THE WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16315, 23 February 1915, Page 6

THE WAR

SOLDJIiKS' LKTTKMS. A DUNKUINITE IN 'J.IIK THKNUHKIS. A native of Duucdin, who ;.-s engaged in tile medical branch m the Biili.sh .Army in Fraupe, sends the iollowing account oi his experiences:— Christmas iXiy, 1914. This is one- of the strangest Cliristnutxes I liuvo ever spent. As 1 told you in iny last letter fivm my former residence, 1 thought 1 might go to a iiekl ambulance. However, when 1 lia-d pmwed through .--nun , olliciiils 1 was given my present job temporarily. I am medical isllicor to h;ilt a London Territorial regiment. Tho AH), belongs to tho IloudquarUrs Stall', and 1 :im writing this in tho sitting room belorta fire, in a comfortable billet. 1 sloop in a house round the corner. On the- afternoon of my arrival I nmrohed out with a half-battalion and plept in the iegim<iit:il aid post, a. long way behind the trenches, with the other M.0., who came into headquarters next day. On the morning after my arrival at the aid post I eaw soine siek, mid in the afternoon wont by a long and xvjll-protccted communication trench into the firing trench, as is the onstom. and; dealt out a few pills and saw a wounded man. I came baok by the communication trench. You need not worry, because I am in tho trench all the time, and yoai cannot be hit while at the bottom of it, and there was no shelling, only a few bullets going overhead. Next day I went in again and (splinted a wounded man's log. Both ho and tho other man had been wounded by getting out of the trench to avoid some water. I went through tlia water, and by the time I had finished 1 was in a fearful mess—mud up to my knees. Wo had to tako the wounded man along the trench to a piece of ground which ■was fairly safe, owing to its being in a dip. A couple of 'star" shells went up while we were on the way, and I can toll you wo lay pretty flat. We got too man as far as the safe place I mean and then put him over the parapet of the firing trench and carried him in tho open—it was the only way. It was while we -were in the open that the "etar" shells went up; but, fortunately, we were having a rest, so we all flattened immediately. OJt course, this sort of work is always done at night, and then, when the man reaches the aid post. \w is dressed, and at certain hours the motors of the field ambiance call and pick up anvone we have. Next day I came into billots, and I see tho sick and have a look at the sanitation. I shall relieve the other M.O. to-morrem night at the aid post. Tho lady of the house where wo are billeted is the fister of the late mayor, and she told us how the Germans put him at the head of their column -when they marched ovor a bridge on their way through tho town, and he woe shot by a French machine gun. It is all pretty ghastly. Tho pictures you have ruined houses are quite true. One place here was like a city of the dead when we passed through it. It had been heavily shelled, and in one part the street was lined by houses with juet the walls, with their empty windows and no roofs. The church had several holes in it, and the inside was a mass of upturned chairs and masonry. It is hard to convey any idea of the utter desolation of some houses, while others are untouched and tho people are returning to work. In the field outside our aid post is a littlo cemetery, and three fresh mounds were made -when my half-battalion camo out. Three of our men had given their all for their country, and it was quietly impressive to see tho officers and the men of the burial party stand round while tho senior officer read the burial service. Then the party presented arms, the earth was put ' back, and , i.he i-arty marched back to billets, while I returned to bed in the aid post. I ha-ve told you a lot, but you need not worry. We do not wander in the open when fhero is any light or if there ie much firing. None of us is looking for lead pills, and we all do our best to keep a whole skin. The track by which wo brought the woundied men out had been used ovor and over again by bodies of troops, sc that it could not havo been very dangerous. Well, I have been in tho trenches, and have heard a bullet or two whietling over r».e. Of course, there are thousands in the trenches who have to expose themselves, while I have not, but still I am as far forward as anyone can be at present. It froze hard last night, and , tho ground is white to-day—quito a proper Christ-nine touch about, the scenery. I am finishing this letter in bed. I am in my sleeping valise, with sundry blankets, my martial greatcoat over me and a spring mattress beneath me, and I am in pyjamas —absolute luxury. At the aid post I tako off my boots and leggings, put on dry socks, take off my coat and colla.r and tie, and sleep in the rest of my clothes, plus much mud. The poor beggars in the trenches have a rough time with wet, cold feet. They have buckets with a little coke in them which help them a bit, and here and there are littlo excavations with a roof of boards and straw into which about four men can squeeze and have a sleep when off duty. The officers have similar places.

