ON ACTIVE SERVICE

NZ Truth, Issue 604, 13 January 1917, Page 7

ON AC TIVE SERVICE

SI6HTS AND SCENES IK THE OLD OARI Maoriianders m Action— Men 'and More men — Boy Soldiers— -Luxury -Loving : Londori— Classes and Masses— Children Craving for Charity — Women and Wine-^Londqii after Dark— The Twopenny Tube— ■ Newport, Mon.— An- , "clent History m Masonry— Munition Workers— A Welcome for Australasians—A Grief-stricken Mother— Bristol Channel— Surrounded by Sub- / marines— Plymouth Sound — Stupendous Naval Dook Yards — A Galaxy of Warships and Destroyers — "Under Sealed Orders." . . (By an ex-Member of Truth's" staff, now on active service.)

Less than a month has elapsed since I ; arrived m England with the 16th New Zealand Reinforcements, and now, alas! some of those promising: young fellows from Maoriland have gone to their last resting place on the battlefields of ! Flanders, where the death toll is stead- j lly mounting up to prodigious dimen- J sions: ,To reinforce the remnant, the 15th men were In the main despatched straight -to the scene of action without undergoing any preliminary training m camp at Salisbury. ' j The need for men is increasingly great, and cannot be too deeply emphasised unless we are to capitulate to or compromise with a relentless foe. Only on Friday last, Field-Marshal Lord French, speaking at Leeds, said, "The strain on the manhood of the nation is such that we must look for- ! ward to the necessity of every single, able-bodied man going to the front," land he pointed out that we have yet much trouble, . , ANXIETY AND BEREAVEMENT to undergo. It la significant that under a recent War Office order, soldiers of 17 and under can no longer be claimed out of the army. There is too much Betf-eompl&cency and selfconfidence displayed by English people, who are too prone to rest upon the laurels of Drake and Raleigh, regardless of the fact that love and luxury and pleasure have sapped the vitality of .those m "high places." The rich have become richer, and the poor poorer, while the hard and fast lines of demarcation between the Classes and the Masses, have created a caste which tends only to an unhealthy and warped development I spent more than a week, m London In the midst of official circles and was m a position to gain a glimpse behind the scenes. In the heart of tbcb cnnr that has no heart it is hard to realise that a war is m progress. In the poor localities outside the metropolis the struggle for existence is pitiable. Children m rags will tearfully beg for a half-penny, •which one cannot refuse. One poor little girl, m evident distress, to whom I gave sixpence and a word of encouragement, seemed overwhelmed at such unexpected generosity, and coyly volunteered a kiss as evidence of the , gratitude the child felt It is pitiable to see v the > herds -of unkempt urchins, With pale 'and pasty faces, mostly m filthy rags, who ceaselessly wander ' abroad at ah hours. London by day is a city of frivolity and voluptuousness, and the women dress m skirts so short as to verge on the • Indecent. ■■■■•• The • hotels are open from noon to 2.30 pjn., Sundays included, and from 6 to 9.30 p.m., and, during those hours, m most cases, the BARS ARE VERITABLE BAGNIOS; painted nymphs do pave go m and out ad lib., they drink and smoke without compunction, freely partake of liquor at the expense of strangers, despite the War Regulations forbidding "treating," and the standard of morality is appallingly low. Ono can gauge the extent of air raids by observing tho damage which has boen dono to buildings In the midst of tho city, damage of a nature which no newspaper report has over been framed to adequately dcscrlbo. London by night la " a weird crrr of phantoms. faces being indistinguishable, and. under the cloak of semi -darkness, evil deeds ar«s wrought. Ever and anon, BearehtyghlM pierce the gloom on the watch for iifcppoUns ovorhead. The "twopenny tub©" Is tt wonderful institution, and will convey the wanderer anywhere and everywhere all over London at moderate fares. All tlu\ "tub©" officials are womon tvnd girls, ft«, Indeed, aro moat of tlio tram and omnibus conductors, tho latter of whom ard attired In neat bluo ««rjfe uniforms ami niueher boot*. NEWPORT, tit* chief town and port of Monmouih-

