AT ST. MARY'S CHURCH.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14160, 26 April 1916, Page 5

AT ST. MARY'S CHURCH.

SE-IWtON BY FATHER BAIITLEY

A largo congregation attended at St. Mary's °Koinr,n Catholic 'Church <it 9 o'clock yesterday morning, when a Requiem Mn-ss was celebrated by the Her. Father Tvimnis. S M-, for the- reposo of the 5-oul-; of the fallen heroes_ of Anzao. The solemnity ol tho occasion wfi^ vittin-'lv tn.irkod in all the- details of the in:::••'■■'.' The altar, sanctuary, and piil')'"t. \vo:v r.-TJ3propn::toly draped. A |,■.., + .■-.• 0 < ; f (ho irhf: revive proceeding;? was the sv;oot singins of the Convent children. Li -n The sc-'.no--. \i-as i>;-oadie<i oy vho Hqy. Yv'dwv lbrrlcy. S.M., M.A., v.-no said: "Tho v/ord-- of my text were spoken •>f ok! in v:>lin.nt .Jewislr soldiers, and in snbsbfiiifo at least thrilled 'and rervhocO in the. bra™ hearts or the glorious mv-\ or A.nztrc. who" stormed tho jioicMs-cf GnlUpoli a year ago to-day: -Be not ad-aid'of them. llememlvpr the-Lord who is great and temblc, ! and fi&ht for your brethren, your son*. land your dau«ihter ß , your, wives and j voiir^ homos'—2 Esdras iv., 14. It i «-ns on the 2ofch of April, 1910, that the men we lionour to-day began -their gr^t adventure that has filled the world with wonder, and our hearts-with, grati- | tude, Thnt 'c-pisode. which has painted Uvith o-loffinjv and immortal colour a imcKntiid sandy strip of cliff,-m point of weight and time and numbers of men cii"a"cd of ground won and rr-i itary ndvnnta.ee sained, is not _sreat. -.A" f-mall,. crnm]wl spaco of miles war, all its narrow front; some few tens nf thousand rao-i fri a war of tens or millions matli' rip its iu:ny; its gams wer?>

