WITH THE CANADIANS.

Mataura Ensign, 14 January 1916, Page 4

WITH THE CANADIANS.

to AN WHO §AW AHEAD, ••sA.m" im (; ‘j }:<■ i ; K.vr. Il I. were io attempt In (• xj*l; ii i i I lie origin of Camilla’s new army in lan words they would ho llio namo of a man—Sam Hughes. wriies I'. A. MrKenzie, the well-known war .corrospondenf. Wo ought In call him Conoral Sir Samuel Hughes. Dominion .Minf-ncr loi' Militia am! Defence-. but ' no one ni‘r dots. ''Sam’’ i- flood ■ enough From Halifax 1.0 I’’n<|nim:ii 1, ami in this ease Hie diminutive is nsod and intended by all men ao a real coinplinii’n i. A few years ago Colonel Hughes, a Canadian .Mililia oll'icer who .had soon ooo(l service in I t.i*’ liner War, a poliliehlii, a ilititci si(V 100 l lireCj an ‘dilor, ami a oiio lime holed aillilionc alhlolo, was chosen Minister of Aliiitia in lli«' Borden Covonimont— a )><>■'I equivalent lo onr War Soorolarysjiip. Colonel .Hughes was a man will) a hnhhy ; his particular hohhy being the dn>y oF (h»' Dominions lo render mililary assiislaneo ro tin* iMolliorland in lime of war. Ho had travelled the nrluM' pan's id' ;he F.mpire advocating lids. Tine.' alder time in oilc li< tic wars lie had oll'erell to Cai.se regiments io serve will! ohr <>w i.i Army. Bio, hlhstiniiiOi indifferent- |,o critics, no! over-particular about tin' w ay thing;.; nre done so long as they are done. In' saw that his moment of opportunity had come. Me Know the ciim'ii" ol' a great Knropean war could only In' a ((Host hm of time. He wars resolved that when it came Canadians should take their proper share in it. .Had he put his plan into words Kasl and' West, would hare regarded him as "crackbrained.” lie did not t.illk—lie workmi. lie looked (o see a Canadian army leading in tin' great. push across tin' Rhine and himself in command. Incidentally lie looks for this still.

FLAN DKR.S TOUR FI.) IN I bid. He had ein* instrument' ready to hand- the .Militia. The Canadian .Militia is very like tin' old British volunteers. .They were regiments with great traditions itii<( iVill esprit do corps. Hot no one took the Alilithr seriously.' Most of Us--I am Canadian myself regarded them as a glorified hodv of amateurs, who held celebrations, enjoyed picnics under the name of camp training, and were a harmless, expensive, and somewhat nimeeessar.v branch of tin* Dominion organisation. Wo were proud of nor marksmen who did so well each year at Bisley. We believed. in a general way, that our hoys, if called noon, eoiihl light their weight in wild eats. There we were content to leave it.

I’lmple <1 ill lint realhe in I hose da vs lliriM' nr four years iipi- I In- military traditions of f ‘:i nada. She had iiii.mi iTmn (In* \'ml h-W’es |. Kxpedit ion -"I J,SSo; mi'll from tlm (';in:uli:m C'milin nniir in tin' Hum- War, where Canadians won three V.C.'s; the Straihim n I’oliee. mid ilin Nort dt-Wesl-..Mounted I’oliee. Horn was Colonel H'linlics’ inn I (.'rial. (tumors ivciv In'aril from l ime to 1111*1*. of fresh act ivil ics, of Militia oflicors comp; over In AMi rslmi for iraininn. ‘-'I Militia Staff (•niif'i's, ami lasjdy nl' a nival Si all ride liv Alililia officers in I*'r;in<v'. Colonel Hiinjii's 11 icU<•<}. mil a nnmlier of liis In.'st commandite/ nd'ii'nrs in 1 In- aullllllll nl im.'t. Inn!; I lii’lil aeros,-- |n Kll- - hiroil a flee* of 'motor.ears, and >•■ ■ll ■*! ui• Ind 'imn,' ihrou/h I In' tipthtinp; /round a vnar Innin'. fm'ii Calais In A rinis. and iVniii Artois thron/h !!eliorl. War was com imr. 'I hat lie renarih'd as certain. Why not, tlicn, lei Ids nil iccrs know scmel hin/ nl Ihe ; remind over ulneli they would have In (i/hiy When news ('•{' lids extraordinary (rip lieeame public a ery of liiilurnatio’i went ini, “Sam (lu/hes’ Jot Mido’’ an’iised the indiona lion of every little peddling polii ieian. Apparently Sam did ind mind. Tim lion/ wan done. H's otl iccrs had' (earned what he wanted. The poi i I ieir.tls emtld now worry mi.

