THE ANZACS IN FRANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16265, 26 June 1916, Page 6

THE ANZACS IN FRANCE

EXPERIENCES EN ROUTE.

AUCKLAND OFFICER'S LETTER,

An account of the journey to the western fighting front is given by an Auckland officer in letters received by the last mail. He wrote on board a transport and afterwards in France.

" We are bound for France, but are not taking the shortest way to get there. It will take us seven days, but we are not growling as this is a good ship and everybody is well fed. I have 50 m,en and 107 horses on board, all the rest of the Signal Company are on another ship, so I have a good , deal to see to. Dr. Grant, late of Auckland Hospital, is on board, and is a jolly good companion. Our total numbers are 16 officers, 500 men, and 500 horses.

' Since writing the above very many things have happened. First we ran into I a pretty stiff gale, and, being very light, our ship did a cake-walk for three days and was the last transport to get into port. Then we had a train journey of nearly three days, right from one end of 1* ranee to the other, then a 53-mile trek through most interesting country. This latter was only done by myself and 50 men of our company with horses and transport. I had several transports from other units with me, and as I was the senior officer I had charge of a column of over a mile in length- It was a good trip; we billeted each night in the farmhouses ; then I joined the rest of our company, and am now living in a French house, the owner is the local blacksmith. We are, of course, up to our eyes in work, and shall bo so for the next month or so, and then one will be thinking of leave for a few days to England. . The South of France was tho most beautiful place I have ever seen; it is just the time of year—early spring—when everything looks so nice and green after Egypt. Our horses nearly go mad when we take them on the grass; some of them never saw grass for IS months. At present all day is spent in the saddle. " I have been in a good many of the old chateaux here, most _ beautiful houses, some of them are occupied by our different New Zealand headquarters, and one I was in yesterday had the most lovely oil paintings all over the house and very old and beautiful furniture. Wish I was the Crown Prince; could then have collared a few and sent them on to you. " All are very busy, and we continue our journey at 3 a.m. to-morrow. We have to march 15 miles to our new billets. Yesterday I had New Zealand letters of March 8. It is really wonderful the way our letters find us when we are on the move. It has struck me ever since landing in France how splendidly everything is organised, all the different departments work like clockwork, especially the A.S.C. I saw a good deal of this on my long trek through France with the horses and waggons. We only passed Paris near enough to see the lights; no troop trains go through now. I think it will be some time before we are in the trenches. It is p. funny thing, but everyone reckons the trenches are the safest place to be inthey are certainly splendidly made."