THE 26TH ULSTER DIVISION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20099, 9 November 1928, Page 16

THE 26TH ULSTER DIVISION.

Sir, —May I have your permission to correct one of Mr. H. Holland's utter- 3 anccs at the meeting under the auspices'of the Labour Party held at Frankton Junction a day or two ago? Speaking - on llie sins of the Government, especially"; that of tho part played in the wireless ~ and telegraphic cable merger, Mr. Hoiland said "that the whole thing was in i the hands of a chairman, Lord Birkenhead, who you will remember as Galloper > Smith to Lord Carson when he was " organising armed rebellion against the King." I have the pleasure of being one of those who held a commission in that band of "rebels" from 1912 onwards. \ On occasion I have taken tho field with'J them both—Lord Carson and "Galloper" Smith. Mr. Holland did not inform his " hearers that these rebels and the famous ! 26th Ulster Division were the same. Ho 7 did not say that history describes their 4 operations of the first of July, 1916, on tho Somme as "the most gallant and glori- . ous stand in history," or that His •_ Majesty, King George, in condoling with the survivors of that memorable and tragic although glorious day, said, "These (the dead) have shown the world not, only bow to fight, but how to die": that 53.000 men fully equipped were offered voluntarily to the King to fight for him and that they did so in the terms above. No, Mr. Holland did none of these things. He remembers that these same men stood between the treachery of the Irish Labour Tarty, with their leader, Eaamon do Valr'ra, when they sought, with theip re-.,-hellion on Easter Sunday. 1916, to overthrow tho rule of the King that Mr. Holland is so worried about. I commend Mr. Holland and his opinion to the attention of every Ulsterman in New Zealand. Tiger.