NEAR THE CANAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16782, 25 August 1916, Page 3

NEAR THE CANAL.

'J'lio following arc (atrac t.s irom lottms miivul liom J'rank 11. Wilkinson, \ \I(,'.A. wiiiUij, ot Dunediii Lito still wants on tlio same .i« ever ex- ( 'pi lli.it it us (I.uly piffliiii; hotlei 'iho \) (..A. vvoik out jii ii- etuitJiiui s to e\ tend. J In io will shortly he lour or live niiuqui'ib out tioni thi.> railhe.id. At the t L w.us tin; hrst, liiid Jin .still tho luillicst out fioni tlic rail (. anteens are <jullu.- a ngul.u part of oui wotk out tins way, and it mean-. .1 lot to tho 111111 to ho abio to git a little hull, biscuits, milk, etc., <irt a change liom then' uidinaij dot, and the luarqu, c is, 1 bt Lieve, tho cool, st pl.no in tho whole camp i have lieen ovoi to tho hohpit.il distributing cigareUus and 'lehl.mient.s, anil having a jam here and there with the chips. On Sunday tho canteen is not open, but we put out an uin of hmejuico nun a <lon.i!ion hot alcings de. J/j.st Sunday it owned out exactly, and that is yie-.it when one leineiiibciH tn.it wo sell tho hmejuico with piactically 110 inaigm. J have skirted "with thi; idea ot a strangcis' tea. Tho trouble is to get proiondei, but i havo some gift jam m at proent, and am petting a, couple of lo.rvi.s fiom tho (J i\l S. I have caretully kept for two days tour dozen buns wrapped lip in a wet towel, and will be turning on a little tumid hint, biscuits, and tea. Tht.so mounted chapa aro quite different m temperament from tiio mtantij. Each man lives 111010 in his own "world, and tho social instinct i» not, sttongly developed. "Whore with tho infanttj chap it is "Me and iny mate," it is, with theso chaps, " Mo and my horse." At our strangcis' tea we lound out that quite a' number of those present knew mutual acquaintances. One man said: "I have been away from home thc.sc last eight j'eais. JL'\o knocked about with a pretty rough lot out in tho baokblock'i, and a man gets pietty rough himself, but i tell you, wo fellows appiec ate this "Work, and it goes a Jong way with u l -." Another man said that "when he saw a Y.M.C.A. m.uquee go up, he wrote home to his mother, saying that as his duties 111 his regiment were veiy light, lie was going to offer his assistance in any way ho could help. " A couple of nights later," so lie went on, "Mr Wilkinson came up to 1110 in tho maiquee and asked mo to give him a hand for tho evening, and 1 told hmi I would help every day if ho wished it." When tho orderly from- his own regiment boeamo sick, ho volunteered to come on tlnj sj.me basis as the other orderlies, and still carries on hie with h.s regiment. He used to conduct tho orchestra in ono of our largo m Now Zealand, and is simply invaluable to mo. At tho close of the seivico 011 Sunday wo had a hno communion service. Tho service seems filled with a new and richer meaning _ out here, and although seveial denominations were repre sented —Presbyterian, Method st, Baptist, and Anglicans at least —there was a wonderful spirit of unity and brotherhood. If people want to know how to help tell-them to send tho men tho things that have a home touch about them, home-made toffee or jam (not marmalade), or socks or shirts. Soon folk will need to get winter things ready again. Tell thepi to write -chatty letteis to men they know ot send post cards or papers, even though they have never spoken to tho men /before. Fred Parry, ono of the New Zealand _ secietaries who recently came out, is carrying on tho good work at tho camp site in which I was, while the men with whom I have moved back heio fo.r a rest as they were kept going night and day at tho last camp. Our place is always behind tho ordinary firing line, still wo had one or two of the enemy's aeroplanes overhead on different occasions, and it was rather exciting to hoar bombs exploding and the rattle of tho machine guns, but although wo heard tho whistle

of the bullets fairly closo thev did u« no harm. Sinio then we successfully destroyed ■i number of the enemy's planes.

JOTTINGS. It is understock! that Lieutennnt colonel J .1. Mmphj, ollicir commanding the Ist (Canterbuij) ilegiiuent), will leporl al 'J lentham for active senico 111 a week 01 two. Hn Mondaj tho Hawl.e'a Bay War Relief Association will hold a sp'ti.il meeting for the puiposo of considorjng what assist .into should be given to soldier going on the land. The association ho[X s(o adopt a definite policy 111 this connection. Mr I) Morgan (To iiouka) h.i.s received a cablegram liom his Kin, Rifleman J. E. Morgan, who recently had his leg amputated a.i the result of a shell wound, and is now an inmate of JifKi nhead stating that lie is progicssufg splendidly. Private Ilansford, of Kltham, who left on Monday morning for camp tho llawer.i Star), went thiough tho Calhpoli campaign and received something like 17 wounds of a diffeient nature. After recovering sufficiently as to bo able to leave tho hospital, ho was invalided back to New Zealand. Private Hansford, however, has again felt tho call of duty and has gone fotward to do his little bit once moTP. News received in Wellington states that Sub-lieutenant Athol Rlcales, oldest son of Mr G. IJ. Scales, has been successful in his naval examination and ha*? been promoted lieutenant on tho Dreadnought Baiham. Lieutenant Scalcs, who is 26 years of ago, has be-on in the navy only tlirco months. Mr Stanley Grant, who was in Wellington in connection with "Tho B'rth of a Nation" picture, received now* on Mondaj of tlio death at the front of his brothor-in-I uv, Mr Bert Bloomfiold, of Melbourne. '1 ho cleoeased. who was a brother of Mr M. Bloomfiold, who waa manager for Mr Joseph Blasehcclc in New Zealand, was 35 \ears of ago. Ho loaves a wife and infant son. Lieutenant-colonel A. C. »Parker, of the Intelligence Department, who mentioned for good porvice in the despatches from Egypt, is tho son of Mrs Parker (late of Oamaiu. and nephew of Lord Kitchener. Tie formerly held a commission in trio South Carterbury Volunteeis, and for sorno > ears past has been Governor of_ Sinai, the oeninsula in Egvpt across which +fie Turks havo been operating against tho Canal.