ..:.-_-....,-,-. - ; - Hundreds of telegrams'and letters of; sympathy,: from"all'over, the world,: reached Wilding's - New' Zealand borne, amongst them, a, : ,message : from the Countess Grosyenor, under whose son, 'the p.uke .of Westminster, .-.- Captain : Wilding .had. served when he first, went, to the front. A special and valuable feature of the book, a* copy of which should find ■a ; .place in • every publio and private library in the . Dominion,- is the splendid series of portraits and illustrations by ,i which the interest of the text is ,so greatly enhanced.' (New Zealand price 6s. 6d.)- ■':.. ,'; •■. ;.-';.;, •; ■■•