BACK UP THE ARMY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 26 May 1915, Page 5

BACK UP THE ARMY.

A BISHOP'S APPEAL TO THE NATION.' ' V"

MORE MEN AW MUNITIONS WANTED.

(Received May 26, 10.38 a.m.)

LONDON, May 25. The Bishop of Pretoria, in a letter to tho Times, says that after a month's visit to the army in Northern France and Flanders he must appeal to the nation to-adopt compulsory service. The troops think the nation is not backing them as it could and should, and they feel that ignorance and apathy at Home are needlessly increasing their' danger and losses. After fighting desperately day and night for weeks with frightful loss the men are dog tired, yet they are sent back to the firing •line after three days', rest. Naturally they conclude that there' are not enough troops available.

Battalion after battalion at the Ypres •salient, the Bishop continues, had to sit in the trenches and be pounded by German high explosives with no guns capable of keeping down the German fire, and naturally; they conclude that tKe nation has faided to provide sufficient guns and ammunition.

Similarly they found the Germans ready to answer every British bomb1 with five or ten bombs, and the troops know it is little short of murder to ask men, however full of the right spirit, to face an enemy amply equipped "sVith big H guns, and, 'the,, njgHt .ammunition, n^lessj:equipped ivrfchVequaliy^ffec-. ■tive munitions. 9 * .