With the forces

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XIV, Issue 715, 11 February 1919, Page 1

With the forces

Mrs W. D. Bay ley, wife of one of the Canadian Prohibition Campaigners now visiting New Zealand, lias juacreceived word from her brother, Captain A, D. Moßae, M.C., that he is now wtoh.his batta ion m Germany. Captain MoKae was wounded last; August after two years' service, a bullet passing through b.>th nose and cbeek. He received tbe Military Gross for his work m tha lighting during which be was wounded. Captain Mcßae describes hi* ad* ventures m getting to his battalion after returning from hospital m Kng-' land. He say9,Npvemfeer, 25th 1918 : '• 1 gofc bade- to the village a few days ago after quite a wonderful trip up from Boulogne, the last hundred miles or 60 being done by hopping the odd motor lorries. I spent the first night m Valenciennes and the next at tbe famous Mpus. The towns and Cities here are a mass of fiags, ! floral archts etc. 1 It seemed quite strang j when uear- : j ing the old battle, ground not to hear any guns, aud I think it made it seem aU the more desolate if possible. The roads lor miles on either side of the old zone are crowded with old men, women, add children, pushing wheelbarrows, pulling carts or waggons orjoarrying great bundl c ? on their way to their old homes, though m many oases it will be buj the place wh3re their home used to be. Many will not. even be able to find a vestige of the town or village left. What some of these wonderful French

people are going through (smlliag with the knowledge th&t they ar* going to bef.ee of tha Han) ttu world at large will never appreciate. The road?, as we march through Kelguim towards the Rhiaa are ever lined with old men (fhe others are ia Lheir own acmy)|; women_j»nd children aod all seem to b»ve letrat the word Welcome., Floral arches decor* tfce ths sfcrjsts and great banners bear some welcome m Belgian, French, ii)nglish, or a mixture. Men rush out with cups of tea op coffee to tbe boys as- we pass, and when we stop f r the night they do theii 1 utjiost to nuke us comfortable. It is oit n quite touching fco soe ha elder people standing to welcome us with^tears of joy running town • heir ehaeks. Yesterday when neariog a iiule towu we were met with a band of some dozeo piece?, no member of which I shoald ju(<ge was a day under sixty years. Tbey flayed "Uh Gaoada " and •« Uud the King," and not too bacUy either. Captain Meßae figured very promineutly two years ago a3 & witness iv the famous British Columbia BoldVote inyestigationv A referendum of Prohibition was held and a Government Oonimission sat m ifing •and ancS that dead soldiers »3 well aa thousands of fictitious names had baen voted. Captain McKae had acted as Scrutineer for the Drys, and was able to give evU dence that proved that ballots marked ior Prohibition had been destroyed and Wet ballots substituted. Oap tain Mcßae later on was placed m charge cf the Canadian General Jilieacion for one* of the 'four divisions of the Canadian Army.