WAR AND THE WOMEN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 May 1915, Page 3

WAR AND THE WOMEN.

SCENES ON A TRAIN

Writing from London on March 20fch, a lady correspondent of the Auckland Star said: —

Troops are being taken over to! France every night, and Newhaven, from which, thousands embark, never sleeps for a minute out of the twentyfour hours. To have to make a journey by any coast train, as remarked earlier, is to Fet a remarkably intimate insight into some of the vital happenings of the time. A hurried iourney to Norfolk on Saturday .took one in a carriage where there were no less than five little babies being taken up that their fathers in the "Norfolks"" might say "good-bye" to them. The various mothers _ chitmmed un on the lons, tedious iourney, and one learned more from their attitude of what the war means to them than from columns of newspaper talk. Homes have been given up and smaller ones taken uncomplainingly, the daily routine completely reorganised. "Children all in bed. by six—don't smile; I'm there meself' by eight." "Yes, don't seem nothink to sit up fer now, that there don't. Better be 'alves go to sleep and not think," another rejoined; and no the conversation went on till we neared Norwich, where the babies were roused with nromises of "Daddy soon!" T

"Don't 'arf strain their eyes ter see yer, don't they?" I heard one little woman say half tearfully, half cheerfully, and then they all tumbled out.

Coming back next day, one travelled with wives and children of the men of the oth and 6th Essex regiments, due to leave that night, probably for the Dardanelles. A rosy Tommy, invalided home, but on his way back to the front, was a godsend. "Fought me blooming ne-k was broke," was his way of describing his wound to a kindly inquirer, and next we heard him describing German methods*.

"They can't shoot fer nuts, them Germans. Artillery fire's all right, not 'arf so dusty. It's snipers we 'ate. Eleven or twelve will be on to one of our fellows at one time if he puts his 'cad up." "We'll, we'll hone," said an amiable lady, "that we'll £_ive the Kaiser his deserts."

"I 'ope," the Tommy sail, emphatically, "that we wine the 'ole of Germany clean orf this m*>p. And as for the Kaiser, I'd send 'im to St. Elena with a round er dry bread and as much water as 'ed drink.every day."