People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 926, 22 November 1933, Page 6

People and Their Doings.

Some Amusing Stories Attributed to an Eminent Divine : An Attempt to Clear Up the Origin of Quinn’s Post j A Romantic Anniversary To-day.

]\£R ARTHUR COMPTON-RICKETT has lately published a book of memoirs, “ I Look Back,” in which he tells some good stories. He knew Dr Joseph Parker, the famous minister of the City Temple. One of Parker’s stories was about a divine with a keen appreciation of the pleasures of the table:—

When asked to say grace, he would look round swiftly, and if he espied champagne glasses would start his “ blessing ” with “ Bountiful Jehovah.” If, on the other hand, there were only claret or hock glasses (neither of which wines appealed to him), he would say in melancholy tones: “ We thank Thee, O Lord, for these the least of all Thy mercies! ”

Dr Parker used to admit that he could “make a pig of himself” over strawberries! He was an authority on dealing with tooexuberant women admirers. When one rushed into his vestry after a service, he said:

“ Madam, you and I have much to say to one another that cannot be said here. Until we meet again, then, under more favourable auspices, my most cordial wishes.” With a wink to one of the churchwardens, and a handshake that gently but surely thrust her away, the doctor turned to another admirer. “ But, Dr Parker—when ?” began the bewildered lady. “ Providence will see to that,” bowed the doctor, and the lady suddenly found herself out of the vestry, wondering perplexedly how Providence was going to function in the matter!

$$ ® 'po -DAY is said by some historians to be the anniversary of the passing of that romantic and beloved hero of every school child, the celebrated and picturesque outlaw—Robin Hood. Whether November 22 is the correct date of his passing will always be a debatable point, but the year in which he died, 1247. has been agreed on by most historians. Many and varied are the tales have been handed down about this curious and romantic figure who made it his practice to rob only the rich

and give to the poor and needy. The followers who were said to make up his band of “ Merrie Men,” were no less picturesque than the leader and numbered among them was a domestic chaplain who has been handed down to posterity by the appellation of Friar Tuck and who has been immortalised in Scott’s “ Ivanhoe.” The popular hero is said by other historians to be none other than the Earl of Huntingdon, who, from misfortunes or his own mismanagement, had been forced to adopt the life of an outlaw. © © © ORIGIN of Quinn’s Post is a very interesting question which Dr C. E. W. Bean has attempted to clear up in the second edition of volume I. of the “ Official History of Australia During the War.” “ Many soldiers claimed,” he said, “ to have fought there on April 25, but their statement, when investigated, proved that they had been wounded on the first day, before the localities were named, and that descriptions of Quinn’s given to them later in hospital by men wounded there had wrongly convinced them that this was the scene of their own fighting. All that is certain is that, by the evening of April 25, about 150 Australians and New Zealanders were in this angle under Major Dawson, of the Auckland Battalion. A New Zealand machine-gun under Lieutenant Conway came up at midnight, but the enemy was too close to permit of its effective use until dawn, when a suitable position for it was found. During the night the men with Dawson endeavoured, by shouting pretended orders, to make the Turks believe that the post was strongly held. At dawn, Dawson having been seriously wounded, the apparently isolated position was abandoned, but was reoccupied through the determination of Captain Jacobs of the Ist Battalion. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that the retirement of Jacobsls party from Dead Man's Ridge was not voluntary. It was carried out, against that officer's wish, on the order of Lieutenant-Colonel Pope, who considered that the position could be better covered from Pope's Hill.” A

JJAVE THE ENORMOUS LOSSES of the Australians and New Zealanders at the landing at Anzac been rightly computed? Dr Bean brings the figure up from about 4500 to between 7000 and 7500. “In the ‘ Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire during the Great War’ the Australian and New Zealand casualties incurred in the landing at Anzac between April 25 and 30 are given as 208 officers and 4478 other ranks, and this figure has, naturally, been widely accepted. Even a cursory inspection of the available records, however, shows the true figure to be enormously greater. For example, the records of the numbers of wounded who reached Egypt in ships which left Anzac between those dates show that 5355 officers and men had been wounded and evacuated, quite apart from those who were killed and those who were wounded but remained on duty. The memorial registers of the Imperial War Graves Commission show that 1334 Australians and New Zealanders were killed in the same period; and 188 are known to have died at sea between Anzac and Egypt. The correct figure is thus shown to be in the neighbourhood of 6877, exclusive of any wounded who were not evacuated, and of officers and men of the Royal Naval Division who were killed. These added numbers would bring the total to between 7000 and 7500.” OIXTY YEARS AGO (from the “Star” of November 22, 1873): Coach notice. —On and after Monday, November 24, a coach will leave the postoffice, Christchurch, for New Brighton (daily) at 11a.m.; returning from Hopkins’ Hotel at 5.30 p.m. On Sundays— Leaves post-office at 2 p.m., and Hopkins' Hotel at 5.30 p.m. Fares, 2s 6d return, children half-price. A. Hamill, proprietor. Auckland, November 21.—Mr Commissioner Kemp has purchased 20,000 acres of coal-bearing native land at Rawakawa, on behalf of the Government. Specimens of coal were forwarded to Dr Hector for his report.