RETURNED SOLDIERS' NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22399, 22 October 1934, Page 11

RETURNED SOLDIERS' NEWS

( Contributed.) ' PERSONAL. j During the week a visit Mas paid to tlieclub by Sir lan Eraser, C.B.E.i M.P., Mr' Clutha M'Kenzie, and Mr G. Morton, private secretary to Sir lan. In an interesting chat ,Sir lan expressed surprise at what had been achieved already by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association,; and said he was particularly struck with the. help and hand of fellowship which had been extended to all Imperial men. ; I The judging- of the ■ carpentering and j leather work sections at the Boy Scouts Hobbies and Handicrafts Exhibition'was j •lone by Messrs A. C. Laing and S. Ewens, who spoke in high praise of the handcraft of these boys. We wish them every : success in-the future, and hope that they will always take an active interest in ' hand-craft which is a great benefit to the community. , BILLIARDS. In the final of the Auckland Sports Club's billiards • cup competition, just played off,, Mr J. J. Malohey was the successful winner.'and Dr Baruett was a close*'runner-up with a score of 30.3 out of n total of 350. The; St. Kifda Bowling Club' entertained, a •team of billiard players from the Returned Soldiers' Association and in. both, snooker and billiards the U.S.A.' teams, were .successful. : iTHE-CAMELIERS During the advance, of the N.Z.M.R. i Brigade over the Sinai Desert in 1916the supply of spirits in the officers', mess of''oHe : regiment ran'out. The mess secretary., was authorised to send a wire'to an officer on leave in Cairo to bring back a dozen bottles of whisky when he was returning at the week-end. The secretary went, off to-the signaller's-hut, but came back Rooking rather, crestfallen, and •■explained to the mess that the.message could not be accepted for transmission as it was not a military order. One' officer remarked he would get it accepted, and the secretary bet him a hundred 'piastres he could not. The officer went off and came back in five minutes, claiming that he had. won tlie bet, and that' the message had gone. "How could you get it sent when I couldn't?" asked the secretary. " Oh, I made it a military order," answered the other. " How could yoii make a military order out of the order for a dozen bottles of whisky?' "Quite easily," was the reply, " I worded it—' Cap. A. B. Sbepheard's Hotel, Cairo. Please instruct No. 1820 Sergt. J. Walker and 11 companions to report here with you on Friday.' And on Friday 12 bottles of whisky arrived." TRENCH MAGAZINES HELP TROOPS At the latter end of 1915, when the Canadian Corps held the line between Vormezeele arid Plug, .street, torrential rains combined: with German shelling, to make the trench uninhabitable, and- the men's lives-miserable. Parapets fell in or were blown in, shelters were flooded, sickness and battle casualties thinned the ranks-, and general conditions were depressing, but here is,how one magazine reacted to■ them: —" Extracts From (Expected) Brigade Orders:- " 1. Commanders of submarines plying in the communication trenches' are. requested to see that the these vessels are not used by pleasure parties "between the lines. "2. Non-commissioned officers and men are not allowed to use the bathing beach at XZ-50 trench. This is for officers only. "3. Ration and fatigue parties must not participate in swimming, races to ;ihn firing'line owing to the presence of hostile submarines. "4. Owing to the scarify of material for filling sandbags, any man who consumes, more than 101 bof mud - a day will be severely dealt with." BRITISH EMPIRE SERVICE LEAGUE. • Of the history and achievements of the I league it is difficult to write in the small ' space of a single article, so it must suffice to say that it was • founded in 1921 at $. conference, opened by General Smuts, of Empire delegates who assembled at the invitation of the late Field-marshal Earl Haig, its founder and first grand president, and ever since accredited represntaI tivea from all parts'of the Empire have I met every two years at conferences that have been held in South Africa, England, and Canada. Following the death of its founder, Earl the King consented to accept the position, of, 4>atron-in-chief Under its royal patronage, the sphere pi its activities has so steadily expanded that it now covers the whole of.the Empire, and is now, in, truth; ' a mighty federation of all who /serve 'the Empire" to use the words of-the founder.

"The Biggest British Institution That Exists."— In this .striking phrase his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales aptly described the British Empire Ser-. vice League, the great central organisation which unites all the ex-service a'sso-' ciations of the British Empire. The 8.E.5.L., as it' is popularly known, has for its steadfast policy- the two outstanding principles of loyalty to King and Empire,' and the unity • and development of'the British Commonwealth. In. furtherance of • its: policyj the league perpetuates the memory of the gallant men and women who died for the Empire; fosters and maintains that spirit of selfsacrifice which in the late ,war '■ inspiredall members of his Majesty's forces ; to subordinate their individual welfare ;to the interests of the common weal; inculcates' and 1 perpetuates' a spirit .of comradeship and patriotism throughout the Empire; and advocates' the vital •necessity'of adequate defence of the British Com'monwealth. The B:E.S.L. endeavours to find employment for, and assist those who served in the Great War to migrate and; eettle within the Empire, and has also carried on active propaganda to further inter-Empire trade and Empire development;. The British Empire Service League speaks in the name of millions of exservicemen ,wbo -fought for the Empire in the Great War, now bonded together in the following associations, which constitute the membership- oS the 8.E.5.L.: —The British Legion .(England, Wales, and Northern Ireland); the Canadian Legion. of the British Empire Service League; the Returned Sailors and Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia; the British Empire Service League (South Africa);'the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association; the Ex-services Association of India and Burma; the Great War Veterans' Association of Newfoundland;, the "Ex-services Association of Malaya; the British Empire Service League (Rhodesia); the British Legion (Irish Free State); the British Legion (Scotland); the Ex-servicemen's Association of British Guiana: the British Empire Service League (Nigeria); the British Empire Service League (Sierra Leone); the Comrades of the Great War (Ceylon) Association; the Ex-«ervice Association of Mauritius; the United Services' Association of Shanghai. The officers of the British Empire Service Lp-'me are as follows:—Patron-in-chief, His Majesty; the King; patron, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales:, grand president, Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe; hon. treasurer* Brigadier-general A. F. Home; hon. secretary, Captain Donald Simson. 0.8. E. Empire headquarters acts as'.a clearing house for -all matters of interest to ex-servicemen in all parts of the Empire. Its British Trade Information Department deals with British trade inquiries from British firms, manufacturers, and individuals in every cor.ner of the globe. Its Migration and Empire Settlement Department, in co-opera-tion with the British Legion, assists Exservicemen who desire to migrate within the Empire with information of local conditions, advice on passage, outfit, and in selected cases obtains assistance in. connection with the foregoing. , •;

SEVENTH BIENNIAL CONFERENCE. Delegates from all over the Empire are now making their way towards their objective, Melbourne. With all sincerity and earnestness, we hope that the many matters of weighty importance will, after their deliberations, be given effect to, for we. feel that in the matter of the Imperial pensioner, for instance, much more can be done for these men, who are now residents in the dominions of the Empire. We extend to our own delegation from the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association every good wish, and also, our associate member, Mr J. S." Skinner, and we shall look forward on his' return to receiving ail the inner details of the running of this world-wide conference of ex-servicemen. Let us take away with us the thought expressed by the Prince of Wales at the sixth biennial conference of the B.E.S.L.:—" We are not only a great gathering of organisations from different parte of the world—organisations to help ourselves and our dependents—but we are great associations who have in the past in many instances shown, those who were denied that, com-

nideship of the war and" denied the op portunity of knowing how to save situf tioiis, how to do it."