shire, on the river Usk, In the Bristol Channel, the leading coal exporting port m the United Kingdom, with' a population approximating 80,000. The Usk is the, deepest tidal river with docks m England. A romantic inter* est attaches to Newport, which was originally, called Castell Newydd, after A NORMAN CASTLE erected there by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, between 1130 and 1140. The, castle appears to have played an important part m the early ■ history of the town, and, m the barons', war with Edward 1., was taken possession of by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, i. who " was driven out by the Earl of Gloucester. During the Parliamentary war .it" was seized and captured by Oliver Cromwell's troops. At present the ruin is m the possession of VISCOUNT TREDEGAR, .■£ the uncrowned king of Newport, who purposes restoring same. . Opposite the picturesque ruin is a hostelry; known as the Castle Hotel, of which mine host Is Mr. P. Kelly, a genial gentleman who has himself served under the "Flag that braved a thousand years the battle and the breeze," and to him and his good lady I am Indebted for much kindness. •. ■ . ' Newport came into undue prominence over THE CHARTIST RIOTS on November 4, 1839, when some 10,000 misguided men, rudely armed, marched on the town from the neighboring bills under John Frost, an exMayor of the town, with the avowed object of blowing up the railway bridge. An attack was made upon the Westgate Hotel, now the leading hotel m Newport, and at tho present day two of the pillars of the porch of the original Westgate Hotel with BULLET HOLES IN THEM are preserved, and may be seen inside

the entrance of the present hotel. , . Newport is essentially a laboring community. Women as well as men all perform their part? We may. speak' with pride of our sons at the front, but Monmouthshire may speak with equal pride of tfie WINSOME WELSH WOMEN WORKERS: who, pegardless of class or caste, toil m unison oh behalf of the great struggle for freedom and security. Thousands of bright and smiling women and girls go daily, ay, nightly, to work m the vast munition works m various parts of Newport. I received exceptional kindness from one family, who deserve that their name should be recorded for all that they have done and suffered for the Empire. I refer to the family of .Mr. B, P. Llanfear, one of the oldest dbek officials m Newport. This gentleman and his estimable wife have reared a large family, which can justly claim to have done their little bit. Their eldest son lost his life at the front, and their second son was returned with the loss of his ' eyesight, which, i happily, may yet be restored. A brighter and cheerier young man one could hardly picture, but his POOR MOTHER'S SILENT GRIEF IS MOST PATHETIC. A' third son, who has been m New Zealand, is now at the front, while a fourth is about to be called up. A boy scout •and two charming and'strikingly handsome young ladles are employed m the -munition works. lam permitted to extend, on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Llanfear, the hearty welcome to any Australian or New Zealand soldier visiting Newport, Mon., at No. 3 Waterloo-road; I sound a note of warning, however, to the susceptible: the dark- haired, bright- eyed Nell is engaged to be married to an Imperial officer who has already gained some distinction ! A word to the wise : Keep off the grass ! Duties ended at Newport, fresh orders came sending me to Plyn^puth, via the x . ■•.-.'■ ■■ '■.-'■ '■'■'■ BRISTOL CHANNEL and round the Eddystone Lighthouse. Leaving by an armed merchantman at 1 p.m., towards dusk a message warning us of danger m the vicinity was received from the Admiralty, and wa travelled with lights but from then onwards. The night was misty and impenetrable, and the risk of collision was great. Towards midnight we were IN THE VICXNITY OP SUBMARINES, and our intrepid skipper and his officers were on the gui vivo. The significant "5.0.5." from a vessel m distress m the inky blackness caused every nerve to quiver, but to delay m such circumstances would be suicidal, and so wo hurried on. It was a night of sensations, and, when morning dawned, an empty boat was observed suspiciously, being pitched and tossed hither and thither on tho crests of the angTy waves. At length " PLYMOUTH SOUND waß reached m safety, and, as we dropped anchor, our attention was diverted by tho verdant slopes of Devon breathing freshness and purity from every blade of grass. English -beauty Is romantically unique and must bo actually seen to be fully appreciated, and the Devonian scenery comprises some of the finest In the United Kingdom. In Plymouth Harbor are to be seen some Interesting relics of by-gone historic days, to wit. H.M.S. Inipregnabln, Inconstant and Black Prince, now utilised at? "training Bhlpa, together with modern warships of various types and 30 and 40-knot destroyers Innumerable, which help to uphold THE BRITISH EMPIRE'S COMMAND OVER THE SKAS. Tho naval dockyards at Plymouth are on a colossal scale and the Admiralty buildings are of solid, compact and handsome raaaonry. I was Informed by a Rear-Admiral that a man-o'-war could come m with all her guns disabled at 8 a~m. and depart completely refitted at 3 p.m. tho Bamo day. I am Inclined to think, In the light of the recent attack upon the cross-Chan-nel transport service, which Is one of the naval wonders of the wur. thai the German nubmarinea will play sad havoc before the grand roferee cries "Time!" A German official note announces that, In conformity with Article 100 of th*> German Naval Codo, tho German navul authorities have decided to regard v;« prisoners all captains of mercantile vcHsels captured, alleging thut th<?»«' eaptntnn rocelve Instructions from their respective Government. 4 ! to carry on CHpionage. I leave En«land with a detachment of Imperial troops under sealed order* In a few days. More I am not permitted to say.