THE SMOKE CONCERT

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 62, 10 September 1925, Page 7

THE SMOKE CONCERT

In the. evening the conference entertained His Excellency. Sir. .Charles' Fer-, gusson, the association's, patron, at . a "smoke concert,"' held, in the R.S.A. There was a crowded ■ attendance ■of South African veterans. , ■'.-■■..- '■■.■.--.'.'

Keplying to the welcome of Mr. J. A. \ Simpson, Dominion' president, His Ex: cpllency said it'had always-been his regret thatjn hjs- soldiering „career*., hey had jmissed -the campaign in Soiith Af-; k rica, and could \only say in extenuation that-at the time he .was'busily engaged in the Sudan.' , ; '.' .' ';,- • '

v "It, is perfectly true that your association was the first(to greet:me when I stepped 'ashore last' December," he said,, "and' it /made me., feel very much at home, just at a'moment when I felt like a rescruit;■ when he first parades ,'on 'the barrack square. It made me, feel at home and happy for the rest.of - the day." ■'''.■■ -.- '•■..■/•'■•'■: ■ '■■-. •/■'. !v ;:

His Excellency j recalled, incidents of the South African 1 campaign; and paid a tribute to the men \vho held the front line trenches in any war. :-; . ,: ' ' "It is perfectly -true vwbat was said, that the. South. African: War. did a great deal for the' Empire,"'; ■he remarked. "The lessons tye tledrnt- stood : . us in. very good .stead.:. After the campaign Sir John French' set 'to work to i-ebr-> ganise ,tho British Army mainly on the j lines of good: shooting, and good extended order .work. In the first, three months of the war, in 1914, what saved us\ and saved the situation, was the good shooting of bur men. And yet, you will remember •'. how it ■; was;. the Bqers who taught us the vjilue ;of good shooting. The. Germans will; not believe in the,- 1 Groat War that wo idid not have a larg/, er number of .-'machine .'.'guns'. than^ they had, .because the' rifle fire of our men resembled machine gun fire.; And we only had two. machine guns to a battalion, and usually one didn't worlv -It is marvellous to think .that .after a few years: the Boers stood by us' and did -their part in the Great War." - '.

■VRefemhg 'to ..an spirit, Excellency said that he would>.not say. that tho Imperial spirit of -New Zealand was . borii iir'-;the South African. War,, "but, it is. a,fact'that in-the South Af-; rican War you developed the spirit of New Zealand," he said,- "and showed the world Vwhat thei. spirit of New Zealand was; and you handed on thdlse traditions so that when the; Great- War broke out that' spirit was exemplified by. the magnificent men you.sent to the front." a , ..' ■ .'■ '.:■."..'.', .. •''■' '•

Iji, conclusion, ■ "Jlis Excellency.,said that the - veterans', courage and self-sac-rifice would never be forgotten. . -..\

During ;the evening -His Excellency was presented with a gold', fern' leaf, the; association's badge, atid an appropriatelyrbound memento volume. An enjoyable evening w.as'passed with "the singing of old soldier songs, and His Excellency went among the. ,veterans and chatted a few minutes to each.. : .;