AFTER MANY YEARS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16964, 28 March 1917, Page 9

AFTER MANY YEARS

TWO BROTHERS MEET AT TUIiN'IHAM. Thirry-si* years following each other about 111 o world, and never once encountering until *1 ast baturday, is tne remarkable arid almost incredible lact concerning two Kew Zcalenders, totaff Sergeajit-in.:jor Jack Kerldell and his brother Walter (saysS tho Wellington Tost). The story of tins strango game of hide and seek dates from the birth of tho younger ot the two brothers,. Walter, who is now 56 years of age, When the latter came into the world, Jack was but two years old, and, owing to tile mother's serious illness at this time, VValter was immediately taken charge of by an aunt who resided in a remote town. As the mother continued ill for a long period, Walter was retained under his aunt's care| :md eventually tho latter became so attached to him.that stic begged permission to adopt hini, and lie grew up as one of the aunt's family. Jack, as he became older, ,was sent away, to school, and it so happened that whenever Walter accompanied his aunt to his mother's home, Jack was away. This missing of. each other continued for many years, and later, as the two men com- ' menccd their wanderings about tho world, they were constantly picking up traces of each other, often in strange and far-off lilaccs, and each was frequently asked if he was a brother of the other by people who had met both; but by some trick of fortune they never came up with each other, and usually, whenever Jack returned after a long pjrioil of absence from home, it was to be told that he had "just missed Walter." On tho outbreak of the South African war both drifted to the Transvaal, and learned of each other's nresencc there! llero again, however, they" dodged each other about, and frequently Jack entered a place with his contingent to find that Walter Miad just been drafted to some, other part. And so, ever since, the brothers have been chasing each other around the globe, and it. was only on Saturday last that they earno face to face. This was at tho Trentham training camp, where Jack has for about three months teen attached to tho instructional staff. Walter, who has now settled down to the peaceful and profitable occupation of farming, somewhere in tho Hutt Valley, learned that his brother was in camp, and secured conmniention with liim by telephone, and arranged to meet him on Saturday afternoon at his camp quarters. Each gave the other a personal description of himself, and the hand-wring-ing was, needless to say, very hearty as tho two brothers _ looked upon each other for the first time in ?6 years. Tho meeting was not celebrated in camp, for the ser-geant-major secured special week-end leavo.