THE ITALIANS.

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 2732, 1 June 1915, Page 4

THE ITALIANS.

ROYAL PRINCES IN THE FIGHTING LINE. QUEEN ELENA'S RED CROSS WORK.

I The following article was written by J. A. Sinclair Poolejf the London Express correspondent at Rome, early in April: — j Should Italy have occasion to ', march to war, nearly all the male I members' of the House of Savoy will take an active part in the campaign j either on land or sea. i King Victor Emmanuel is the gen- [ eralissimo of the Italian armies, and, j like the C'/.av, King George*, and the • Emperor William, will presumably j visit the front for the purpose.of encouraging his troops. The heads of the House of Savoy : have always been noted for bravery j in the field rather than for strategic I abilty, and, though the'days have j now passed when monarchs thein--1 selves led their treops in the charge, fit is (■•.rtain that if the Constitution i alluweu, King Victor himself, if Italy i were called to arms, would be found j following, the chivalrous example of : the famous Prince Eugene of Savoy, ■ Charles Albert, Victor Em manual, and his own father, King Emberto. NAVAL EXPERT. The King's uncle,.the Duke of Genoa, is a noted admiral, and is considered one of the best technical experts, in the Italian navy. Ho is now advanced in years, but it is certain that as adviser of the. .Naval Board in Rome and commander of the Heet at Genoa, his voice, if occasion arises, J will be profitably heard in the cotmi cil room. The Duke of the Abruzzi is a dashing naval commander, and at the j present time is in command of the rleeets assembled at Taranto. During the Libyan war he distinguished himself by the masterly manner in which he commanded the torpedo squadrons, and his raids on the Turkish ports of Albania led to his being temporarily retired at the request of Austria. He desires nothing so much as the opportunity of not only avenging that insult, but of wiping out the disastrous defeat ,at Lissa, which still ; rankles in the Italian soul. High up in the ranks of Italian generals is the I>uke d'Aosta, who for many years has commanded the troops of the district of Naples. He is a hardworking officer, and insists on getting an equal amount of work out jof his subordinates. Should hostilities break out he would probably bo appointed to the command of the first army. • | A POPULAR OFFICER. j His brother, the Count of Turin, is a distinguished cavalry officer, who . is in command of the 3rd Cavalry Di- ! j. vision. The Count of Turin is one iof the most popular officers, in the I J kingdom, and his men are devoted to him. He has made a particular study of the eastern frontier, and two years ago, during the cavalry ma- j noeuvres in tlie valley of the Po and i the Venezia, he added greatly to his repiitaion as a loader. Of the younger members of the House of Savoy, the I'rinco of Udino j is a lieutenant in the navy, and has . risen to the rank of torpedo commander. Like his father, the Duko of Genoa, he is devoted to the navy ■ as a profession. His younger broth- [ er, the Duke of Pistoia, has also entered tho navy. Nximerous royal ladies would be 1 available for looking after the wounded. Queen Elena would, of course, take her position as head of the Red Cross service, on which she has spent so much time. Her self-abnegation at the "time of the Messina earthquake and during the Libyan war are matters of history. She has always taken the greatest interest in the work of the hospitals of Rome, and, in fact,: of all Italy, and it was her observations during the Messina earthquake which,led to the training of hundreds of ladies throughout the country for JRed Cross work. CARE.OF WOUNDED. She realised after the experience of the earthquake that should Italy go to war, thousands of valuable lives would be lost fof lack of proper nursing. The Red Cross, indeed, existed in Italy, but it was on such a scale that it was not possible to cope with a great disaster or with a national cj-'yis. Nursing in Italy was confined In the male orderlies of thcßed Cross a Mil to the nuns in the hospital and convents, and in V(>rv few private clinics were (here trained nurses as w< , know Uioni.

Tin , principal places where nursing was taught as a profession were tlio AiiL;!>)-Ampric;in Nursing Home and Ihe Hospital of the English Blue SisisT.s. Taking these as a basis, the IJin'on instituted schools and classes lor the training of women in Red Cn>s:? work, and already hundreds of probationers, drawn from the best clnssps of Roman society, have passed through the Blue Sisters Hospital, where the principal surgeons of Rome hold instruction classes every week.

In the military hospitals other classes arc held, with the result that, from the Queen's initiative, there are now from 4000 to 5000 Red Cross nurses who have qualified in the past few years.

The interest- of the Duchess d'Aosta is well known for all that concerns sick nursing. During the Libyan war she fitted out a hospital boat and took charge of it herself. Should war break out, it is certain that she will again lie found using her- influence and skill'in the cause of charity.