HIGH COMMISSIONER AT THE FRONT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 145997, 1 December 1917, Page 6

HIGH COMMISSIONER AT THE FRONT.

Visits camps and hospitals. (Front Malcolm Doss. War Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces in the Field.) FRANCE, Sept. 16. The Hon. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, High Commissioner for New Zealand in London, has just concluded an eightdays’ visit to the Nejv Zealand Division in France. On his arrival ho Went to Corps Headquarters, where he was the guest of the Corps Commander, and early next morning proceeded to a village near whicii he saw a company from the Corps School carry out un attack. Ho saw some New Zealand officers and non-commissioned oiiioera who were under training at this school. Afterwards he proceeded to the New Zealand o-a-honary Hospital, where he saw the scalf and patients. At another place he inspected the Corps Officers Kent House, which is an old chateau situated in beautiful grounds. Mere ho saw ft tow New Zealand officers. After luncheon he motored to the area of the Battle of Mo-sines, obtaining a view of the famous ridge and the battered village. The Officers’ Club at a town in Belgium and the Now Zealand Light Railways Operating Company were in turn visited, the party journeying in a. tram over the system run by this company in connection with R.E. and Ammunition Railheads. A largo casualty clearing station was also visited. Later in the day the party motored to a point from which the ruins of Yprcs could bo clearly seen. Finally a visit was paid to Army Headquarters, where Sir Thomas was the guest of the. Army Commander at ton. in the evening ho dined with the Corps Commander.

VISIT TO THE DIVISION. Tho following itnid the succeeding days were devoted to the Now Zealand Division. Sir Thomas being the guest of the General of the Division. The church parade of an Otago battalion was attended. The battalion was on parade m a field in a beautiful valley, where linos of trees and tall hedgerows bordered the brown stubble fields, where peasants were busy with the ingathering of tho la to harvest, and where Ihe only sound of war Was the droning of an aeroplane as it flew up wind back from tho bnttlofront. the noise of its engine and the hum of its propeller mingling with tho voices of the men as they sang the hymns. It was a beautiful day. with sunshine and passing clouds, and as the service concluded with the National Anthem and the Benediction, the hells of the village church could be heard tolling in the valley below. A record of tho scene was secured by means of tho cinematograph and tho camera At tho conclusion of the service the High Commissioner, at tho invitation of the General, briefly addressed the troops, telling them how pleased he was to meet the men from Otago, with many of whom he was well acquainted. Ho told them of his pride in their prowess on the battlefields of Gallipoli and of France, and of their good conduct, both in France and in England. The memory of what they had accomplished, ho said, would never bo forgotten. He urged them to keep themselves fit for tho service they had enterd upon until they hod completed their great obligation. “God bless you, and good luck go with you.” were his final words.

An hour later, in acquaint village in the v,alley, ho paid a visit to a Canterbury battalion, and again he briefly addressed the officers and other ranks who had gathered informally from their billets beside a stream that ran past the village square. In the afternoon the High Commissioner lunched at Divisional Headquarters and then proceeded on a visit to the headquarters of one of the infantry brigades. Later he saw one. of the field ambulances, and chatted informally with the few sick there. During the afternoon ho also saw an Auckland battalion, and in the evening dined with the G.O.C. and some members of his staff. Monday was a very full day. In the morning Sir Thomas was present at an inspection by the G.O.C. of a battalion of Aucklanders. This was an excellent turn-out. and the colonel, officers, noncommissioned officers, and men were complimented by the G.O.C. upon their smartness. He told them that the inspection he had modi that morning had shown him that the battalion was one of tho best he had seen so far in the division as regards turn-out. The main points of his address are worth transcribing as an incentive both to units in the field and to the reinforcement's that are still coming in a steady stream from New Zealand to France.

“You will notice,” lie Raid, “that I have drawn attention to some little deficiencies about your dress or eqnipment, and. generally, there has been some excuse forthcoming. Now, there arc no such things as excuses in war. There are no half-way houses. Either a thing is right or it is wrong. When yon come out on a ispecial narade yon should not allow any difficulties to get the better of von. Nor,' there are two things that I wish espceiallv to impress upon you. They are the handmaidens of success in war. They are pace and determination. A' great many of you men have been in the line, and you have already done uncommonly well as a brigade. What you have done may he comparatively little as compared with what you have yet to do. and therefore it is that I would impress these two points upon yon. By pace I mean going on quickly from one thing to another. And you cannot do that unless you put your hack into your training. Pace can only be acquired by every one thoroughly" understanding what is before him, so. that it may be quickly accomplished, and he may go on to the next task. When one thing has been done there is no use sitting down and lighting your pipe and thinking about it. You must go on to the next thing. Then as to determination. That quality is not born on the battlefield. Determination, with all the qualities that it implies, is built, up out of countless efforts of selfcontrol. If in every single thing that you attempt you endeavour to do your best, paying attention to every trifling detail, you will he well on the road to the acquisition of this quality, which is one of the most necessary in war. You must, always be endeavouring to exact from yourself the very best, that is humanly possible. The heroic man is not so.ranch the man who dies a. hero’s death as the man who has lived a. heroic life. Get that into your heads. If von do you will have the greater confidence in yourselves. I will guarantee that, for I know it. And having gained this confidence by the thoroughness of your training yon will be tho more likely to carry out

