ON THE NEW ZEALAND FRONT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 179, 18 April 1918, Page 6

ON THE NEW ZEALAND FRONT

A COMPARATIVE LULL RECENT WAR HONOURS (Special Dispatcli from the Now Zealand Official War Correspondent, Captain Malcolm Ross.) April 14. At present we are really moro interested iu the northern battlo than in our own, for we know ovory inch of tho country over which the Germans hnvo beesi advancing, and liavo many reminiscences of tho headquarters we occupied and the homes wo lived in there when first we came to Prance and after llie .Somuie battle. Many of these have now passed into German hands. While the guns in that battle are heard clearly in England, no sound of them has reached us here. For the past few days activity on our front has been confined almost entirely to tho artillery. During tho greater part of the day this is normal, but at times it reaches a giant crescendo, and tho crashing of the' big guns engaged during the night in harassing area snoots make for the lime being impossible. Tho weather i» variable, one day bright:, warm sunshine, and another a blackthorn winter. Our Y.M.C.A. baa been doing splendid work under most difficult oircumstnnccs. Provisions and tobacco were salvaged out of Albert while it was burning and the enemy wore at close quarters. Thousands of cups of cocoa are supplied daily to our men, and comforts are even distributed in tho front Hno by our devoted Y.M.C.A. workers. A divisional canteen was promptly established. It does an extraordinary trade, the takings averaging about one hundred thousaud francs per week. It is patronised by the English as well as the Now Zealand troops. Battle Honours. Private J. R. Bird, of tho Otago Regiment, and tho following machine-gun-ners have been awarded tho Military Medal for acts of gallantry during the recent fighting:—Lanco-Corporal P. Riposio; Sergeants A. Deterret, J. M. Gordon, A. G. Nolder, Corporal C. R. Jury, Private J. Tatham, Lance-C'orpornl J. Horn, Private W. Twentyeige.