SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

New Zealand Tablet, 15 April 1915, Page 15

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

GENERAL. '! ■ • '• Sir John French in the long report on the work of his army, published on February 17, pays a tribute to the .energy - and devotion of the chaplains, and says the , Cardinal-Archbishop of Westminster visited most of the Irish regiments at the front and the principal centres on ; the ’ line : of communications. An officer writes ; ‘ St. Patrick’s Day saw a number of men sporting sprigs of shamrock in their caps in ,the trenches. An Irish flag, materialised from somewhere, was stuck on top of a parapet amidst a burst of cheering. Shortly after a Union Jack was placed side by side with the green ensign. Everyone was wildly enthusiastic, arid the whole trench burst spontaneously into the National Anthem. It was quite unrehearsed, and sounded splendidly.’ , • A NEW ZEALANDER PROMOTED. Cable advice has been received from Cairo, Egypt, that Pay-sergeant T. J. King, of the Headquarters Staff, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Lieutenant King, who is a son of Senior Sergeant King, of Timaru, is an officer of the Marine Department, and was formerly in the Treasury Department. When the ‘call to arms’ came he volunteered for the Expeditionary Force, and was selected as pay sergeant. He is well known in Wellington swimming circles, and was a- prominent member of the Oriental Football Club. TOUCHING LETTER OF THANKS. Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, President-general of the British Red Cross Society, desirous of recognising the unwearving devotion of the Franciscan Sisters who are in charge of many hospitals in the North of France, has addressed to the Superior of the Hospital of Bethune an autograph letter in French, ol which the following is a translation: ‘ Madame la Superieurc,—l have been informed by Dr Martin of your noble and heroic devotion to our brave and unfortunate wounded soldiers, and it is with a heart full of gratitude and thankfulness I beg you to accept my sincerest and warmest acknowledgments. I pray the good God to recompense the angelic care you have lavished on our unfortunate soldiers, and I shall never forget that it is to you, Madame, and to your Sisters they owe life and restored health. Receive, Madame, the assurance of my high consideration. GALLANT CATHOLIC OFFICER. • Captain Alwyn Bertram Robert Raphael Gosselin, D. 5.0., of Blakesware, Herts, 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards, was killed near Bethune on February 7. Born on February 16, 1883, he was the only surviving son of the late Sir, Martin Gosselin, of Blakesware, British Minister at Lisbon, and of the Hon. Lady Gosselin, second daughter of the first Lord Gerard. He received his first appointment in October, 1901, and was promoted lieutenant in 1905 and captain in 1910. Captain Gosselin was awarded the D.S.O. in Novemberlast for 'the following gallant action:—‘Although ■wounded and in considerable pain, commanded his company for two days in action against the advice of the medical officer, and until he could be relieved by another \ officer.’ BLINDNESS FROM SHOCK. Some of the most distressing, and at the same time, from the medical point of view, most curious, casualties ?/ during the present war have been the considerable i number of cases of blindness which have occurred simply from shock, without apparently the accompaniment of

any outward and visible traces of injury. The strain of battle has in these instances, it would seem, impaired seriously the ...functional nerve values of some portion of the visual apparatus, though all organic and , objective evidence of the damage done escapes the closest examination of the physician. Mischief has - been effected, but it is. mischief which clinical tests ■- can neither analyse nor define. Happily, in the majority of instances those who have been affected in this way have eventually, as the result of rest and general recuperation, recovered their sight again and suffered no permanent disability. IRISH CANADIANS AND THE UNION JACK. ‘ We are Irish of the Irish,’ says an editorial in the Catholic Record. ‘The blood of an outlawed people is in our veins. But we are of the new generation that stands ready to recognise facts. Moreover, we have lived in Canada, under the same flag that floated over our native land. Here it is the symbol of liberty. There it is soon to be such. To us the Union Jack is not the emblem of oppression, but the flag of freedom. This is something that the Irish in the States can hardly realise. Could they but do so, could they but see things as we see them, and as they really are, they would wish as we wish, not for an independent Ireland, but for a. self-governing Ireland, loyal to the Empire, and proud of the Union Jack, which is to-day, no matter what it may have been in the past, the freest flag that courts the breeze of heaven.’ A QUEEN IN THE TRENCHES. ' Last, week,’ writes a Belgian soldier on the Yser, ■ we were busy in the trench, when suddenly we saw a lady, accompanied by two officers, coming towards us in the trench. You would never guess who the lady was. It was our Queen. She went along in the trench giving cigarettes, cigars, and chocolates to each of ns. 1 can tell you we gave the Queen a warm reception, and we cheered as she left the trench, and shouted, “Long life the Queen!”’ A' SOLDIER’S BURIAL. . A French officer, describing a funeral at which he had assisted, writes from the front: , ‘I have never seen anything so imposing in its simplicity. . . Never a religious service seemed so beautiful to me. No .more diversity of political or religious opinions : we all had the same feelings and respect around, the Cross and the Flag, which represent the two ideas for which we are fighting —God and country. And the Christ on the Crucifix, opening His tender arms to the soldiers, rifles in hand; what a contrast!’ ORIGIN OF MILITARY TERMS. At a time when naval and military terms are in everyone's mouth, it may be interesting to recall their origins. ‘Captain’ is derived from the Latin ‘caput, meaning a head ; ‘ colonel ’ comes from the Italian ‘ colonna,’ a column, the ‘ compagna colonella ’ having been the first company of an infantry regiment, the little column which the * colonel ’ led. The title ' lieutenant ’ comes from a word signifying ‘ holding the place ’ —(’■</., a lieutenant-colonel is a sort of understudy for a colonel, a lieutenant looks after a company in the absence of the captain, and so on. The titles of ‘ lance-sergeant ’ and ‘ lance-corporal ’ originated, in the fact that, in the old days the holders of those ranks carried a lance instead of a halberd, round the head of which was twisted a slow match. Their duties were to go round the isnks with these torch-like lances and give fire to the matchlock men just before a battle took place. ' The word ‘ dragoon ’ was first used of a regiment of mounted infantry, so called from the ‘ dragons, or short muskets, with which they were armed , the well-

