"IF THOSE DEVILS WIN."

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 2, 4 January 1916, Page 7

"IF THOSE DEVILS WIN."

DON'T WAIT FOR CONSCRIPTION. MAJOR'S STIRRING APPEAL. Major , formerly of Mylandra and a well-known Forbes district man forwards a stirring; appeal from th< firing-line. He left a wife and family at home when he volunteered. In th« .South African war he gained the rant of captain, but at Gallipoh he was advanced to major (says the Sydnej Sun). . "Should I by any chance fall mtc tho hands of the Turks'do not worry," he writes. "The very few Australians who have so ftir become prisoners cannot say enough or' tho good treatment meted out to them. Tin sd-called unspeakable Turk has already before been an ally of Great Britain, and though they kill—as wt do—in fair fight, and they massacre and violate all other enemies, Armenians or those of other Balkan States, there is no one to-day on Gallipoli who will say one word against their conduct in the matter of the 'treatment of the captured and the wounded. Certainly they have ■ killed wounded Australians by gun and riflefire. So do we while the battle goes on, but not by intent; so, too, have Army medical officers and stretcherbearers been kilhxl while a fight goes on, but no cases have been vouched for where it has been done deliberately. I have questioned, and I can- . not find even one case where anyone can say that the action was deliberate. They are quite an honorable enemy. They use every means in their power to kill and wound as many as possible—they are allies of the <£ Germans {by the orders 01 their own Government, bought hy German gold, I think), and as Germany's alii;:.'; .v.-c fight them—not as Turks. I eou'd writo a fairly large hook' on the. good f-ide of the Turk ; and of his acts of downright chivalry and kindness in many, ways since our troops have landed here. We respect, tho Turks as honorable enemies; w'e' have no fear of any treatment they might mete out to us should tho fortune of v/ar giv© any of us into their hands. It -is the cursed Gerr.an officers among them who might, if they had an opportunity, give us a rough time. "Anyhow, as far as? an enemy,goes, the general opinion of our troops here is that they would rather shake hands with the Turks than with the young natives'of Australia, who could come, but who do not. Wo knew there are thousands who could come and. whose absence would not impair- the wheels o'i production and commerce. Thousands amongst than there- are -who say: (W<> wiJl go w-".'<?ii wo are wanted.' Great Julius. Cb.\sar! They art" wanted r-mv—every -man who can come is w*\"»ied hero for another year.? i Do they think that wo would bo sitting here now if .we v/cre not obliged to, through lack of suificieut numbers', to rush on, and on and thereby pre- '■ vent the enemy from digging himself in that he may slay ten times the number when an' advance is made — sufficient to hold ourselves on the Peninsula in spite of all the enemy's efforts? Do they; think that we have sufficient for the job? Do they think ] that Lone Pine and Quinn's Post and other battles were fought just for the sake of blood-spilling? Do they realise that it. is .cheaper, to uourthqusands of lives into the cauldron in one day and gain an objective than it is to sit down for we^ks looking at it while it daily becomes a stronger death-trap? I>o they think wo have plenty of exercise on the beach, bask in the sunshine, and dress>for dinner? (We cannot even undress to go to sleep). It is not fair that because men are here doing their work, and still able to do. it, that they should be kept there month after month until Ihey break down in health—physically or mentally—or both. "Do they think that our spare men may go out for daily exercise and in doing so get relaxation from any thought of danger, or that we have ■anyplace at all where we may go arid '< be immune from- danger, outside of ; the strongest shell-proof dug-put? Do they think of the feelings of those few officers and men who.landed here ; on April '25th, and who fought through a hailstorm of bullets and a. -tornado. of shells; who won through hell, and some of thorn have repeated it since (when there are still some of them left). Do those 'stay-at-homes- ■ come-when-wanteds' think of those men's feelings who know they have earned a rest? Do they think anything? Have they a thought or a care for the wo Tien at homo—mothers, wives, sisters, daughters—whose men are here, or have been, and are coming along again daily as they become fit to take up their rold place in the firing-line? Do they realise that .every hour we are away is. a dragging, wearing, mental strain on our women at home, who would be almost afraid if tliey saw a minister of their faith approaching'lost he be the bearer, of ill news? Do they realise what it will mean to them for all their lives in the districts they now live in should the day arrive when the call is brought to them by the police that ] they shall report as 'conscripts' for ) service? Do they know that the ! troops who have come voluntarily will j>sk for a distinctive badge that they s'.u.'ll be known to each other, and to {ill others, as tho men who came at the call of <!uty? Do they realise ■that such a stigma will cling to them for all their lives Most of them ■have sisters:, nnd some of them sweetlionrts. Do they ever consider^ what ■may happen to those girls, and m the -years to ooino to the- girls yet unIjorn. if those devils were to win? Tho war is nolf won y«t, but it will "be if we can tret enough soldiers. Of -flif..t we -have no doubt. There are -siuy amount to bo had, but we want them as volunteers—not pressed •men."