The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING MONDAY, MAY 3. 1915. OUR BOYS AT THE FRONT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144670, 3 May 1915, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING MONDAY, MAY 3. 1915. OUR BOYS AT THE FRONT.

1 hough nt ‘lie time of wrilirg 'here me not many enbl'.'frrams to hand ot the fight mg which lias ueeurred at the- Datdaiielles. if is clear enough 'li.it .mini--: of iiie Xnv Zealand Expeditionary Force her e had. o baptism of lire. (The little affair on the Suez Canal was scarcely worth calling l an engagement, and only a few oi our ;;ien were in it any way..' Such information as the authorities in their wisdom have allowed to reach ns indicates that the Xew Zealanders, as well as the Australians, are

"chips off the old block, -J and behaved in a manner worthy of the I best traditions of the British I Army, of which they now form a I pan. For mouths they have been j ire I ling in Egypt, like dog; held in the leash, eager to join their comrades from other parts ot the Umpire in the stern and dangerous work that has to be done before the mad dog of Europe is chained | up. Their opportunity has come, not against the Forman.; in I ranco or Flanders, but against the Turks on (he, Gallipoli Peninsula. Perhaps they would rather have gone to France or Flanders, where the principal enemy is, but it is all Empire work, and the Turk is a focman not to be despised, and at least as honourable as the German who is now driving him to destruction. But wherever the Xew Zealanders may find themselves they will, we feel sure, acquit themselves like men, ns they have done in the initial collision with the Turks on landing last week. The first news of (he engagement gave the impression tin!* lbs Australian and Xew ( Zealand forces had suffered heavy casualties, and it is not clear even now what these have been. It seems almost too much to hope that they are confined to the very few of which definite advice has come to hand. Those among the Xew Zealanders, it may bo noted, occurred on board the transports and do not include any in 'the

■ fighting after landing. Judging, however, by the number reported killed among the Australians it may be hoped that our fatalities are few. But whether they be few or many we are sure the relatives will receive the nows, when it comes, as it should be received, if not exactly with cheerfulness, at least with pride that their sous j and brothers have fallen in so [great a cause. They will remem- | ber the words of Horace; “Hulcc jot decorum est pro patria mon/’

('"Sweet it is and glorious to die ; for one's country." ) Every man i among the many thousands of ; Xcw Zealanders who have joined 1 (lie Expeditionary Forces has ’ clone so, it is to be presumed, in | the iull knowledge that he may share the fate of the many thousands of men from England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and othei

i pun* of (.lie Enn>iro who have al- | reiuly liiilfu ia (he Empire's dej foncp, rmd those they have left j behind must lie prepared for news ' rii killed and wounded as (ho men read’, the fighting front. The i'j ion; tie ns in the jjardandles are as important in their way as those in I’ranee, Flanders, Poland, or elsewhere, and it is a distinct compliment to the NVw Zealanders that tho\ nave lieen selected to hear so honourable and hazardous a part as that they are now playing so well. Our men have ■'whetted their swords.'’ and (he Dominion is nroud of them.