NEW YEAR IN EGYPT. A gunner in the New Zealand Artillery Brigade in Egypt writes as follows: — CAIRO. January 3, 1915. Well, fancy dating a letter IUIS already. Time travels quickly, especially in camp, although the hours are long. The staff will be wishing for time to linger near them still with fond delay, so that as much training as possible can be gone through. Judging by the letters you have written, which I received this week, you think I am in England, haying a cold and snowy Christmas. But it is just the opposite, and perhaps more strange. No doubt you know we are in Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs and camels, where, eo far, there seems to be no rainfall, but continuous sunshine, although it is mid-winter. Instead of having a cold English Chrietmas and a New Zealand Christmas of memory, we are having a Christmas in the torrid! zone on the edge of a desert. And instead of " ring happy bells across the snow," which Ttnnyson sings about, it is the sound of artillery and mounted rifles and infantry across the sand. Christmas makes no difference to Cairo, but at Now Year the place wakes up, and there is n sound of revelrv by night. Christmas and Boxing days were general holidays, but New Year's Dav and the day after were just ordinary days, and the usual routine was carried out. Life here is a bit different from life in New Zealand. There aro no Caledonian sports and no holiday making, although everything will bo on a smaller scale on account of the war. All the centres in Europe will be darkened by the shadow of the war. and no doubt for a long time to come it will be the same. Tho Kaiser and his advisers, who love- war for war's own sake, are fools and crazed, or worse, and will see their own folly soon. I see by an Egyptian paper that the Kaiser has had a rolapse. It is about time he relapsed into a prison and never oame out of it again. The natives have a religious festival in a monlh, lasting for a fortnight, with feasting. I think it is called " ramadam." It is rumoured aixmt camp that the Turks, commanded by German officers, are advancing on Egypt to try to take it. Possibly it is true, because a few companies of infantry and mounted have orders to prcKwed to Ismalia for garrison duty. Artillery will be wanted also, and definite orders will come out later. Ismailia is haJfway icp the Suez Canal, and a probable place whero the Turks would attempt to cross. The Turks in Cairo don't mind being British subjects, and tho streets arc as quiet as if it were Dunedin instead of Cairo. The High Commissioner for New Zealand in London, the Hon. T. Mackenzie, arrived in Egypt a coutfle of days ago, and, of course, the whole force marched past, and he inspected thorn. Up is just tho same as when he loft Now Zealand, only stouter and greyer. There are three companies of Now ZealanHors hero just arrived from PJngl and to d° their training with the rcit of us. They are Maorilanders who were at Home when the war broke out, so enlisted, and, as you see, they have been sent to make up New Zealand's army in Egypt. There are also a few companies of Highland Light Infantry here. The uniforms of one of them havo tartan trousers with the ordinary khaki coat, and the efftct is rather odd. Most of the Ceylon Planters who have been hero for some timn havo received commissions, and some lire bomg sent to England and othor? to tropical places of the Empire, like India.

An officer died the other day and there; was a military funeral. I was on the limber attached to the gun carriage. The cemetery in which lie was buried was filled with :-oldiers' graves, and nearly every regiment in the British Army was represented among those graves. We have started to do solid work now, practising digging trenches and gun pits, iinti bivouacking at night. Leaving camp s;iy, at 10 M.m., we locate a place by rnoens of a, magnetic compass, and bivouac for the night, returning to camp at reveille next morning. All rhls has to bo done, without any lights, and if there is no moon it is ticklish work We build shelter? i*und the guns and wagons with oil sheets, and niako as comfortable « place as possible. Every pande has now to be n proper order ready for a move at any time, with haversacks, water-bottles, oil sheet, and overcoats, and blankets. Tho horses also have

their full acooutriiiu.'iit .so that every man will know whal thi' n-fil tiling is hikl so tluit tJiii full equipment will lie rendy ;md easily (ilU'd <!ii in a vri-v r-hort time.

I ifot » rare hnlch of mail UiLs week -the Witness, dated 21st and 28th October, ami lt ; -tli November, and tho Evening Stars of November 21 st i!3rd, and SOtii. 1 n,,t.iml a lott-r in I In , iiii'icr with reference (a re(:niiti.'';jf. Tin. iv really nuiat be a shortage I'ion l . I «iii>!'io»> tho trouble is tlut everybody wani.s to go straight to the front iinil not be shifted about as tho main foreo w:is.