COMRADES ML

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 15, 18 January 1940, Page 10

COMRADES ML

JSOLDIERS' LIFE

WHY DID YOU ENLIST?

A DIGGER ANSWERS

"Why did you enlist in the last war and what did you think of soldiering on active service?" This question was asked by "The Post" of an old "Digger" who went overseas with the Main Body of the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force. His answer was illuminating and interesting, particularly to the young men of today who know nothing of war. "Why did I join up?" he said. "Well, I was born in New Zealand of parents ~ of pioneer British stock, and I suppose the spirit of adventure was deeprooted in me as it must have been in them to bring them across the world to settle in this country. I had always taken an interest in soldiering, and when war was declared I decided that here was my chance to see a bit of the world, and perhaps appease my natural desire for adventure. I. can. claim to be as patriotic to my King and country as the next man, but I am afraid that did not influence me very much. I wanted adventure and here seemed to be my opportunity so I seized it. "I was one of the lucky ones, and, except for a few scratches—l was m the infantry, too—managed to* see the whole show through. Yes, I was at the landing on Gallipoli and was one of the first New Zealanders to set foot on Turkish soil. That was a great day. We left Mudros harbour in a captured German, transport, and as the dawn of April 25, 1915, broke what a sight was presented to our-eyes. It was a beautiful day—the sun just appearing over Asia Minor, crowds of ships, transports, and warships of allsizes, off Gape Helles/ GALLIPOLI LANDING. "The boom of guns came.to us over the sea as the warships covered the landing at Cape Helle's of the gallant 19th Division under General HunterWeston. Enemy batteries .from the coast of Asia Minor were shelling the (' ships as they stood in to .disembark the men. Great spouts of water shot up when the shells fell in-the- sea or clouds of dust when they landed on the cliffs and beaches alaove highwater mark. "Ahead could be seen a.great-cloud of smoke, out of which, as .we drew . nearer and the sun grew- stronger, could be seen. another group. of warships spitting fire and death as they covered the landing of the 13th Australian Brigade at Anzac. . On our transport everyone was tense with excitement—tense and determined to carry out his part of the plan allotted to the New Zealand Brigade. "Our morale was high and we were fit as fiddles after four and a half months'" training over the Egyptian desert just outside Cairo. I wonder if these fellows of our hew expeditionary force will see Egypt? I hope they do, because it is one of the most interesting countries in the-.world. I could talk all night about-.Cairo with, its teeming Egyptian and. -:Sudanese population, of Gezirah, the Pyramids, the Suez; Canal, and the wonderful old Nile River. ■ Alexandra, where, we landed, is another of those interesting ancient cities where one conjures up pictures of happenings hundreds of years ago. "But 'l' x was -telling -you about the Anzac landing. As our ship ploughed her way up the coast the noise of battle grew louder and very soon the rattle of machine-guns and bursts of x rifle fire could be heard. Odd bullets \_ zipped. through the air and splashed , in the water near our ship. A few hit the steel sides- of the vessel, but did no harm. OFF- ANZAC COVE. "At last we reaqhed our allotted place, off Anzac Cove between two British battleships, and made ready to disembark. All necessary preparations for this had been completed long b e f or e-_ammunition and rations had been.issued, maps perused, watches synchronised, and orders promulgated ; setting forth in detail what>gvery company, platoon, and section was to do when it landed. It was. not- long before shells started to fall in our vicinity, not, many but one or two uncomfortably close, and all felt a sense of relief when we clambered down Jacob's ladders' into barges and were towed ashore by naval pinnaces. "One memory of that ' landing I shall never lose. I was in a pinnace towing two troop-filled barges. The "middy" in charge was a mere boy about 15 years of age and his crew four or five weatherbeaten old tars. Turkish bullets were zipping in the water around us, but the boy was as calm and collected as if he had been in a launch on Wellington Harbour.^ He set an excellent example to us New Zealariders who were smelling gunpowder for the first time—no, not quite the first time but I will mention that some other time. The cheery 'Aye, aye, sir' of the crew. to» orders ' given by him spoke volumes of the . discipline of the Royal Navy. "Adventure —yes we enlisted, for adventure and here on Gallipoli we found our first but riot last real adventure. War is a game for a real • man and the good and bad times are taken as they come. My experience during four years of war was that" the good times far outweighed the bad ones and that the bad times were very quickly forgotten. "Gallipoli was the New Zealand v soldiers' worst experience- of the whole war. In France we had our bad times —mud and spasms of heavy fighting— but the good times more than made up for them. I /have very pleasant memories of leave in England where everybody did his utmost to make the New Zealand soldiers' holiday a happy one, of leave in Paris, and a six weeks* convalescence in Italy.* MOST CHERISHED MEMORY. "Most cherished war memory of all is the wonderful comradeship between soldiers. It has to be experienced to be realised. No civilian who_-has. not been a soldier on active service can appreciate it. In good times and bad , a soldier is one of a family, a real family where the pettifogging suspicions, jealousies, and selfishness of civil life do not exist.- It is the real life for a true man and brings out all that is good in him. "You ask me what advice I would .. give to a young soldier. I would say j this. Do as you are told cheerfully and ! play the game by your comrades. A : soldier's life is a great one. If he does his job cheerfully and to the best^of' his ability he has nothing to worry about."