COCOA AS USUAL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1359, 21 June 1918, Page 9

COCOA AS USUAL.

WELL DONE, Y.M.C.A.! STORES SNATCHED PROM THE JAWS OP THE HUN. ["Life," said the cynic, "is just one damn thing after another." However, as there are no cynics in the Y.M.C.A., the heart-breaking confusion when the offensive upset all their plans was accepted with unruffled good-humour. Our story is from the N.Z. Official Correspondent.] When the German General Staff decided to smash the British armies in the field, and to separate the French and the English in one great Western thrust the New Zealanders were a long way from the scene of operations, and the men of the Red Triangle were peacefully carrying on their work with a gooil (low of supplies coming to hand at well-established canteens. Then of a sudden came a message to be ready for a big move, at short notice. Immediately there was a great packing-up at the various centres, which had to be dismantled in an hour or two. The different canteens were left going as long as possible, so that the men might have the benefit of them to the last. At the same time arrangements were promptly made to supply the men with refreshments at two of the entraining points. At these, thousands of the New Zealanders received n cup of tea and a packet of biscuits before setting out on their long train journey. By a lucky chance two thousand oranges had just come to hand, and these were distributed free of charge while the men were entraining. The association had also just received its new motor lorry, and, as soon as our destination was known, the young manager, with one of his helpers, a corporal, and his typist set out with oilice gear, boilers, urns, etc., on board, with a view to supplying the men with refreshments as they detrained.

The journey into the battle area was full of incident, and the interest increased as the battle zone was approached. Arriving late in the evening, smothered with dust, the Y.M.C.A. men found themselves in a town that seemed to be seething with excitement, and among the throng of soldiers and civilians they found dozens of English Y.M.C.A. men who had been forced to leave their huts ami stores behind-in the territory through which the hordes of German fighting men were now marching. The newcomers of the Xew Zealand Division were not met with a very cheering prospect, and were told that the conditions were such as to make their work impossible. The bulk of the Y.M.C.A. stores was already in the hands of the enemy. Nevertheless the Xew Zealanders determined to make a bold bid to carry on, and next morning they set off and arrived at the detraining station, only to find that it had in the meantime become necessary to alter the destination of our troops and that there were no New Zealanders within miles of them. However, they got news of our new location, and arrived there in due course. Daring Eush for Salvage.

In those early days, when the location of the line was shifting, it would have been quite an easy matter for anyone pushing forward to find himself up against an enemy patrol, and on the way to a prison cage in Germany. Undeterred by the uncertainty of the position, or perhaps not Mtogether realising the possibilities, our Y.M.C.A. men decided to push on in their "bus" to the town of Albert, in which, they heard by chance, there was still a large quantity of stores left behind by the English Y.M.C.A. By this time the enemy was perilously near the town. It had been badly bombed, and some of the buildings were burning as our Y.M.C.A. men entered it. There were dead horses in the streets, and all the inhabitants had fled. In due course, after considerable search, the stores were found. They had been badly battered by the bombing, but quite a lot of useful stuff remained, so the old '"bus" was loaded up with a precious freight of tobacco, tea, and sugar, and some other things, and headed back for home. But during the night they heard that the destination of the division had again been changed, so, leaving their office effects behind in what they thought a safe village, the lorry was again loaded up with stores and boilers and another search was made for the new area. Presently advance parties of the force were discerned coming up, so a position was taken up at the cross roads, volunteers were called for, and soon the boilers were filled with steaming hot cocoa for the tired men, who thronged the place all day. Biscuits were unprocurable, so the manager and the driver, leaving the understudy in charge of the advanced post, went off on a 20-mile journey to a town where they hoped to procure eatables and eigarottes. But there was not a cigarette to be had for miles and miles, for the canteens, in the words of the manager, had "done the disappearing trick."' The greatest difficulty was experienced in getting what was wanted. Finally our bold adventurers came upon a Church Army hut, wherein was installed a cheerful and kindly knight, who, on hearing that supplies were wanted for the men in the front line, cheerfully sold the whole of his cigarettes. The town was then scoured for other things, and a whole lorry-load of oranges, apples, biscuits, etc., was procured. Later, in one of the villages in the divisional area, an English Y.M.C.A. hut was discovered. It w T as in a great mess, but it was promptly cleaned up, and once more the N.Z. Y.M.C.A. was a going concern at the front. Cocoa, biscuits, cigarettes were

given free of charge to the "Tommies" as well as to our own men, and "the old bus" was ko].t running early and late to bring up'further supplies. To do this it had to make a journey of 70 miles to the old N.Z. Y.M.C.A". stores. As each load arrived it disappeared as if by magic. In the meantime a cable message had been received from New Zealand telling of the splendid response there to the appeal for funds to keep the Red Triangle sign up, so, in the present emergency, expense was not spared. Over a million cigarettes were given awav. All this good work was done minus the services of the regular staff, who were making their way toward the front by rail and road, but the division helped in supplying all the, men that were necessary. /

Cakes from Timaru. At the -present time our Y.M.C.A.' has nine places giving out comforts to ■ the men in the divisional area, and these are thronged with soldiers. Large quantities of biscuits, cigarettes, matches, and other things are scut on to the men in the line. Two of the Y.M.C.A. men, Messrs Kcnncr and Horner —their names may be mentioned, as they are not soldiers—have themselves : visited the front line ami distributed j gifts to our troops. The joy and sur- j prise of the men may be imagined when, I' the other day, they found the Y.M.C.A.] handing round iu muddy trench and i damp bivouac in the middle of the great I battle some excellent New Zealand cakes ! sent out here by the patriotic women