any ia.sk that, is put in front of you, and to carry it out with distinction. “Then there is.the question of saluting. On this point you may think my remarks a. case of ‘damnable iteration.’ But it is by your saluting and. general smartness of appearance that you will be judged by other officers of the army who see you only in passing through. The division has already a- ttrst-rate reputation for fighting on the western front, and wo wish to be second to none, so that it will be just as well to have a reputation as good behind the line as we have in front. Saluting is simply the indication of the respect that it is necessary to pay to superior rank. It is not the man that you are saluting. The mail who salutes mo may be twice as good a man as I am. I hope ho is. But he should salute all the same, and if he has to salute he might just as well salute smartly. I do not like to see a man turning furtively the other way as if 1m had not seen mo. Good heavens ! I kndw quite well that he has seen me! Neither is there any occasion for saluting in a slovenly way. after an officer has pasted. If a man is going to salute, lie might just as well do it smartly as not.

"There is one other important matter that must never be lost sight of. Every officer should know his men, and the men should know their officer. A strong belief in each other is half the battle in going into action.. Remember that the man in the ranks can do little for himself. He. has to look to his officers. Therefore everyone in a position of responsibility should look to u. that he has clone everything possible for the comfort of his men. We are all of ns to some extent influenced by the material comforts of life. Ido not say that we should be altogether led by that, but a soldier will undoubtedly follow an officer who has been looking after his comfort, better than one cares or thinks little about it.’’

'The- General concluded his address by a liner bur impressive disquisition on the importance of musketry, especially the necessity for studying the quick description and recognition of targets. The German officers had stated that it was owing to this efficiency of the old army in musketry that they were held up during the first days of the war. .they confessed afterwards that every man was practically a ma-chine-gun. At the conclusion of the General’s address, the High Commissioner said a few cheery words to the battalion, explaining that his mission was mom on the social side than on the military side of their life. Ho was very grateful and proud to be able to say a word to them. He spoke briefly of what was being done for the men in England, where the character and bearing of tho New Zealanders had made their name respected throughout the length and breadth of the country. He was quite sure that they would all endeavour to maintain that reputation. In conclusion, ho wished thorn all good luck, and expressed the hope that tho time would not be long before they would meet their relatives and friends again in dear old New Zealand, where, he. was sure, they would got the recognition they so well deserved.

This inspection concluded, the party proceeded by motor-car to another village. where' an Otago battalion was inspected, and the previous addresses were repeated, with slight variation.

A BUSY AFTERNOON. The afternoon was taken up with a series of visits over a. wide area, the High Commissioner meeting with many men and chatting informally with them in billets and country lanes. At one farm steading he was welcomed by a pipe band. He lunched with one of the brigadiers. The New Zealand Engineers and the Pioneer Battalion, tho latter now all Maoris, were visited in turn, and then came afternoon tea with the G.O.C. of the original Infantry Brigade and staff. Later a visit was made to a Wellington Battalion, and at 6 p.m. the party attended the Divisional Theatre, where, in a .big marquee, a large audience had gathered to listen to one of those excellent programmes given daily by the New Zealand Pierrots. The performance went with a groat swing, and there were many encores, while the excellent orchestra proved quite a feature of the entertainment. That evening the High Commissioner and his secretary were entertained at a dinner by the G.O.C. of the Now Zealand Division, and Sir Thomas was able to meet several of the~brigadicrß and other officers who have, in various capacities, distinguished themselves in the war. REINFORCEMENTS AND HOSPITALS. After a. visit to General Birdwood, tho High Commissioner proceeded on a five days’ tour of the many hospitals in which there are sick and wounded New Zealanders, and of a large camp in which the New Zealand Reinforcements arc quartered for further training before they proceed to the firing line. During this tour he saw a large number of New Zealand soldiers. Everywhere he found the men well cared for, and in the best of good spirits. As tho result of this part of his visit, which was outside the divisional area, he will endeavour, if possible. for the more frequent, visiting of tho New Zealand men in tho hospitals in France, and for the distribution to them of gifts from the R,ed Cross funds available at the credit of-tho War Contingent, Association. On tho eve o'f his departure he expressed himself as pleased and gratified with what he had Seen of the organisation in France, and with all that was being done for the comfort and well-being of the New Zealand soldiers at the seat of war on tho western front.