GALLIPOLI'S DEAD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22149, 1 July 1935, Page 12

GALLIPOLI'S DEAD

CARE OF WAR CEMETERIES TRIBUTE BY AUCKLANDER Appreciation of the way in which the British war cemeteries in the Near East are kept is expressed by Mr. J. E. Astley, a well-known Auckland business man, who paid a visit to Egypt, Palestine and the Gallipoli Peninsula while en route to England. Writing to the New Zealand Herald. he said: "It has been my privilege to see all the principal cemeteries on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the one on the Mount of Olives at Jerusalem and the British War Cemetery in Cairo. All these cemeteries are in splendid order and I did not see one where there was a neglected corner. Wherever the stonework of the memorial shows siens of wear through the weather it is renewed. The grass everywhere is kept short and the paths clean and in good order. The flower-beds are well kept and at various times, according to the season, there is a profusion of flowers. "On Gallipoli all the cemeteries have a rosemary hedgo planted inside the well-built stone boundary walls. There are also in most of the cemeteries rosemary bushes grown as shrubs and kept closely clipped. Although the rainfall in that district is very low, the Cairo War Cemetery had a profusion.of trees and flowers, all of which must be watered each day to keep them growing." Mr. Astley mentioned that he had met Colonel C. E. Hughes, who had the onerous task of superintending the work at all the cemeteries. Ho was carrying out his duties with real enthusiasm. Later he sent Mr. Astley a note in which ho said: " Please remember, if I can bo of any service to any Now Zealanders, I shall feel honoured. .[ have the greatest admiration for them. Their qualities ] learned in the war." Mr. Astley suggested that for anyone making a trip to England via Suez a visit to the British Cemetery at Cairo or, better still, a visit to Palestine would be well worth while.