MEN PINE FOR HOME.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14800, 2 January 1919, Page 6

MEN PINE FOR HOME.

DO NOT WANT TO GO TO GERMANY. DEMOBnJSATION ONLY THOUGHT. LONDON, Dec. 18. Mr. Cridland 1 , a commissioner of the Comforts Fund, has arrived from the front. He states that he established a store at Charleroi, where it was expected the five Australian divisions would be located at Christmas.

The congestion on the railways created difficulties m forwarding supplies, but the commissioner expected that all the presents would' be distributed about Christmas.

Charleroi is a comfortable locality. The people are mo6t friendly. Nevertheless the majority of the men are pining for home. They do not want to go to Germany. They are interested only m demobilisation.

Army orders announce that Generals Monash and Chauvel have been appointed permanent lieutenant-generals, and General Hobbs a temporary lieutenantgeneral. The Council . of Women's Emigration Societies has convened a meeting of the wives and fiancees of Australian soldiers for Thursday. Lady Mitchell and Mrs. Claude McDonald will deliver addresses on conditions m Australia.

BIRDWOOD DISCUSSES GALLIPOLI

LONDON, Dec. 18. Sir James Mills presided at the Australian and New Zealand Club's luncheon to General Sir William -Birdwood and Mr. Winston Churchill.

"The Soul of Anzac," respondSng to the toast of his health, doubted whether any army from any country presented more magnificent specimens of manhood than the Australians did.

Referring to the late General Bridges,, General Birdwood said that Australians? could never be sufficiently grateful for the work he performed. The future would! do full justice to the Mediterranean expedition. £ Although the Dardanelles venture was not successful, it accomplished the annihilation of the flower of the Turkish army. The traditions the Australians built up on Gallipoli were maintained and enhanced m France. No name was higher m the world than that of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers, while m the whole army there was not any better organised or more efficient division than the New Zealanders.

ANZACS' SHARE IN VICTORY. Mr. Churchill said he had 1 been gratified by tie Anzacs' prowess m thf{ field, to which we owed m a definite and recognisable degree the victory gained by the British arms. The fame of the Anzacs was world-wide. Australasia produced a stream of valiant and l virile manhood, and also evolved from the civilian elements military geniuses without which bravery might be unavailing. Few generals were more beloved than was Birdwood, due largely to his personal care of his men, and his traditions had been carried l on by Generals Monash and Godley. The deeds y of the Anzacs would 1 be cherished for. years to come, when Australia contained a huge population of the British race.

A mournful splendor played about the great operation at Gall'ipoli. It was launched without universal Allied help, and* although it did not accomnlish its object, it played a very definite part m the final result. It knocked the heart and .soul opt of the Turkish army, which never again presented 1 anything but a ruptured and shattered fragment. There were scarcely any graves on the whole battlefield on which they could better write the words "Not m vain" than on those of the Aaizacs on Gallipoli. 8 General Sir lan Hamilton had ? been set a task which perhaps no human being could 1 have achieved with the' remnants left after France's needs had been met.

It now became the statesman's duty to preserve the unity of the Empire and carry the Imperial organisation a step forward. They must expect that the Dominions would desiro to 1 he m closer touch with the British Government m the march of events confronting them m the future.