A Soldier's Letter to Levin

Horowhenua Chronicle, 12 July 1916, Page 2

A Soldier's Letter to Levin

Mr 6. 1. G. Nation, ot Levin, lias received the following interesting letter from a soldier on active service at the front: —France, May 3, 11)10.— .For the first time since arriving in tlfis part of the world 1 take the opportunity of writing a few lines to you. I expect you have heard by this time we have arrived in France. After we left Albany we called at Colombo, and stayed for two days. We were taken ashore and had. a route march • round the town. Wo saw very little of any of the big places in.Egypt, as our camp was a long way from any of them. Egypt is a place I would not like to live in, on account of the heat. We had to do oar driil early in the mornivg and late in the afternoon. We were all very pleased to get away from the place. As Boon as we arrived in Egypt we were told that we would have to go to (France, and you could'not guees how pleased it mad© the Boys. ' Our trip across to France was not a very eomfortalfle one on account of the enemies' We are at our second billet since we arrived here, but we may be going a little further in a few days' time. We got our first alarm to turn out the other night. I can tell you the fgas attacks are no easy thing to work against By ali "accounts: We have been getting plenty of drill in putting on our gas helmets. We were issued, our bullet- proof helmets yesterday and they will be no light weight to carry about. lam not taken up with the water that we get supplied to us; in fact I have never come across water as good a 6 the water we have in New Zealand. Well, taking every place we have been in since leaving home, I have not come, upon any place equal to New Zealandi. I think most of the boys are of the same opinion by the way they talk. I don't thTnk one of them will be sorry when we are able to put foot on home soil again, which no doubt will be very nice for all of us again. Leave is being granted to us to go over to the Old Country, but it is very pleasing to noI tice that leave in most cases is being | granted to those that have their homes tHiere, but I think thai those that are left of ub after the war will be taken there before returning home. I think thd main reason whv most of our own New Zealand boys did not put in for leave is that they are sliort of money. We have had very little "money paid out to us since leaving New "Zealand, and it was a good; thing that I brought sufficient with me. At time® we get fCcw Zealand papers sent out to us; the last lot received was March sth. Since arriving at this billet we have been fortunate enough to get the Eng-' lish papers every morning, but I don't think one of them come up to New Zealand papers for abroad news."