AT THE FRONT

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9090, 8 July 1915, Page 7

AT THE FRONT

A SURGEON’S^EXPERIENCES

INTERESTING AOCOtJNT OF INCIDENTS OF THE WAR.

There was a record attendance oT members of the New Zealand Chib at the luncheon, tendered yesterday to Dr Arthur A. Martin, of Palmerston North, who has just returned'from the bring lino in France and Flanders, .there for, several months ho was an : army surgeon under the British War' Office. Mr It. H. Webb presided. The chairman, on introducing the guest of the day, said that Dr Martin, v New Zealander born and bred, had been mentioned in despatches on two occasions during his eight months’ service at the front. Dr Martin delivered, a chatty address, full of anecdote, and" characteristically silent as to his own feats. He was listened to with the utmost attention and was frequently applauded.

A LIFE bF CHANGING INCIDENT.

Dr Martin said ho was not a public speaker, hut he thanked the club for the honour given to him. It was difficult for him to put his ideas into concrete form. His life at the front had been so full of changing incident • that it was hard to describe individual happenings. ‘ When war broke out, he was in Scotland, and immediately offered his services. He was sent to Aidershot, where ho was attached to the medical corjis' of the first reinforcements. The departure for France was taken with the utmost secrecy, and the force arrived'at Havre. ;

The reception. 1 there haflled descrip tion. Every window and point of . van I tags was crowded with the faces of French women and children, who wav-‘ ed tho flags of the Allies. The air: re sounded with “Vive les Anglais,” te which 'the Tommies replied, “Are we downhearted Ton thousand Voices answered ‘'No,” and to the, query, “Do we like beer?” '60,000 voices shouted “Yes 1”: Flowers and gifts were show ered on the soldiers. The French loved Tommy, who was bourgeois and demo cratic, but considered the English officer to be somewhat austere. Mo matter what time Tommy passed through a French village,' he had only to, knock at the door of a'cottage, even at 2 or 8 o’clock in the morning, to obtain whatever ho required. After reaching, Havre, tho force to which Dr Martin belonged was .sent to Harfleur, where the rumour was received that the British, army was retreating 'and that 15,000 Germans were coming down intent. on a raid on Harflelir. If that and-Havre wore taken the British army would have been, annihilated, as Havre was the headquarters 1 of the supplies. ' Fifteen thousandFrench and 8000 English cavalry intimidated the Germans, wno retired. Kitchener removed tho base tho next day, and contrary to military/maxims the force did not .perish. The base was removed to St. Nazaire, from which place Dr Martin was removed to the front to attend to the wounded. > H 6 joined tho ■ British army a little to the east of Paris'. From, this point tho British army changed its retreat •, into an advance;; i The change in, the army, was remarkable. Heads wore thrown up and tho men started to sing for tho first time for weeks. • That afternoon von Kluck was engaged, and at 3 the next morning tho Fifteenth British Brigade crossed the Marne . j A STRONG- ARGUMENT—DEAD ' MEN, ' ' 'ln the advance,' he found it -pleased tho French" and the Tommies to see a lot of dead Germans. That was' the only argument that appealed'to Ger-many-dead men. Curiously enough, the German wounded wore favourites, with Tommy) who gave them cigarettes, etc.- All rancour seemed to disappear between the rank and file, and the German, wounded were treated exactly ..the same as the British wounded, ■ . (Applause.) , ,‘. ! ■ Tommy was'a great humorist. Once an old ‘‘dug-out” officer .was leading a party' of ■ soldiers jpast a munition train. He- was wrapped up in ell kinds of clothes, but could. not keep warm. A Tommy remarked: “There goes a funny bit of.stuff.” His companion answered: “I suppose he’s a b lord!” (Great laughter.). ,AU sorts of rumours "wor® flying round among tho men at the front, such as that'of the Kaiser’s death, and served to keep their spirits up, ; At Pestubort the doctor’s division was badly cut. up, and 8000 wounded .heeded attention; At 1 an adjoining town the Mayor offered all • the facilities available)' with the remark “AH; France l is your&.” Tho same words were constantly met with ' throughout the district. He saw tho arrival of the Moriit and Lahore Indian troops at-the front. Rumours had been cur--rent that they had not done very Well, ’ which ■ was ‘ a great: pity.. At La Basseo they had lost .all their officers,; and had retreated fighting, every inch of the way. But the next week they occupied their own- trenches again. At first, climatic .conditions were againstthem, and they wore bewildered. “Imagine,” -said -the doctor-, “a hole dug in your back garden, half full of water. Occupy it on one of tho worst wintry nights experienced in ( New Zealand in your pyjamas, and imagine shells and rifle bullets dropping upon you. 1 , There you have tho position of jho Indian troops. When they became accustomed to the 'circumstances, they .were excellent soldiers.” UP AGAINST A BIG THING, The English people - w£ro up against a big thing, concluded tho doctor. They had a formidable 1 task, but there, was no doubt of the ultimate victory as long as Joffro was in'control of a united France. It was a war to the . finish. To think of making terms with tho Prussian military caste would be to roll up the scroll of history and .to burn, the book of life.

Dr Martin was loudly applanded'at the conclusion of his address, and the audience sang “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”' before dispersing.