BRITISH LEGION.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 77, 14 March 1928, Page 1

BRITISH LEGION.

PRINCE IN EAST END. CHRISTMAS GOODWILL. LONDON, December 24. The Prince of Wales was enthusiastically welcomed by 4000 men and women, members of the North-eastern Section of the Metropolitan area of the British Legion. “Nothing- makes me feel prouder of being patron of the British Legion, ’’said the Prince, “than the Way in which you turn out on these occasions. You turn out in great strength, and that is proof, if such is needed, that the British Legion is growing and is progressing for the good of ex-service men. It is a splendid thing that you should turn out on such a cold night. “I am reminded of the story of the old quartermaster-sergeant, one of those old soldiers who never die, but just fade away. (Laughter). I think you know the type. (Renewed laughter). After the war he came into some money. Whether the money was left him by'an old aunt or whether he had made a little by the sale of old rum jars I don’t know. (Laughter). He had an old servant whose sole job it was to wakerr the quartermaster-sergeant every morning at 5 o’clock and say: ‘lt is blowing hard and there is a bit of a strafe on, and the quartermaster says you are to turn out at once and take up the rations. ’ The quartermaster-ser-geant used partially to wake up and say: ‘Tell the quartermaster he can drown himself,’ and then he went to sleep again. (Laughter). On these cold December nights one is reminded a little of the war in much the same way as the quartermaster-sergeant was reminded in the early hours. On such nights I think it is a cure—even if not a very good cure —for some of our troubles, if we say to ourselves, ‘Well, anyway, the war is over.’ CHRISTMAS TIME.

“As a matfer-wifrfact, Christmas wag one of Ww bright spots which came to us during those four long, dreary years of war. Everybody seemed to ‘let up’ a bit at Christmas time. Fritz used to ‘let up’ a bit, and the adjutant and the sergeantmajor ‘let up’ a- bit, too, and we managed to have a good time, and in all our battalions we discovered that we were all of us quite human after all.

“Sometimes we ‘grouse’ about Christmas. We should ‘grouse’ a great deal more if Christmas was cut out of the calendar. At Christmas, either in peace time or in war time, we remember our friends and we forget our enemies. We think of the old happy times before we think of the bad ones, and that gives us fresh heart to tackle any new troubles which may happen to come along. A gathering like this one to-night, in this wonderful building—l did not know there was such a wonderful building down here —is the best possible introduction I can think of to a happy Christmas. That is why I am so very glad to come here, and I most sincerely hope that it will he a happy Christmas for all of you and for your wives and families. I wish you all the very best possible luck in 1928.” (Cheers). Before leaving the cinema the Prince shook hands with several women who crowded round him. An enormous crowd raised loud cheers as he drove away.