SOLDIERS' LETTERS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5538, 19 September 1916, Page 4

SOLDIERS' LETTERS.

TROOPER QUINLAN IN FRANCE

Tiooper Jim Quinlan, well-known ia this district, writing to his parents at Rewa, Hunterville, says: "You can hardly credit how pleased a fellow is at getting news from home. For a while we were not allowed to use ordinary envelopes; could only use the official one, and as we were only is-

sued one of them per week, couldn't do very much writing. About two or three of our column get furlough to England, or any part of the British Isles they prefer, every fortnight. They have eight clear d?ys iron, here! Of course, the fellows who have been in England before liave to wait until the others liave had their turn. ao it means my turn won't come for some

month- We are paid regularly here, consequently always have a few francs in hand. Ever since we landed in this country we have never been more than ten minutes' walk from a town or village of some description and can mostly always purchase any small article l equired. It’a very handy being close to shops. We are at present camped alongside a 1 aiilv decent place. Have a splendid old church, must be a couple oi hundred years <>M by the outside appearance. Tlie inside is beautiful: have a splendid choir and organ. We (.the R.C s.) go there every Sunday morning; have our own chaplain. . . Captain J. B. Whyte is camped justs alongside. Had a yarn to him. the other day. He is looking very well. ... This is an awful place for ram and cold. Honestly, it averages easily

tour days’ rain out of the seven. . . - The horse lines are mostly in a frightful condition, and they just get hard, when along comes the rain again Have to shave every morning, clean loots, and buttons polished; It is tho -ame with the harness; every spare half-hour is put in harness cleaning, ‘? have to polish every bit of steel and eicry buckle. It is the same with! the limbers and waggons. .VII tha brass caps on tho wheels have to be bright and shiny, and if a follow doesn t keep the stuff up to the mark, he is sure to get a week or so of

PI.rC'KY RESCUE UNDER HEWY FIRE. BY A BALLANCE SOLDIER 1 lu- following is an abstract from a letter received from Trooper F. O. V\ btbley, tith Rein force men .<s, dated Bir-el-Alailer. 27tli July: “The Turks e\ .dently think they „till ha ve a chance to # occupy the Canal none. because quite a large body have advanced to w ithin a few uulos of our portions. so you con guess we have quire a lot el work to do. At last wo are . nabl.-a to carry out real Mount, d rune work. We go out for 24 ]■ .it a time, doing outpost work, arid engaging the enemy's outposts etc. >o fat wc have bees lm-kv em i -| los- only one nmn. Cris B -rkhan. i son .<t the Berfchatis who used u> j, vo «t Malwrahnra. He was killesl out. right the other day The \ 1 H have also hail a few killed and w mod • si. I believe. .. . Wo bad u>v amount, ot Hun aeroplanes Hying ab r . us ot' late, but they nY>nined' from homo-dropping so tor. It ,> quite an interesting .sight to -,v an ei.cmv plane searing along, with the .sliells tloin one of our anf-aircraft guns bursting round her. but they have not been lucky enough to bring one J .,«n yet-. . ... " I nder date July 2fh.li. the name writer says: 'Had quits' a exciting time yesterday, ion into a miti.Lr .if Turks, Harold Martin (son of Mr \ Mart.in. Hallnncv) anil I, among s.-\ . oral others, were right on them when they opened tin' on us but. fortunately we (Harold and 1) managed to get lock without, getting hit. but two others were not. so fortunate One poor chap got hit just beside Harold. *nd Harold very pluykily brought, him back to our line under a heavy fire, but the poor chap was .so badly hit. that lit' died almost immediately * expect we shell ge tl quite a let lighting for a while, as the Turks are in pretty strong force.” Ibis letter was written a. lew days before the battle of FI Roma n