THE WAR.

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 2601, 9 April 1915, Page 1

THE WAR.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

ON THE BANKS OE THE SUEZ CANAL. i HOW THE MEN WERE WORKED. The young Eeildingite who is at the front sends another instalment of his interesting diary to bis parents, and we are given the privilege of publishing it. Isinailia Camp, Suez Canal., Egypt, (Continued.) Sunday, Feb. 21, 1915. J. arose ab 7.30 o'clock. It was a cloudy day, and trying- hard to rain. AYe spent three hours m the morning reconstructing a trench which we had demolished the previous day. Wo were to render it bomb-proof, and the English Territorial Engineers were to come over on Monday and Tuesday and finish it off I When they did come, they pulled our work to pieces, and hnilt up the shelters —exactly as we ; had them originally.' Did you ever know an expert that would admit that anyone else was right? We left this pleasant spot at midday on Tuesday (16th), heing relieved by a platoon from the Canterbury battalion.' We got back to, camp at 3.30 p.m. On Wednesdlav we "did battalion drill until 11.30* o'clock. Had the .afternoon off, and did a march from 6.45 to 0 p.m. Next day we did a battalion route march to a place on the Canal known as "Hell-for-lea-ther." The real name of the place is "El fir —" I don't know the-spell-ing of it, hut it sounds like leather. ' Friday.—Drill until noon, the afternoon off, and at 6.45 we marched out three miles, dug trenches, and got back at 10 p.m. This morning we had a battalion parade. The Colonel gave us a warning about giving information in letters. It appears, that the Censor has stopped quite a lot of information on military subjects. Down at our camp a horde of natives are building bombproof shelters for the people of Ismailia, iv case the Turks come back. The natives work 15 hours a day, and create a most fearful row with their jabber. A native—even he of the better class—cannot do anything without a frightful amount of talk. You should have seen me when I arrived back at camp after pur sojourn on the Canal. I hadn't had a shave for a fortnight, and my hair badly needed cutting. 1 hope the Censor loses his job soon, so that I can send this letter. Sunday, Feb. 28, 1915. We are back "home" (!) in Zeitoun once more. Yesterday week I wrote my last letter to you—it is still in my pocket, and I will add this one to it. I'm iwriting this in our company mess room. Now.for the: weeks-report:— Last Sunday we had a short Church Parade in the morning; I spent the day in camp', as I had no inclination to "go out. In the "evening, the Orderly Sergeant blew along and warned me for Company Orderly Corporal duty for the next week. On Monday, we did the "company in attack" on the desert. Tuesday, the battalion went for a route.march, each man carrying his lunch. Mv word, it was solid world The. heat was awful, and the sand made very'heavy going. We got back to camp at 4 p.m. 'Wednesday saw us doing "Battalion in Attack"" on the desert. It's no catch advancing in rushes in this heat, and finishing up tho attack with a charge. That night Nos. 5 and 7 platoons were for outpost duty about a mile out. guarding the camp. Being on orderly duty, I was unable to go out with mv platoon. I was very glad wheiij at reveille next morning, the platoons came in with tales of hard- ! ships. Our platoon sergeant (who was a staff sergeant-major in New Zealand) got out in front of the position, and being slow to answer a challenge, was fired on! Luckily, the sentry was either nervous or a- bad shot—for he missed. , ' On Thursday the battalion went out to do some field firing, with ball ammunition. I bad to do a tiling that went much against the grain. After the first mile 1 tell out, and returned to camp with a sore heel When I reported to the doctor and told him 1 had been putting up with it for ten days, he said I was a fool for letting it get so bad. And didn't the hospital orderly givemegip when he was cleaning and dressing it! , . ' Friday morning we struck our tents, packed our kits, aiid took them up to the station. We were all pleased at the prospect of getting back to Cairo. At 5 p.m. were were warned.for a brigade parade at once. We—the Auckland and Canterbury battalionswere paraded before tlie Brigadier. A New Zealand soldier had"' thrown a stone at a Mohammedan priest as ne was calling the faithful to the sunset prover The priest had beeti hit in the mouth. Tbe Brigadier asked who had done this thing? No response. Poor man, he was cub up. about the affair-, and no wonder, rinnk ot the possibility of trouble with 1/0,000 native troops here, the majority of whom are Mohammedans 1 The Brigadier decided to take a sum of money from the funds of each battalion and give it I to the Mohammedan poor. Then he, j two Lieut.-Colonels, and a private from each battalion went to the priest and apologised on behalf of us. 1 heard, later in the evening, that a Canterbury private had gone to Ins colonel and confessed to being the culprit. Rather plucky of him, as tbe Brigadier had promised us that the " nifty man, if found, would be severefv punished. That night we spent m the open, with one blanket, an oilsheet and an overcoat. Cold! Saturday.—: Reveille 5.30, breaklast G-ir,. We (.■■loiired up tho camp site, and entrained at <>.3I). We. Lett at 0 and arrived at Zeitoun station at 3.1.0 p.m. Then we got to work, pitched our tents, and got our gear together. The remaining members of the reinforcements were allotted-to company. I got two more of them in my section - • , •, /-ll , D This morning we had a Church Parade, the sermon being "Man liveth not by bread alone." [Thus endeth the latest instalment of tlie records of this young New Zea- ■ lander on his Great Adventure.] UMILIW IT