WAR EXPERIENCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17156, 8 November 1917, Page 7

WAR EXPERIENCES

Last evening the Rev._ Oswald Burnet, who has seen active service, gave a narra- . tive of his experiences as a soldier at the front, and was listened to with interest by a fairly large audience gathered in Trinity HalL The chair was taken by the Rev. W. A. Hay. The Rev. O. Burnet said he left New Zealand on Good Friday, 1916. and landed in a seaport in the -north of .France, where there was a gigantic camp—much larger than anything of the kind in New Zealand. It was, he said, a great treat, after being two months on a transport, to see the beautiful country and be able to talk to an English lady. After 10 days in what was known as the " bull ring," marching orders were issued, and they went to the Somme in a train of certainly not first class carriages, but luggage vans. They found Armentieres a deserted town, with train lines that were not in use. The discomfort of occupying trenches knee-deep in mud was described, and descriptions were given of the different German guns and the various effects produced by their shells. Trench life was bad enough in fine weather, but when it was cold and wet it became a ierriWe ordeal to go through. On a wild night the men in the front trenches got no sleep. The daily routine of camp life was pleasantly told. It was the same old thing over and over again—the same night watch, the same broken sleep, the same crash of bombs, the same feeling of helplessness; but even the men with glaring faults knew that they were doing their duty, and that their lives were in God's keeping. Mr Burnet said he had met some fine men at the front, and when the call came to him to. pass to the beyond, he was sure he would meet some of those brave men over there. After spending three months in Armentieres they went into the Somme district, where he took part in an attack. When waiting for the signal to go there was no shrinking, but the mind centred on one thing—a feeling that they must do their duty. Mr Burnet said he did not get far \ over the top before he was stopped by two ehrapnel bullets, and lay on "No Man's Land" for 26 hours before he was carried to a dressing i-tation and subsequently to a French hospital. Here he was well treated, and then he was put on a hospital ship and brought back to New Zealand. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Burnet for his lecture on the motion of Mr Duke, who said he had learned more about actual war conditions from the lecture than from all the war books he had read.