IN MEMORY OF ANZAC.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14283, 27 April 1917, Page 8

IN MEMORY OF ANZAC.

GISBORNE RETURNED' SOLDIERS' ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL RE-UNION

In commendation , of c historic landing of t^ x:i^Tizfics\'? ori the.. Galli-' poli Peninsula, April 25, 1915, the-mem-bers of the Gisborne Returned Soldiers' Association held their first Anzac, dinner last evening.: ; ■•■■ - -•■- , The gathering, which, was held... at the Coronation Hotel, proved most successful, affording a pleasant re-union ot. about fifty %^bei-s H , aUpjgf/^whom^had^ seen active service with *tbe- Expeditions ary Force. His" Worship the Mayor (Mr W. G. Sherraitt), the "Yen. Archdeacon Packe, Lieut^Gaadui'n;:(Soljaiers'.jPulb), Lieut. -Colonel*- ..Mt»ir (Group- Geniman-] der), together .with , press representatives were guests of tl\©» association. * The spacious ' dinmgi'ooni presented .an* attractive, appearance, being ; neatly dp.cprated' for the occasion,- '^MJr. ; a"nd Mrs, Doherty proVed; : ;;th"e.m»ely*^'- admhalHe hosts, and an excelleritf*repast was provided. After justice hail been done to the same, a suitable toast list was proceeded with. Captain".. W^ _T. Pitt, .pre r sident of the- N.Z.- Returned Soldiers' ''Association, ' and'ehairmem- of', <tfoe local branch, presided.

"The King/ proposed by x the 'Chairman, was dylyhonoretf: ' , "Our Comrades" at t>he Front,", was proposed by' LieM. -Colonel Mbir, who said" that most* -of'- them had seen the condition of '.life at the front. Some \yho had, not, seen" -France had seen what it' was like,. aV.GjMUpqlJ.* ©thSrg ftail served m other -parts, and they Mtere all able to form some conception of what was going on to-day m the. great fight m Fkuaders, -and not only m Flanders, frut J^n the . various oitter fronts, wheee- their ' boys were ' doing their little bit towards the ultimate'defeat of : tynawij^-.and oppression. (Ap r plause.) They TiSd some experience '.of what" our lftda- were experiencing, either the heat and "dust of the desert,, or the cold and mud of ' France," andl other hardships they were enduring. # /Those who had worked wiith. them on the field of battle knejy. whafi. they were. , undergoing, and never ' had they heard one word of ''grousing," Every man was there to dcrjbjs little "bit" as thoroughly and eflTclen£Ljf-Jas he\ could. And what, lie aslced, were they out' here doing for them compared to the people m Fiance? Lord Derby, lie went on to say, had recently declared we required threo things — money, munitions, and men. }t° ne y would pour' m ■ from America/to' assist the Allies m the gigantic struggle. (Applause.)' Munitions — those who had seen what was being done m Britain could form an idea" of tlie thousands - of tons that were beings turned out by the , men, avomen, and" girls of Britain to help the men m the trenches. Men was, the last m order of the requirements, a;nd would be th© last requirement m th 6 «• wair. (Applause.) It- behoved them tos^e that ■every m.m m New Zealand was doing his little bit towards 1 the great struggle. Proceeding, ...the. speaker' expressed, pleasure at the splendid victory obtained ■ throughout New Zealand yesterday over those were opposed, to national' 'se»Vice.' Hfe regretted that ihei'e were^'nleri, and I 'a fair sprinkling, who were partaking of the benefit of Britain's Ajpv^ Navy, and of ■'<■ its Enr mg, "sjia ' » of" wl'l'o were prepared to •"pull out." 'Where, m the name of all that was holy, would -we have been now if it had u ifot"'b6eTt for Britain. We would have beten a rGernfan Colony long ago ; the name New "Zie>lsind would haVe censed, ami bm- country would have been knowij by a German name.' We uhoiud haye^t^en^rn the position of-Bel- ' «ivm — carrying *> ut itn e orders; of. German taskmasters and tyraaits. It was tW duty of every man and woman' to discard "anything, and everything that got m Hie road of helping to brang about a speedy; .amd ; termination of the war. (Applause.) Lieut. W, . Lv*Coteman said- he was diffident to rise to respond, seeing .that jio had only,':been" m |Jgypt,,;and'ppti

on the Western front- Howevp*^he thanked them on behalf of / ±lfe men who were there. /■ . "Our Allies," was adnyralbly proposed by Sergeant- Majdv,-- WT" P. Williams, who said that at the present Lime our Allies and ourselves might be counted as 'one people, united for a, special purpose. They were united for a. good reason. Central Europe, backed up by its Allies, had set out to destroy the other nations, and to "collar" the rest of the worlds Were we going to stop them? Yes, and by. the brilliancy of "EEc present onset, we were going to •settle them soon. The speaker paid a high tribute to 1 the gallant stand made "by_our Allies, ajid/ declared that with •their, aid Britain would A se© the Huns I **fixed for good and ever;. 1 ' (Applause.) Setgeant W. Brechin, who lespdndiecTj' emphasised the 1 benefits that would 'beHder-iyed through this great combination to the present generation, and that •Which Was to come. (Applause.) 'Tile Yen. Archdeacon Packe said he had; been entrusted with a most touchting, toast "The : Illustrious Dead," coßUpled with those who mourned their loss. "They," he said, "havo taught us that honor is greater than life, and they have- taught us that "one crowded hour of glorious life is worth more tham an age without & name." They have -taught us that God has not forgotten ihem, and that every soldier who died had been more than satisfied.* "He asketh a life amd- Thou gayest him a long life, even for ever and ever." Those illustrious dead ! Might we not day- .

