GISBORNITES AT THE FRONT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14051, 22 July 1916, Page 3

GISBORNITES AT THE FRONT.

Writing from. "Somewhere in France" on May 25th, Corporal H. Fraser, of th© Transport .Division, states he was at the trenches one afternoon "getting the. hang of the place with his transport officer, so that tihey would know where to take the waggons," and on the way home they met {Sonny Williams, who was just going bock. "By jove, he looked a doer," adds the writer, "but his crowd had been in a week, and lie liad just gone back to get some stores for the boys. On return to town I met a whole bunch of Gisborne boys all together, including Jeffreys, Mick Crawford, Oscar Solvander, Ovenden, and several others. Jeff, had seen Pat Duncan. Piper was .in the same town, but did not see liim." The writer states he had been living in some great places, and had had quite a lot of open-air treatment, getting very good tucker and plenty of it, and he was feeling, very fit and perfectly happy. When he' arrived in France he was given charge of the officers' mess cart, which was a fairly low-set spxnng cart with a canvas hood. The cart was used for different kinds > of things, such as taking ' officers and baggage to railway stations, and taking the padre about, and through this he had seen a fair amount of tne country which he would otherwise have missed. Since the sergeant had been on leave in England he had practically been in charge, as the officer they had "cracked" up in Egypt with rheumatism. They had considerably longer hours and were tied down more than the boys in the infantry, but for all that lie would sooner be where he was. Bob Downie was now a sergeant in the Grenadiers'' (bomb-throwers), or "Suicide Club" as they were called. Sergeant Bob Py croft was still in the ranks and doing well. Jim Rodgers was now a lance-corporal. Tlie writer, had seen Geo. Fromm a couple of weeks 'ago. The last time tlie writer was at the baths, lying there soaking and. enjoying himself, a yonng chap passed, whom he recognised as Digs Mason, who was in Gisborne years ago. He was a motor-driver in the field ambulance. At the same place he met Louie Sherriff, who was iiii the N.Z. A.S.C. headquarters. The two Pollock boys were in the A.S.C. train, which was attached to the writer's brigade. Will Slingsby was also a warrant officer (sergant-major) in the same A. S.C. company. There was also a . Pioneer Battalion there, , in which were Joe Harkie, Cecil Symes, Roy Bousfield, ■Priestley, and several other Gisborne boys. He had not run across Charlie or Geo. Everiss, but no doubt would meet them some day. Jack Holmes was a sergeant in. the Records Office, Dudley Evans and young Jerram were also with No. 3 A.S.C, and John Roberts was a corporal in the Ordnance Depot.