A REMINISCENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20324, 3 August 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

A REMINISCENCE.

BY NORAH L. DASH.

AUGUST, 1914.

August, 1914! Fixed imperishably on tho mind of all of our generation ! " The tenor of our even lives " was broken with appalling suddonness—to most of us for always. Tho talk of war with Germany had circled round and round for months previously, but tho inovitablencss of it did not strike homo to us until that fateful August. Fifteen years ago! Yet how vividly tho nightmaro lingers. We who wore privileged to bo at Homo in tho midst of it, shall wo ever forget ? Nay, nover! Across the years comes the faint sound of that ceaseless tramp—tramp —tramp of thousands of feet all through tho nights as mobilisation was carried out. " It's a long, long way to Tipperary," tramp — tramp—tramp—tho sound rising and fall ing as tho distance widened botween tho listeners and thoso gallant men passing through the darluioss of night, following blindly tho call of duty. Silently, bonumbed in tho first shock of the inevitable, wo watched them go forth to tho dangers, delirium and uncertainty of tho greatest war of mankind. In those first poignant days—days of intensity too deep for any words to express adequately—how could wo roalise what it all meant, or was going to moan ?—and what a blessing we could not! Though the skies fell, we carried on outwardly the same —moro or less; but inwardly, ah! only ourselves may know what was hidden beneath the mask we wore.

1 have used the phrase—" privileged to be at Home.'' It was indeed n treniend ous privilege to be old enough to appro ciato that magnificent wave of wholesale seif-sacrifice and sinking of individual feeling visible on every sido. How ono thrilled and revelled in being British, knowing that thoso great heights of noble deeds and self-sacrifice were being scaled by one's own flesh and blood. "Go yo unci do likowiso " was the thought flashed from mind to mind, so the great army of men and women grow throughout thn Empire as by magic. A Prayer in Our Hearts.

Life became hectic. Events crowded on events so rapidly the brain could not grasp them; so we just earned on hour by hour, with a prayer in our hearts, working—expecting we knew not what' until even Time ceased to be. and the only conscious thought romnined —tho war—convoys, convoys—tho war! Then caino the first Zeppelin raid. So it was decreed that our England should become a land of darkness, and its people walked through unlighted streots, past houses and Ehops closely shuttered, or with dark blinds so that not even a ray of light be permitted to escape, often kissing lamp-posts and any curious things that obstructed the way ! Soon the Zeppe lins became regular visitors, coming in batches, and staying for a few hours. One never knew when to expect them; they just arrived' Ono gloriously clear night, when everyone had just decided there would be no raid owing to the moonlight, we heard the familiar drone far away; so, from our position on tho hill, we waited and watched. Soon two Zeppelins, closely followed by two more, cfime into view on the sky line, and wo watched the tail lights as the bombs dropped through spare. Simultaneously, from the aero drome away to our right, our aeroplanes >ose like beautiful silver birds. Hying across the moonlight skies to greet the quests. Tho greeting was warm—too hot for the visitors! Well-placed shots, and one Zeppelin burst into flame, falling to earth a burning mass, whilst the others were chased off our horizon. " Somewhere in France." Within twenty-four hours we wero at the base " somewhere in France." The big push of 1916 had just taken place, and for the moment thore was an ominous lull in the trenches. Leave had commenced again, and speculation was rife as to how long it would continue, and how many would bo lucky enough to get to " Blighty " before the next storm hurst! Within tho base there was considerable activity. Runners arrived breathlessly from all directions, bearing badly scribbled chits, and rushed ofi again with illegible answers, or no answers. Motor cycles snorted up to the entrance, and despatch riders rushed into the orderly room, carrying enormous envelopes con taining considerable correspondence, circu lars, maps, signals, schedules, summaries. The tables aro stacked with papers, the floor littered with more. Typewriters dick with rapid insistence in one cornel as clerks typed feverishly nominal rolls and lists. By the time ono list was finished it was out of date. 60 quickly did events move

A corporal reads in a loud voice ns nominal rolls are checked from 8256. 789500. Gunner Jones. Charlie John, surg. 6, amputation of neck." Quick sharp, the words. " Here. Shrimp, me lad! Hop up! Surg. 6, get this disability corrected, and find out the next of kin." and corporal returns to his check ing. Another corporal talked incessantlv at the telephone in a curious jargon, never stopping to hear any reply from the other end ! All the time miscellaneous people rushed in and out —quartermasters, chap lains. generals, batmen, sergeant majors, staff officers, buglers, bombing experts, gas experts, medical officers, interpreters, officers just returning from leave, officer* lust departing. Everything happens at the same time, nobody has lime to finish anything. The adjrtant issues orders As he speaks, he writes about somethine quite different. Every other moment his pipe goes out. the intervening moment lie strikes a match. Only the military would i n' l it an orderly room '

The colonel enters, sees everything without looking! A typical Anglo-Indian, with remarkable descriptive vocabulary on occasions—loved and respected by all. Fie leaves the orderly room with military smartness. In the doorway two orderlies support a Tommy who has exceeded his rum ration At sight of the colonel, the orderlies stand to the salute. The Tommy, suddenly losing his support, slips helplesslv to the colonel's feet. Instantly the colonel, with his choleric temper, becomes n dancing marionetto calls the unfoi'tun ate Tommy anything and everything hut a soldier. It was time we approached to " relievo " the situation. Our move was effective. The colonel turned with his genial smile. "Bah! Bah !" he said, saluting, "I am afraid I nearly lost my teni per, ladies!" Humour and Pathos. This spirit of humour, so essentially British in its passivity, carried us through the deepest water human beings can be called upon to paddle. It gave that atmosphere of amazing cheerfulness and wonderful esprit de corps amid intense anguish, grim suffering, and those strange conditions in which we had our boing faced with realities that enabled us to view life's true perspective. It bewildered both Allies and enemies, earning foi us ihp sobri<|UPt. " mad English." These are momorios that can never bs erased during our mortal life 1 With the approach of another August the thoughts of all ex-serviro men and women will reach out to those comrades who stood with them shoulder to sltoul der iri that furnace of suffering. How fares it. with nil those spared to return to the jeopardies that peace brought' Is it well with 1110111' One knows that same wonderful spirit inimates them through all the difficulties and struggles to-day—a spirit too often unrecognised, unappreciated, owing to the 'ack of imagination, and short memory of '.hose who stayed behind. But, strcngtnined by tho spirit of those dear, dead •omrades, our ex-service members will •arry on, dauntless and gallant to the end.