WHAT IT RECALLS

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 95, 23 April 1935, Page 10

WHAT IT RECALLS

NEW ZEALAND'S PART

WHAT OF THE FUTURE ?

(By a Returned Soldier.)

■ Twenty years ago the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the shores of Gallipoli in an endeavour to reach Constantinople and so cut the lines of communication between Germany and the Near East. How close that heroic endeavour was to victory has been made apparent only within the last few years. While the expedition did not'succeed in its main object, it was the means of holding the Turkish ' Army to the ground—thus preventing any attack of. a serious nature on Egypt. The Gallipoli campaign was characterised by innumerable deeds of heroism and the extraordinary steadfastness and pertinacity of the troops engaged. Considered in the light of an unrelated operation, it may be regarded as a gallant failure, but when viewed at this distance of time and in relation to operations in other spheres, it is seen to be the first real blow to the German plan for securing world domination. The Anzac and other troops were withdrawn to Egypt, thei;e to recuperate and reform. The New Zealand section of the Anzacs were heavily reinforced from New Zealand, and in the end the New Zealand Infantry Division was formed and, under the command of General Russell, crossed the historic Mediterranean to take its place on the battle-scarred Western Front. ■ ./ ' . The Mounted Rifles Division moved across the desert to the Holy Land to take a leading part in the expulsion of the Turk and German from the Holy places. . In addition to these main forces, 1400 New Zealanders forming the Advance Guard of the Main Body seized and held Samoa, and" hundreds of others served in the Navy, in the Motor-boat Patrols, Q ships, and in other activities. Of the 100,000 men who left these shores, 18,000 gave up their lives for their King and Country, thousands were maimed, and thousands were denied a reasonable chance of learning trades or professions. Thousands of sons of New Zealand lie in graves in foreign lands, and it is these that we remember with pride and affection on Anzac Day. On this day we recall our dear comrades, full of the joy of living, who yielded their all, leaving our sunny skies, our hills and mountains and the" blue sea, to die in the mud of Flanders or on the desert sands. ■.-./■ Have we discharged our duty by shedding a sentimental tear, sincerely enough, once a year? Does their memory not call for more? These men died to preserve for their country freedom and all that freedom means. They died so that the cultural heritage which enriches every Briton' should be preserved. Events in Europe have proved how necessary it was to. fight for our own ideals; THE FARMED CAMP" AGAIN. Europe today is an armed camp— every nation except dear old England arming to the' teeth, training every available man, tearing up treaties, developing an exclusive nationalism and obsessed by hatred and fear, contemplating another plunge into the maelstrom of war. The more brutallyminded make war a fetish and have gone back to worship heathen ! gods. Woe betide the country unprepared and unwilling to fight. Our duty then is to ensure that every available man is trained to' resist invasion and to protect our women, children, and homes from the ravages of an invading army. Every young man.with red blood in his veins, should undergo strenuous military training, the Government should ensure that ah adequate and well-trained staff is available, and that the munitions of war are ample in quantity and equal ' to modern requirements. As Winston Churchill said only this week, we must either surrender or prepare. What is our duty to our dead? It is to ensure that they did not die in vain, that the high ideals for which they died are preserved by us, that the heritage of the ages is passed down to our heirs, enriched and secure. If we fail, the blood of 18,000 New Zealanders will cry to us from the ground.