OUR EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

West Coast Times, 20 November 1914, Page 1

OUR EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

■DEPARTURE FROM WELLINGTON AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION. (non PRESS ASSOCIATION. —COPYRIGHT]. WELLINGTON, Nov. 19. A circular issued this evening by the -Postmaster-General slates that objection is now withdrawn to the publication of references to, and photographs of the embarkation and departure of the Expeditionary Force. Such references and photographs, and also letters from the Force,, may now 1 be published but there is no.permission to publish;

(a) The date of departure of the Now Zealand or Australian Expeditionary Forces from .any port in NonZealand, Australia or elsewhere;. (b) The route to be followed by tlio Expeditionary Force; <c) Tho names of any warships or transports;

(rt) The dates or places from which private letters were .written; (e) The numbers or, organisation of the Expeditionary Force or any other, expeditionary forces ■ met with on route.

Any breaches of the regulations must be severely noticed in view of prohibitions remaining. Under the foregoing notice little can bo said about the departure of the troops except a ■ ‘categorical narrative of happenings concerning which the general public are already conversant though they have not been recorded in print. The departure of the main Expeditionary Force was shrouded in mystery up to the last moment. The authorities had ordered that no mention of the movements of war or troop ships'should be made. Big grey-painted ships gathered in the waters of Poiickc, however, and othergrey monsters of grimmer import appealed at the last. The nous spread from mouth to mouth; “They’re going to-morrow morning.” Already almost all the men were aboard the ships, the horses hud" been embarked and all the vessels except one acting as headquarters were put into the stream where, viewed in the evening from the hills behind the city, they made an .imposing spectacle. The last “Good-byes” bad been said, and many a mother, sister or sweetheart smiled bravely to hide her tears as she looked across the water to the big quiet hulls that carried the loved ones, some' of whom, perhaps, would not return. Through the night the ships law out upon the water as if waiting a summons. Suddenly, seemingly through the misty', sodden night, a voice lias spoken in little staccato jerks of sound intel--ligibly■. a ucliblc h.j. one -uiia n seated pa-■ tiently in a. modernised version of tho wizard’s cave, and the burden of tho voice is “depart.” The listening wizard passes the word on to other listeners and watchers around him, and in the watery dawn tho grey' fleet, like a huge flock of migratory birds, slowly awakes to movement and takes its way out over quiet waters, past the fog-wreathed surrounding hills and into the dull grey mists of the ocean. Despite the fact that the departure was unheralded in the usual way, many people seemed to have heard of it, and various vantage points were occupied by watching groups, anxious to get a glimpse of the departing soldiord, At tho Heads several hundred people waited,, and as the fleet steamed slowly by in two divisions, cheers were exchanged and the ships' bands played the National Anthem, and,other airs including “Tipperary.” The forts and men-of-war gravely saluted each other, and the ships, as they neared the- open sen, gradually manoeuvred into position making a bravo show as they pased. There was much waving of handkerchiefs on shore, and occasionally the voices of tHe men on the ships came across the water cheering as tho fleet'went ’down' the harbour. Several ferry and other boats accompanied them, . carrying members of the Government and officials and a few other farowellers with whom the soldiers exchanged cheers and good wishes. All too soon for some of the watchers ,whoso hearts were out on the/ crowded transports, the ships passed the enter headland one by one and New Zealand had sent a iforce of ’her bravest sons on the “Long, Long way to Tipperary.” The (Expeditionary Force had sailed. As the lasi vessel rounded the point and was lost td view, the sun broke through the clouds, flooding the harbour and hills in brightness, and the watchers made their way homeward gladdened by the thought that after the dark hour of patting, shall come tlie happiness of reunion when the black fog of war has rolled away.