CIOTUIX:; Tills SKKJ.KTOX. Sll il 'VMS 11 1 'I < I) i I llOHyll |,-| S ii<>. 11-'I(ion;! I ( r;i Ininlik«• Australia, t lit; 11:11 i<»n wits '!"■ tut means ,-u unprepared war came as il 111i>5111 have I'*'!!) nr .-IS 111*' " nrld ;1 1 |\ree believed. Ilere nil'- 111 <' skeleton of n yreal machine. Wlinn nit (lit’ memmalil<> <|avs in August. Mill, llu' mnn in every cite and township di">'andi‘d in lx- allowed in serve llieir K iny Ihe .Militia oil iees were mien lor them. A ere,-it armv "as lermed in a hurry. Lots el' mistakes Mere made. Thai was inevitable. Hill, in a fen nrrks tWI.MOO men. I'arilv trained, armed, ei|uim>ed, with I heir mm artillery and maehine ynns, nitli I heir fleet, of meter wayoms. their doctors and nurses. wi|,h everything •heir iinn down (o llin hoot laces and ha 1 u| am's. set mil from the S|. lawreiiee to h.nwhmd. And lh‘> famous bhrst ('eiii inyyiir has been fnlbmed hv allot her, and still amoher, n hile more are lo emne.

(lie, non-commissioned otl'ieer probleiu wap comparal irely easy. There were many mmi from llu- liner War, and larye numbers nf old Mrilisii Amin "iinn-enins" who had settled in Canada volunteered. their aid. As for officers, they avert' largely business men--law-yers, engineer.':, kink ina makers-, and tin:-, like. “look for officers anion;; those who are able in handle men we!! in t.Jioir own business,'’ was I,he note. I hey nil] he aide In liandle men well mi the hold,’' MeC mo rake a typical example. WJu'ir the nhtli Infaniiy Matfalinii arrived hen i the officer rnnimandiii;! was a lawyer. (In; i-eroin! in eornniand was. a retired business man. nne major vva.s a (inaneier. two were farmers, one a builder, and 0110 an express agent. One eanta.in was a railway engineer, another a. real estate aynl, a third a business man. a fourth a V.M.C.Aworker, ami so on.

STOWAWAY UEEICEIES, A;> Tor 1.1)0 lii'lll, <•!!,;) Il(.s, (wo must be inen'tioned, T<>r their ea&o .it; typical ol i l lio difference led wren Canadians and (ho Itepniiar Army. 'll)ecu two wore ordered U> remain behind when tin' ireimi'iil started from Melville to England. They dressed themselves in priuniforms and joined the I.rain. Titov « ere discovered nn< 1 ordered'■ baric. They disobeyed and wore eanoilt. Ei nit 11 v they hid themselves in (.lit' transport its (lie I rooms iver<‘ cmharkI in- Apparently luck was against. them, I lor i hoy were hunted out once, more. jOeneral was thero Irddiifo Iho I hoy.s joiod -hye. 'Tho colonel liai!e<l (lie I two incurable offenders helore 1 1 : m. The Ueneral looked til them. and 1 can imagine (.he twinkle in his eye as he listened to the record nT iheif eonln-m;ii-y. “Let them pyi alon" with yon. 1 ’ said Sam. And they went.

j There is i) popular- idea I hat Canaid ;an officers exercse hi lie discipline lover their mrn. Every soldier cmi tel! | some file i'lnvtrating: this. “Movs,’’ one mythical commander is refolded t,:» have- announced to Ids rvirnn«’t l l, “the trencrar is coinin'" l<» inspect. uis To-day'. | T)o sour best, and don' t call me J.l •! t ; until lie’s irone.’’ That anecdote is caricature. but it is true that the Canadian nffTeer hns- olTen nindi more intimate social relations with hi.s men ithah. its (.lie. en.stom in the older rryn!a,r ! armies, lie is apt (u leave tradition

behind and get tilings done in the most direct- way. He often enough dreads the old British Army staff-sergeant in Ids ranks, who knows military regulations governing everything. i3ut if ho is sometimes careless of tradition he is keen on knowledge. As soon as war was declared the great Universities of Canada opened training .classes for officers. In HhornclifFe there are -schools of many kinds in ■which officers go through course after course. They have no delusion altout any man being able to fight. They know that war is fought to-day as a lea rued profession. and they “grind 5 ’ at every stage of It. The end of good soldiering is to heat the- enemy. Nothing else ready matters. That is what the Canadians have done- and' what they are going to do still more in the immediate' future.