FIRST YEAR OF WAR.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3999, 4 August 1915, Page 5

FIRST YEAR OF WAR.

RECORD OF ENEMY GAINS

A GERMAN CLAIM

B’ITAIN'S «I)PKK.MA€Y OX TMi SEA.

(Times siii:.l Sydney Sue. Service..) eived Ami. 3. 7.4 5 p.m.) LONDON, A tig. ?>. A Berlin wireless asserts that the Central powers have occupied TO,-312 still are miles ,( >1 foreign territory and the Allies 4231. Tho total prisoners „t war in Germany and Austria ns i 095,400, he-sides seven thousand ("annon and three thousand machine guns. , The Paris press devotes columns to the first year of the war. _ It el°quoutlv expresses the resolution or the French to attain victory. The American papers contain gentle recognition that Germany has scored iio*\vily on land, but this is onset >y the generous acknowledgment of tlio part the British Fleet has played. The “New York World” says: • Except for the British Navy the Germans would be masters of the world. Paper after paper maintains that the safety of the United States d‘" pends on the thorough defeat <n the Germans.

THE LESSON OF THENTHA'M. PIG TiM AT ENT) ATKINS OF A 1 EDTCAU COAIAUTTEE. AY'ißu'-int.iou Tc»lc»jjraiA.» WELLINGTON, Aug. A. The recommendations of the medical committee appointed, to visit lientliam v.oro pla f, od fK’loro tlio Commission to-day ny I>r Elliott. 4he doctors reported lhat they were not satisfied with the accommodation at Trent ham for infectious cases. They considered there was need for a change in the methods n? medical administration and supervision. J he.i were convinced that men were being sent out on sick leave who might possibly bo a menace to the health of the CDiiunuiiitv. it was absolutely nercs-s...-v to enpoint a bacteriologist to ho in cr’istaiit touch with the medical officers of the mi!iU"-y kemutals. They were strong.lv oi iMunion that a sepaiato hospital' staff_ required in every large e-mo. in ."dc.iti’in to tegtmen'tal and umlmlan-.'e mother.! ‘Tfcers. All eases oi yerebro-i.pim'-meiiingitis. in view oi ihe im’.ueqmite :iceominodalion for pre.-eiit eases a I’rent ham. should he removed and in view of the probable exu u-io > or the epidemic, they recommend mat a Toper!v equipped centra! ievtn hospital should he at on: e a.n angcl lor an that a fully-equipped hospital for the < or.vevance ol smr men suouK 1 . j ; rr: ,! ■ r ed. These suggestion-. It was stated, were not in any sense reflections «:i the capability and indiiF.tr> of the medical officers, yvho the, committee believed worn cm ox- 1- ••it,. hard, and did the utmost any medical men can do to cope with the situation.

SOLDsERS’ LETTERS.

IX A “REAL FIGHT.’

DEAD OFFICER'S LAST LETTERS

13v Telegraph—Special Correspondent. ' - 1 VUCKLAXD, Aug. 3 One of those who dud from woun<l> : eceived in action at the Dardanelles uas Lieut. Frederick dames <u the 3rd Auckland .Mounted Bums Regiment. Lieutenant Mem was the son of the late Air dniin Men- and All s Weir, formerly of Fast jamaki and. prior to* his enlistment, he was <?nin the Auckland warehouse oi A roll ilia Id Clark and Sons, Ltd. .and w;i< voi'v popular with a*l v.ho hue him. Li'eut. Weir was shot, apparentlv on Mnv .'3O, on which date ho nau tv rill on an' interesting, hut unfhm.ied fetter to his mother, and died on dune 5 on hoard the Hospital Ship Gascon. The authentic news of his death is contained in a letter from tlm chaplain who attended his dea.ll hod This letter has hist been received bv his mother and the sadness of the news is accentuated by the fact that tiie same mail brought- a (otter from Colonel AhicKesy. who was his commanding officer, dated June expressing his regret that Lieutenant Weir had been wounded and ills nlcasun at the favorable nature of the doctor’s reports. Two letters from her son were received by Airs AYeir by the last mail.

“A few <lavs ago T was in a proper fight- with machine guns, rifles, and bombs, the late officer wrote on -May 23 “Tlio euoinv rushed on all sides and we fought like mad for about three hours altogether. She ground was absolutely strewn with dead—too horrible for words. 1 ■ j j l<u [ ;1 few close shaves but- am unhurt. The oilier night at dusk the enemy tried to get at us under covet of the white flag. Me gave them two minutes to quit and opened fire and they returned rather (illicitly. ‘•There are two villages near whowe are and a few days ago.we watched our shins of war shelling one .oi I'iom,” Lieut. Weir wrote on May 30 fu his last letter. “The village was about three miles and a-half from, its destructors and it- was a great sightto sco shell after shell landing on the houses. The bombardment lasted for about half an hour and the village was practically reduced to the ground. About the centre ot the village, towering high above the houses, rose a minaret beside the mosouo. It was a beautiful mark and the heart of many a gunner must have yearned for a shot;itot, but here the British shine forth again by respecting the religion oi their enemies. Shells burst all round imt it still stands. We all got up out of the trenches to watch and chi' enein.v did not fire a shot. They must have been intently watching the same object. At any rate, it would have been perilous to have raised our heads above the narnpet before the drama- commenced.”

HUNTING A SUBMARINE. AN I NTF.R KITING LETTER. Uv Telcraph—Sifeal Correspondent APCndijANI). Aug. 0. , One of tin l hoys of the College 11 dies on iiietive service with, the New Zealand division at Gallipoli writes in-’ terest-ingly about a search for a submarines. . ~ , ‘ “Wo had a good sight here the other day,” he says. “An airship located an enemy submarine and all the destroyers from round the place camo at 'breakneck speed up to the spot. 'They followed the submarine wherever sho went and one of the destroyers had a, good go io ram her, imt she was too deep and escaped. H was a pretty sight to see the airship volplaning and when she got directly over the submarine she dropped acouple of bombs, hut did not do _an\ good. The sailors had a good joke with the submarine, so we hear, and I fancy it is true. They filled up an old transport- will cement and did hoi up to look like a first-class battleship and sent her out about three miles off Lemnos, the naval harbor. Along comes the submarines and puts five torpedoes into her. Of course it did not blow a hole in her but site simply cracked in half. Afterwards the submarine went and had a go at the barricaded harbor of Lemnos. When she saw the buoys she thought she would clear them all right- She dived, hut it appears the navy had ex-tended the nets about 500 yards, further out and sho got hopelessly In no-led in the nets and thev captured her. I don’t know How true this is. hut I can vouch for the dummy battleship, because T saw' her myself.”