A RHODES SCHOLAR'S LAST LETTER.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 268, 28 October 1916, Page 7

A RHODES SCHOLAR'S LAST LETTER.

“THE GREAT STORM.” The “Spike,” the Victoria University College (Christchurch) magazine, includes in its last issue some very interesting extracts from letters from ex-students now on active service. Amongst them are several taken from the last letters received from the late Captain Alan Macdougall. recently killed in France, and who was a former Rhodes scholar from the Victoria College. These letters rather convey an impression that the loss of friends who had fallen on the field of battle had saddened him and left him lonely. Just two weeks before his death he wrote :—

“It is curious how the vicissitudes and liabilities of this great storm alter one’s scale of values. Most of us, if any of our crowd survive, will apply different standards to life in general after the war is over. In the meantime we take each day as it comes, and keep pretty cheerful. The next- few days will see us in the south. The prospects down there leave us calm. Most of the men whose friendship I valued at Oxford ar on the lists, some dead, some, grievously wounded. I don’t think there is anyone of my real friends actually in the line except possibly a Frenchman: and it's weeks since I heard from him.”

In what was possibly his last letter he wrote:—

“I am kept very busy these days. We are moving from village to village every day, and this means work for me. Our original battalion has changed considei ably. Few of the original officers remain, and few of the men. My best subaltern, as fine, a boy as ever was killed ten days ago. I haven t quite realised the fact; he was unconscious throughout—which was sad. His expression was more pure and serene than any dead man’s I’ve seen —touched as it were with immortally. We buried the boy close to the line, amongst his men, and I think all is well with him and them. The Bosch gave us about fifteen minutes for the service, and then the machine guns spattered all around and we had to get off. Purely a coincidence, as it was all indirect fire.”

Victoria College is very proud of its Roll of Honour, a pride which it has every reason to feel and express. Between 300 and 400 students and ex-students are on active service. The Roll of Honour consists of 36 names, and amongst these are two Rhodes scholars — Captain Alan Macdougall and Lieut Athol Hudson —both of whom were killed in action within a few weeks of one another.