INGLEWOOD.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144858, 9 December 1915, Page 4

INGLEWOOD.

I FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT'. Dec. On Friday evening, at Dr. VVhetter’s residence, the friends of Lieutenant H. Kennedy assembled to honour him before his departure for Trcntham. On behalf of his Inglewood and luglewod district friends, Lieutenant Humphrey tooh tho opportunity to present him with a purse ol sovereigns, and in a pleasant speech referred to their guest's work with the Cadets, which work had always been marked by keen enthusiasm and well-merited success. It had been intended to present tho lieutenant with a pair of fieldglasses, but these being unprocurable, choice had fallen upop the probably not less acceptable purse of sovereigns. Mr. Stratford followed Lieutenant Humphrey in making complimentary reference to tho departing guest. He referred more especially to Lieutenant Kennedy’s work in connection with tho gymnasium, where, in co-operation with Lieutenant Sutherland, he had some l time ago conducted classes of school ; children, consisting of both boys and , g.rls—in separate squads. Ho felt sure ' that the general public did not at any j time realise the amount of work involv- j ed in this kind of self-sacrifieiiig labour. ; It was quite evident that from an ath-: lotic point of view, at all events, Mr. 1 Kennedy would bold his own anywhere. | and the same athletic qualities would hold him in good stead on active ser-1 vice. At tho conclusion ol Mr. Strat- i ford’s remarks, Lieutenant Kennedy ; having suitably responded, tho gather--ing was eudod by the drinking of tho j health of the guest of the evening. ' Lieutenant Kennedy, who is a brother i of Private Clyde Kennedy, killed in ar-, tion at Gallipoli some time ago, left for , irentham next morning. He carries with him the good wishes for a success- , ful voyage (when the time comes for i cmbaVkiiig) and a safe return from active service.

In a letter written irom Mndros, Lemnos, under date October 13. to Mr. Pyne, Private George Duffill supplies a few interesting details of his experiences. He writes:—“dust a few lines to let you know bow things are with me after our trip to Turkey. I have been fortunate enough to escape all injury, and am now with the division resting at Lemnos, where all Pig Islanders arc. I have had plenty of narrow squeaks, of course, but they are tho fashion hero. Of our company (Taranaki) who landed on that Sunday, out of the 250 men only three of us bare been right through without a break. So, you sec, 1 have so far been fortunate; hut one never knows what the future him in store. Mirk Harris is still at Malta with dysentery; old Mick has been a good old chap all through. Mv okj pals are all killed now, and all the fellows here are strangers to me at present. I was in the Quinn’s Post Mind’s for a long time, and have boon twice blown up by the Turks’ exploding mines, hut wc nave blown them up pretty often.. The, curious thing about this game is that one gets pretty used to it all. and regards shells and things much the saina as rain and snow, things to avoid, but more of a nuisance than anything else. The Turks have proved very fair, and also very game, fighters, and 1 think they will take n very long time to he beaten. You might drop me a lino and Jet me know a little Inglewood news. News is as good as a beer out here.”

Mrs. Duffill, also, has received n letter from her son. It reads;—“l .suppose by now the cable news will have told you that the Australasians have been brought bore (Lemnos) for a rest for a month or so. MV left Anznc on tlie night of September 14, and got hero in the afternoon of the next day. I was in the rest camp for a week. and then, as my eyes had been troubling me, J went on sick parade, and was .sent oyer to the 3rd Australian General Hospital, to the eye specialist, who recommended me to have an operation performed. I was sent from our camp to the 2nd Australian Hospital, ami, after a week there. I was transferred to the outbalmic ward of the 3rd Hospital. The doctor operated on me on Monday last, and I ara getting on fine. I can only use one ©ye at present. The other is bandaged up, but it is doing well. The hospitals her© are in big marquees, pnd are very comfortable. I had cocaine for the operation, and did not mind it* at all. After some of the things I have seen on the peninsula one does not mind such trifles as operations. War knocks all that nonsense out of one. There are very few colonials in the hospitals about here, as they are mostly Kitchener’s Army men, , There arc two Canadian, two English and two Australian hospitals on the part of the island wo are on. Of course there are several other hospitals, including tho French ones, but not on our side of the harbour. The doctors are very good here—they treat anybody, and it is a common sight to see half the people of one or other of the Greek villages waiting for treatment, babies* and all. Even the Egyptian and Maltese labourers are cared for. There is a Maltese in one of tho beds near mine at present. There is a R.A.M.C man opposite mo who was a prisoner of war in Germany for ten months. He says they did not get overfed, but were not treated badly. By the way, enclosed yon will find a paper. I want you to look after it for me. It is only a small matter, but worth keeping. You know I was on Quinn’s Post as ‘minor and sapper? Well, I took on what i.s called “listener.” that is to say, yon just have to creep about tho ’underground saps and listen for any sound

of the enemy picking or working. Of course the place is a pcilcci maze of tunnels, all joined up together in all sons of places. Well, once, some months :\go now.‘we exploder! a mine in one oi our tunnels, which blew an opening into a Turkish tunnel, and to make sure no enterprising Turks got iutu our workings we had a -fuuy group on guard, with an elceiric torch and a revolver near the hole. Our men. of course, were lying in the dr.ik, with tiie lurch ready to hash and the revolver ready in ca-sc of any visitors. One night the .--. ntj ic.s took trigut aud bolted down the tunnel to imar the outlet, where J met them, with my mate (a fellow named Billing). 1 went outside with thorn and gut the torch and revolver, and got my mate to procure a riljc, and then went crawling in. At every turn of the tunnel I did a bit of a skirmish, as 1 expected to meet a Turk.;.hut, to cut it short, wo gut right in and found that they had bolted at a false alarm. Well, the hu>s. Lieutenant Butler, mentioned me for thi... although 1 wish ho hadn't, as there weren’t any Turks there at all. I thought it ns well to tell you this* myself, in case any garbled accounts reach you. as. of course, if one docs the least thing hero it cots exaggerated Tin? weather in the Mediterranean is in a class by itself. No wonder the big nobs conic here to winter. Blue skies, blue sens as smooth as n table. It seems a pity to have to tight in such a lovely climate.” The paper referred to-’redds as follows: —Complimentary. ID. Tho Liout.Commnnder wishes to thank tho undermentioned officer, N.C.O. and man for gallant conduct performed in connection with mining operations at Quinn’s Post: 2/Lt. the Hon. R. P. Butler, Royal Engineers; No. 322. Corporal R. A. Mason, Ist Ausi. Light JJorsn Hegt.; No, 10'(i26. Pic. 0. Duflill, Wellington Battalion.

Mr. D. Grant has commenced his duties in Messrs. Weston and Weston's office.