On Fame's eternal camping ground Their, silent tents are spread; And gjqry guards with silent round 5 The bivouac" • of th e dead. And this one word for those-^ who 'mourn, more m private than m any other, sentimental way* Mother with unbowed head, Hear, from across the sea, The farewell of the dead — - The dead who died for thee. Greet them again with gentle .words and bra.ye, • Ifor, sajvt'ng you, themselves they could ■ not save. • ■ • '

The toast was revently honored m silence, all standing. ; '/At this stage an adjournment was made to th-s hotel balcony, which /had been tastefully decorated with bunting and flowers and electric lights, and provided a splendid place for the evening's •entertainment. The speeches were continued, interspersed with an •enjoyable musical programme provided by Mr. M. L. Foster's orchestra), and a concert party under Mr. Rosewarne.

In proposing the toast of tile N.Z. Returned Soldiers' Association, the Mayor (Mr. W. G. Sherratt) recalled tile inception of the war and New Zear land's share m the great struggle, the. •departure of the Expeditionary Force jand reinforcements, and the landing at '.Gallipoli. It was from these the uajne' .Anzac came, and he asked them always to be proud of the name, a name that had been given to the whole civilised world. The "Anzaes" were maiking ■their presence felt .m France, Palestine, ■and Mesopotamia. Those were the events that had led up to the formation of the Returned Soldiers' Association. They had been brothers-in-arms, and he hoped that when the boys all came back they would still be brothers, because they had participated m the greatest war the world had known, and they had made a name and «' club to be proud of. If they stuck together the public would help them. (Applause.) Captain. Pitt, replying as first president of the association a<nd the head of the local branch — (applause): — said those who were back, home thought it was only right to form a body with the object of looking after the welfare of the ;returned soldiers, and of their comrades a.t' the front. They were not looking so 'much for any advantage for themselves as they were for the comrades they had been compelled to leave ; behind to carry on the great fight. (Ap"platfse.) He hoped and trusted the association would grow m strength, and, m; ; fact, lie hoped at the end of the Jyjf&r th?y ! - would be 70,000 strong—and

that would mean the war was ended and tho boys wove back again. (Applause.) The policy of the R.S.A. was not to interfere m politics a-t the present time. The Government' had sufficient to do without the association worrying them, but the time would come when the men were all hack when the association would push its claims much more vigorously than at present. (Applause.) ■ • Private H. . H. -McGill proposed "The Army and Navy," and m doihg-so said that although at the outbreak of Ijhe war the British Amy was .one of smallest, it' had since proved its/efficiency on service, and despit^: criticism the ' younger soldiers had upheld; t^iat reputation. Without entering ;.'' iivtb Retail respecting the sister' service,, >he would ■ say that ever since the days ; of Drake, ■ when it set out ; to harass^ and' conquer the *inv&&cible r Armada, the navy, could point to a roll of- victory: at sea. England had been, '■' and gtSll was^ Mistress of the .Sea . jy'H-nd ; in tKfe great Jutland battle rthe big ironclads had repeated the success of the '•■glorious' -bid wooden ships, ,of, whom they \yere ; aUj so justly proud. (.Appl^usef.),, ' .. •■>,.:.. Lieut. -Colonel Moir recalled the old saying: "Some were . born vgreat, some achieved greatness, arid some. 1 had gMatness thrust upon ; them." He felt , : h« "was an the latter class 1 m hlefhg ' called on to respon^to this toast,' which/ m the days of vmunteerihg, was, celebrated as, "The Navy, . the Army, and; the Volunteers.'' ' The.^navy • was the first line' of defenoe^ the^ army second, ap^. th© volunteer® third ', and- on,; these lmes Britain had'acted— purely on the/,d;e|ensive—a complete; reply .to '-the Ge&hjan claim that Britaiii ■ .engaged -on 1 'a 1 war* of co»qjiest. TH© naYy v was, '.] arid always should be, first. They* ctiuldj hq^, say, too much >Ln honor oi ' the' -, na.vyf They had seen it engaged ' in-^the. bai'dment of Gallipolfc— the good !dld Queen Elizabeth pouring out its salvoes from its.ls:n. guns. (Applause.) ,What the navywes able to do "had been exemplified to them, by tAat'-ship^'"Mov-ing up and down the coast as' they had done from Anzac to Cape HelleS, aricj across to Imbros, when $liey r ' << vvere for-, tunate to get a ; holi'dayr— (lau'gliiter)-^ they had seeii something' of t'h'e Vor'lt of the- patrol boats, of tin-e navy. . Bi'itain's "contemptiblo little army"— it had $uc<cessfully accomplished ,m the retrealt from Mons what no other al^my could, have done without being reduced to a rabble. (Applause.) That Vai*my had 1 become an araiy tit to cope"w ith \ttifi,; Central Powers, and was ; doing;, i^. to'^ da.y — (renewed applauise.J^-and 1 . to-day numbered as many' milK-ons ,as there were thousands previously.. §ome ■[' oi^ them had fought side W ■ sid© with that gwat 29th Division. \Vhat a great honor that they. (New; Zealatid^ ers, for a. short time m 'the '-attack oh Krithia and. Achi Baba/ were -regarded a» part of that great division. They cquld hold it as one' of their greatest boasts to their children and gran^-bliilr idren— thai division 'that had suffered casualties three t^mes its original stirehgth,- and was still . upholding its great tra:ditions on the Western front. (Applause.) • '■- ; '

