“ALL QUIET.”

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1930, Page 8

“ALL QUIET.”

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Kindly allow me a small space in your valuable paper to pass a little comment on the picture now showing at Everybody’s, -‘All Qui>t.” What really draws my attention to it from a correspondence point of. view is the letter by “10/xyz” in your issue of September 24. This correspondent condemns the picture in every way, and it is not my intention to reply to him, as all diggers will agree he must have had a good time somewhere, as he does not seem to ever have had “the wind up"’ or been in hospital with the wounded. I, like all other diggers, have yet to meet the digger who can convince that he was never “windy.” . This picture should be seen by everybody, although the general public say it is too gruesome; naturally they prefer something more amusing. The picture, of course, is the enemy’s version. I cannot vouch, but can express an opinion as to the shortage of rations in the enemy lines. We were often hungry ourselves at times, and our army was a picnic to the enemies’. If Fritz strafed us he always got it back with compound interest, and all diggers know which bombardment they would sooner be under, and no doubt it was difficult to get rations to the lines.

The younger generation should see this picture, and if anyone wants war let them go and do the fighting. As to the picture being gruesome, to my mind it is not gruesome enough, Supposing, for instance, there was a hospital scene as at Etaples, aeroplane bombs dropped on the wounded and the dear nurses, try and picture the scene; also bombardments of towns with resultant fires, air raids on' London, direct hits, etc. Let us forget for the present, but a few more war pictures should be made and conserved, and if war is to come again, show these pictures and see if war is of any use after all. We all say wc do not have enough pictures from an educative point of view. All 1 can say is, see for yourself, don't be put off by “10/xyz,” and if you have a diggbr husband, son or brother, you will quite understand if he feels a little off colour at times.—l am, etc., 10/3-in.