AFTER MESSINES. .

Grey River Argus, 5 September 1917, Page 3

AFTER MESSINES. .

GENERAL GODLEY'S ADDRESS TO VICTORIOUS FIRST BRIGADE. Tlic' following address by General Sir Alexander Godley, G.0.C., to the victorious First New Zealand Infantry Brigade, after the Battle oi Messinun, in which they so greatly distinguished thciuise-1-veiv was read in the ilousu oi Rcjjrosciittives yesterday by the Minister for Defence, (the Hon. Sir James Allen): — "To the First New Zealand infantry Brigade came the honour of capturing the key to the whole position attacked by the Wc-coml Army, in this they had succeeded, when they captured and consolidated the Black Line, forward of Messines. As they had been the original brigade to leave New Zealand, he had asked General Russell to give them this to do, and they had done it well. He was sure no body of troops could have done the work better or more completely. The dash of the brigade and the manner in which they had attacked were absolutely all that could be desired, and lie had no hesitation in saying that the Battle of Messincs ' had set the seal on what they- had already done on Gallipoli and the Somme. Their casualties testified to the .severity of the fighting they had*to do. HIGH TRIBUTE TO BRIGADIER- ' • GENERAL BROWN. "He greatly deplored the loss of their gallant brigadier, who was killed at the moment of victory at the head of the brigade he had so gallantly led to the top of the hill. He was a great loss to the force, and also to New Zealand and to . the Empire. There was no finer man. He was sure that they all felt how much they had lost in his deaths and in the death ot the other brave }ofticcrs,_ non-commis-sioned officers, and men who had fall- : en in that great victory. couclu- ■ siou,^ie would like just to tell them ■ how proud he was to have had a hand t in the raising of the First Brigade and '■ in bringing it from New Zealand. He ' was sure also that everyone in , New 5 Zealand Avould be proud to hear what had been done once more by the origi- [ nal brigade. Personally, he wished tt ' thank them from his, heart fur whal they had done for the corps."