iroan as this war counts gams, and its time was no more than tho s'aovL span of months between .April and December. A small episode, truly. Vet, it has filled the world witii a reason for glory equal to anything the world has ever gloried in. "Jt has iillod histcry witli tho wonder of a new Tlieni.opylao and , tliij valour <:f a now C'-vninna. It luts tot the world tingling A\ith the evernew story of tho age-old courage of men. It has set our generation, aflame with glory of a symbol of such bright courage that it v.iil endure, and stir the hearts of men for all tune., lho symbol is An«ac. It was in the thin white dav.n of April 25th that our men began thoir great adventure, ana made their entrance on the stage of Continental war—and the fights hard by .of which Homer sang in Ins immortal hexameters were not more worthy or praise than thoso first fights of our raw recruits. Would you know what manner "of country it'is in which our lads came to grips with Islam—Christendom's hereditary foe—picture to yourselves the Makara hills that you see on your left as you draw near to Wellington, and hills such as these, without tree or cover, bristling with Turkish trenches. Our men from 'the long wash of Australasian seas' took those hills in thoir mad exultant charge. And they made their first gains secure, despite the ceaseless efforts of their o'er- ' beetling enemy. Let me recount hut two of tlieir glorious efforts—one or the Australians: one of the New Zenlanders, but both connected with the "Suvla advance of August 6th. Ine Australians were told to take the strongenemy positions on the ridges known as Lone Pine. Speculation had been rife for three months as to whether it was possible for human soldiers to take the Lone Pino trenches. The doubters had not counted on the First Brigade. At the call of tho whistle.* those JScw South WeJLshnieu nipped over the parapets and were charging at top speed through the shell-haze'" and tho death spate ot bullets. The men wore white patches on their backs for the purpose of identification, and in a flash the scrub was full of the twinkling wlvito wiuaros-as the men went for tho Turkish works that looked low and mound-like in the afternoon sun. The charge beat the very bullets, swept to the trenches, and stopped. They had charged dug-m blockhouses, for the Turks had rooted in their trenches with logs and squared beams, but the Anzac? ionnd the manholes, wriggled down to tho ioo waiting with hand grenade and teyonoi;. But there was no counting odds that -day. Once again the dnll-»Vjok ™»P S ( of war were proved obsolete, :vnd m> the tunnels, now in little patches or ■ golden sunlight, now in deep, confufl-' • ing chasms of gloom, the Cornstalks bombed their way, and as ferrets clear a rabbit burrow so our lads won those convolute labyrinths of Turkish works. Thus again was the impossible achiov«Str The tfew/Zealandera were told oil with the Gurkhas to occupy the ban Bair ridge. Night had just fcUlon when a lino of silent, clambering New Zear landers tumbled in on top oj Jthe cevueuimr Turks. Hill after hill was taken by'the bayonet 'The mettle of our men was proved that night. Parties oi Turks wore met and finished silently. On and on they pressed with not even a football mai>ch cheer to ease their pent-up feelings. Inch by inch they won their wav, and wheat the dawn came they had dug in on a new--front two miles in advance of that they held at nightfall. At 11 o'clock they reached'the enemy trenches just tinder 'the main ridge, and fifteen rneri went over the summit, but of these not one came back. And just here fell the gallant Malone. 1 "may bo forgiven for singlinn- him out for mention. I should j love to smeak of co many soldiers as \ well but" Lioutenanb-Colonel William George Malone was a former resident of Nelson, and he was a, man who honoured me with his friendship, aod 1 had the privilege of teaching his -tour soldier sons at St. Patrick's College. Ho reached the heights, and below; him "littered the long white- ribbon o.i.the Dardanelles, the goal of all their Homerio efforts. But, as did Moscs-ot-i old, he. gaxed in vain, and th.er.Oj-.front-] ing' the foe, fell a irnm whose loss nas j left us poor indeed and yet whose tnlemory is a priceless heirloom. Once at Quinn'e Post-he calmly raised his head over the barapeb, and. Father McMena* rain, near by, reproved him. 'Ye^, Father, 1 know, but I must give; tho boys confidence.' When the chaplain was with'them thorp would come the Colonel to -Muss and the- Receiving- of \ his Lord, and often before his men ho served tho iLiurs, a--i had1 be^n Ms \va:i£ in boyhood'^; ci;;ys. Wrote Gvi)i-?;\i • Godley: 'lie was killed ;:.t the hc-.c <>■ his battalion ac the ycry^ top <;i' I.'"1 ridge overlook:ng the i>ard;i3::;-!.!«.'s, ;:r,ci is buried i.i a ;l\i'-ki-i-: Vort, whicli o:n> ' a leader of exrcptJo;;:'.] v.;lui:r and »_-<; ii:- ] age could h;ivo captiu >\\. I <r.\n Jinag-j iiie no ni.ni> nUi.u;/;- :t-swU^-;;;;K-^ i.w.' such a ga'.l.i-1: .-.-v;.'.:.-' j'i's f-oui - <.^.sr. j in peace i . r j '•£ cite Malone- as :i 1 rpc—a typ- ci: | our Anzat; n:cn—tii ( > ir.on who Hot- you ■ and for mo dir-J, and so nobly died, oit I f«.r Galliiinu. 'Lhuy knew tiioir (A^isej v.tts right u'.ul holy. TJiey staked their all that you <\;<d i n;>ght be- iv^./liu-y went out iv.iuer tiu; eiwsc.'i oi Si. , George, St. f-tnek, and St. Aiidresv for .Right iVMi tioncur, for the sake of f ravished, pillaged Belgium, and for j-uined, outraged Serbia. They Ment and gave their all for that which men —with real red corpuscles in their blood —may nobly ambition. "They have not failed. It is not in mortals* to command success, but they did more—they deserved it. Were we to count Anzac a failure, we were to forget that the Anzac men never onco failed to do what they were asked to do, and to unduly stress tluo final evacuation were to forget what in the past was the glory of Thermopylae. Fabins Cunctator, Torres Vedras, and Conmna. Nor lot us forget that we owe so inaich. to tho gallant regular British and French, troops on tho Peninsula — the Duriiams, Gtouresters, Worcesters, Lanes, the Bcoctisii. Territorial Brigade, the Irish Coiuiaiights and Ministers. If you wish to hear real wholesouled praise of your fellow-man, a«k a returned Anxne mpai his opinion of the British regulars.

"Arid foi- them at God's .albar we pray. We offer the spotless victim 'of Jesus Christ's Body and Blorul for tlieir eternal _ rcwavd, peace, and v/ell-b^ing. May the- brave souls of tho men o: A i!/..rvf.% thr-o-ngii the Mercy of Jcsas Chris-., find eternal rest. Ar.'oa."

Miss E. s^-ivnk wns at tho or^ai), and wliil" tl"' wlmlo r -n'";rop:-f;f'V' v,\'/-^\ at ihe conclusion of tho Mass she played t'u; i>outl iliirch lit "haul \,i^ deep fcciing.