Captain. Pitt intimated, there was another toast,-' one that -''was riot on the programme, a congratujatory toast to, the Mayor.^. (Applause.) -That tithe on the previous night, or a little earlier, his- Worship had only, known, of his return, and that was* his first public ap* pearance since, re-elected. They wished him every success, Ihq same as m the past, and that he would continue to do his best for the district, "and a little bit- for- the returned soldiers." (Laughter applause.) Not that Mr.", Sherratt had not done a, little for them, but to help the association ' and, bring along some money to help them' get a permanent building. (Applause.) The Mayor, who was/g reeted with, muehi applause, expi*e3sed Ills pleasure at' being present. Captain Pitt had asked him to do what he could forthem. He promised them, he would do what he could for the returned soldiers, and 'would help forward, their associations. (Applause.) Hell ad said goodbye to about 21 drafts of soldiers, , and he hoped it would be his honor to w,el-

■ •■;,; — •■' ' r 'f i'• •■';• •' „ |L 'V. „'■■;. f " com* all those boys Tiomel (Ap'plaii^e.) ; He thanked them, <nnd would do what j he could to forwyxd the association, and , would be glad to # do it. (Renewed applauae:) : -. . , Sergeant J. Ben wick ably proposed the toast of "The Ladies," and m" doing so ; declared he could not speak too highly of the work of the nursing sisters — (applause) — and for the work of those at horne — the mothers, wives, sisters, <ahd sweethearts. (Helie\ve"d 'applause.) , Sergeant 0. Solvander 1 siiitabljr' Replied 911 behalf of the ladies. The Mayor (Mr. Sherratt) asked leave •to -propose the 'toast of the Ffdnt/iers-. men, fcoupled with the name of Lieut. Gaddum. (Applause.) Lieut. Gaddum, .he veni,aa'kedj had apologised for the small number of Frontfemhen on parade' on "Anzab^'lpa'y, saying they' \Vcre nearly all at thie '"front. That was a good recommendation. (Applause.) '■ 'Lieut.; G.kvddu'rn, who \v"as"ctordially re'Ooivfid.'' ■ex.pmsa&d. his 'plteasuiV-.ai' the •privilege of being' preseriti/to join with the " returned "'men".- ! " The'Frohtiersnfjeh had about 120 mcii at the ff'O'nt; He thougjit, ten .had returned, and one ' or two ; w«re coming back ' ! nearly every boa 4?.. He. thought ( they. would soon &cc the ■'' glorious : vlelory 'oh the 'Western .fypnt, and. he. hafl,,poen wondering Avliat sort of k' gatlt4i«ihg th«y wbuld have next year, , . ( , . ; f "V~oice4; "We will i- have to tafee the Gai^isori Hal^^' and "pfe,. vye \will,h?Lve 'oar-o wn club;" •" ' v :*

T||a toast of "The Press" was also honoVfedj' together with that of ."The Qreli.esti'a" (r^p'oncle'd to 'by Messrs. Posfjbr ■■andf-RbieWa-viife)' a-hd "Our Host f arid : Host-ess" ■ (i-eplied to by I>oher<^)'. ■ • ■". : ■■■■■ ■''■'■. ■ rv ( . .'!■/■ '.^'"i ■' • V 4 most enjoyable musical programme was submitted, some spirited orchestral piift.ces "being intoi"spersed 'with capital yqcal items, which.; were' most Tifeartily appreciated, ArcKdwicofir T^acke' and Mr., H; jSlaud.e 'presidihg at 1 the' piano. ""By .tlie ■specJal-'co : hseSt- l bif Mr. W. 'A-.' B^r- : .tbn, S;M., the cibnoert Vas "■ continued, until "nearly : ' 11 o'clock', and iq'iiite ■•'■-', it lai'ge rtiimber of spectators^ enjoyed .tlie 1 proceeding^ from tlio '- pavement:* tipposite. 1 " : ; : . '-■> - '••■' . : ■;■■■-'._ '■ V '■ }'■ : . ., ■' j .