ARMY AND NAVY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9953, 24 April 1918, Page 10

ARMY AND NAVY

RED JERSEY, BLUN JACKET, & KHAKI

A writer in "All tho World" describes as follows a visit paid to the Salvation Army's Naval and Military Home at Chatham. Similar homes are doing equally good -work in tho various naval and military centres of the Homeland': —

'• 'Certainly, it has plenty of sleeping room,' we said. At least, that was our ill-considered opinion -when, in our innocence, we paid a visit there upon a recent occasion. "The Home at Brook, adjacent to Chatham Town Hall, is admirably situated, and the reader may obtain from the accompanying photograph some idea of tho dimensions of the place.- We presently discovered that the Homo, commodious as it is, is not nearly big enough. "'But thought we, 'there _is the Annexe over the way.' This is a considerable erection even when viewed from the front of the premises, hut when one makes a tour _of it, as we did, in companv with Commandant and Mrs Reynolds" and the indefatigable Sergeant Croll, tho Homo Sergeant, one' has a growing respect, not only for its- absolute spruceness and cleanliness, and we oould well understand why it was that the Admiral of tho port, standing in. that.very building, paid' a glowing tribute, to the value of such a commodious 'Hostel' as the Annexe aforesaid; in "which, we discovered, upwards of a hundred men of tho_ Royal Navy are accommodated every night.

" ANNEXE AND COTTAGES. "Having made a tour •of the Homo propei-, which also accommodates over a hundred men, we were convinced that there -would be ample room for all who preferred to sleep under the 'protecting ea-ves' of the Salvation Army. "Perhaps you will now visit the cottages,' said the Commandant. 'iThen it was that wo discovered fna* on the. other side from the annexe were a number cf dwelling houses, which have been fitted up to receive sailormen. The ■ original intention in the- heart of Lieutenant-Colonel Murray", the -Secretary of the Naval and Military; League, was to use, some of tno cottages-as a. Hostel for the wives of Service-men,-, but when the railway fares were, raised it was found 1 that the number not he sufficient to juVSf^Ve-'"experiment, so tho cottages are used 'aV overflow sleeping quarters from the Home and the Annexe. •■••-'-".' ■-■■'—■■' ■■ ■ '"Wo were" tb''discover before nightfall- that att'-tlnVacsommodation was wholly rnn.deonate, and we could well understand, .the reason whv the General* when.-Jie v visited the Home, wrote in-the .visitors' hook, 'We must extend our borders.' "ALL BEDS BOOKED." "Very early on the Saturday and Sunday of- our vipi*, Comma l ndlar,j Revnolds displayed -a notice, 'All beds booked,' but/ still' the white-capped, sun-ftrc-nzed ■men-of the Royal Navy streamed irii' By an "early hour in-the evening the whole, .place was packed with tnem—in ,th.e„ bar, with overflows into the Leaguers' < Room, the Simoke K-icm, tho Library, and other apartments. The whole stafi of Officers, in-f-lucling Commandant and 1 . Mrs Reynolds', Captains,Lavelle and: Laing, and .-.ergeant CroU,. were .kept working at high pressure serving the men,_ who bring excellent appetites to the diningtablc. One who did such exceptional justice to the bill of fare as to. provoke remark, answered with a broad smile. 'l've been on a dstrcyer for the last ten days and haven't had the chance of a d'ecent meal during all that time. The weather's been bad and we've"had plenty of work on hand.'

JACK TAR AS PIANIST. "Amid all the clink and 'ham and buzz-of business, from the recreation room'came the sound of music and singing. A Jack Tar was at the piano performing with 'remarkable deftness and skill, and the 'whole house' was singing. It was the song of a sailor lad and Hs lass,. and it went right merrily. "Without a pause it resolved itself into Take me Back to Blighty,' and then—it is wonderful how •gradually, yet completely the change is effected—there is a familiar tune and familiar words, and the message of Salvation is being sung. Religion inthe Naval and Military Homes of the Salvation Army is the most natural thing in the,world, as the visitor may discover who is privileged to be present at any of the gatherings, held in the Home or in the open-air. 'Morning Prayers with all the workers prosen* are refreshing rallies. The sailors heKV as elsewhere, like 'the Army's presentment of the appeal of appeals. "In the locker-room were bluejackets bringing in their • cycles, or taiang thorn out, and packing away their personal possessions in their own particular lockers. What a brushing and scrubbing there was in progress in "the ablution department, what a steaming and -splashing and hissing. Everything, was going at high pressure until after, midnight, and even then 'somebody's boys' were pouring in.

•'WE'RE, . AT HOME HEBE." "Though all the beds wore booked, the men, knowing the kind hearts of the obicers, came forward, each ono representing his case as one of special pathos and urgency. " 'Give me a blanket, Skipper and let "me sleep on the deck.' " 'Xes, * aflaPITH' sleep on the deck, bOO.' " 'You had better go and try elsewhere.' " 'No, the Army's the place for us. We're at home here.'' "Who could resist such pleading? There is a nod from Commandant and Mrs Reynolds and the men, one after are accommodated, until we find the music has ceased and the sounds of the song have died 1 away. Going to see tho cause of it all, we find every square inch of the floor space occupied by sun-bronzed men of the Royal Na-vy sleeping as cosily as when they slumbered in their snowwhite cots as children. •'.Very lato a man could not be accommodated. Ho really could not. 'Well* I'll not leave "the camp." I've made up my mind to that.' So ho, too, was squeezed in somewhere. Afterwards, again and' again, many times orer, wo saw tho men turn away regretfully because thero was no room in the Homo, no room in the Annexe, no room in tho cottages. EXTENSIONS TJRiGENT. "And this-is a very strong and urgent reason for extension, and a very good reason, too, why the friends of Service-men everywhere who would

like the Salvation Army to extend its border in tho matter of these beautiful Naval and Military Homes should como forward with generous offerings, in order to enalblo the Army to open up in other centres whero there is urgent need for its ministrations. We Buggest most earnestly that here is a worthy method of commemorating the gallant fallen. What better memorial to a gallant husband, son, or, brother could be erected, than such a homo as tho one we have been describing, which, we suggest, might bo named after the. one to wHoso memory it would be dedicated ?

" '.'The letters from Service-men to the officers are among the best arguments in favour of the establishment of such homes, also the .incidents related of 'fathers and sons and brothers won for G0d,..0f mothers and wives and sisters and friends who sleep in peace at night because 'Jack,' writing home en Salvation Army notepaper, speaks of the hospitality of the Salvationists and their care for tho well-being of the men who rest beneath their roof, secure from those who lie in wait to lead them down many a bypath of sin and shame and sorrow. ." 'Our doors,' says Commandant Reynolds, 'are open from 5.30 a.m. until midnight every day of the'year, and' thousands of men ccme to us at this centre every week, while wo .have to turn hundreds away for laok: of room. Nearly always beds are booked long before closing time, sometimes nine or ten hours before the doors are shut, and I assure you it is anything but a thankful job for us to send tho men away.' • "Yes, Chatham should be extended. Other centres should fellow Chatham's example, and new homes must be erected, and in some measure, at least, the resnonsibility, dear reader, rests upon YOTI1"