• ■ V-;. • , • • 2 ' • • , ■ known cavalry- call of Boot and Saddle ’ is really a corruption i. of ' the i old French signal, . ‘ Boute-selle,’ or ‘ Put on your saddles.’ . Admiral comes - from the Arabic ‘ Emir' of bagh,’ meaning ‘ Lord of : the sea ’ ; ‘ commodore ’ comes from the Italian ‘ comandatore ’ ; exploit, the matter of fact narrative of which equals, the term ‘ giving quarter,’, is believed to have originated in the agreement which existed in the old fighting days, account of his gallant action as it appeared in the London Gazette-. , vv ~ • I - • BRAVE IRISH SOLDIERS O’LEARY’S BRILLIANT EXPLOIT. The award of the Victoria Cross to Michael O’Leary, of the Irish Guards, has set everybody talking of his exploits, the matter of fact narrative of which equals, if it does not surpass, the best things related of the warrior heroes in song and story. The following is the account of his gallant action as it appeared in the London Gazette:

‘ No. 3556. Lance Corporal Michael O’Leary, Ist Battalion Irish Guards.—For conspicuous bravery at Cuinchy on Ist February, 1915, when forming one of a storming party which advanced against the enemy’s barricades. lie rushed to the front and himself killed five Germans who were holding the first barricade, after which he attacked a second barricade about 60 yards further on, which he captured after killing three of the enemy and making prisoners of two more. Lance Corporal O’Leary thus practically captured the enemy’s position by himself, and prevented the rest of the attacking party from being fired upon.’ In addition to receiving the Victoria. Cross, this young Irishman of 24 years of age was on the field of his great achievement promoted to the rank of sergeant. The official despatches from the Headquarters Staff make no mention whatever of Sergeant O’Leary’s glorious achievement (says the Freeman’s Journal). ‘ EyeWitness ’ described it in part, but made no reference to the hero of ‘ the most conspicuous gallantry.’ His name was suppressed, his nationality was suppressed, his regiment was suppressed. He was described simply as * one, of our men.’ Sergeant O’Leary’s exploit was not the only display of Irish heroism on that day. It will be remembered that the incident occurred at the attack on Cuinchy on the Ist February. This was part of the battle that

raged for several days on the Bethune-La Bassee line, of which the desperate struggle for the village of Givenchy, which recalled some of the most heroic episodes of 'the great Continental wars, was the central feature. In that hotly-contested fight the Irish Guards fought with desperate valor, which the Commander-in-

Chief acknowledged. Cuinchy, where .O’Leary won his place in the; ran*- Of heroes, is three-quarters of a mile south, of Givenchy, at the other side of the canal, and it was there that ,the Irish Guards stemmed .finally the tide of t the Germans’ desperate Jattacks in forceand compelled the enemy to retire. The work of the Irish Guards at Cuinchy is described in Sir John French’s despatch, of .the 12th of February as 'a fine* piece 'of work,’ and he wrote again of their ‘ indomitable pluck.’ The struggle for Cuinchy began at half-past 2 o’clock in the njorning and lasted until after midday. The German night attack surprised the Coldstream Guards, who were driven from their trenches. The Irish Guards came to their assistance three-quarters of an hour later, and a desperate attack was made to regain the trenches. The fight was renewed again and again, and it was not until noon that an attack with the bayonet dislodged the enemy. ‘ All the ground which had been lost was brilliantly retaken. They captured three ' German trenches, two sets of barricades, and killed or mad© prisoners many of the enemy.’ " • Sergeant O’Leary is the son of a small farmer residing at Inchigeela, near Macroom, County Cork. He was born in September, 1890, and is thus little more than 24 years old. Five years ago he enlisted in the Irish Guards, and after serving three years went into the Reserve in June, 1913. After a brief stay at his home in County Cork he started for Canada, where he joined the North-West Mounted Police—the famous force which is accountable for the peace and order of the vast and as yet largely unsettled territory of the north-western portion of the Dominion. O’Leary was serving with this force when war broke out, and being still liable to service as a reservist, he at once returned to London. Press and Other Tributes. The Da ilj/ News, in recounting the heroic action, compares O’Leary to Roland, the nephew of Charlemagne, one of the greatest heroes of the Middle Ages. ‘ Only Homer could do justice to his exploit at Cuinchy,’ states the Globe. ‘lt reads more like some tale of Hector or Achilles in the Plains of Troy than the sober record of the twentieth century fighting in Flanders.’ The Fall Mall Gazette says: * The recipients of the Victoria Cross include some who would have gained a place in the Iliad — fighters in whom a perfect hurricane of temperament is evoked by a crisis, and whose energy has perhaps a power of magnetising the enemy before it destroys him.’ Having described O’Leary’s brilliant exploit, the same journal goes on to say;' ‘When we try to understand achievements of this kind we have to fall back upon the sheer moral supremacy which forgetfulness of self establishes over those confronted by it. And alongside of the explosive and Homeric type of valor we have the more distinctively modern kind which endures the most prolonged nervous strain, and works coolly and efficiently, despite the knowledge that death may come at any moment.’ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writing of O’Leary in the E revive/ News, pays him the following tribute: — ‘ No writer in. fiction would dare to fasten such an achievement to any of his characters; but the Irish have always had the reputation of being wonderful fighters, and Lance-Corporal Michael O’Leary is clearly one of them.’ Mr T. P. O’Connor, . M.P., also writing in the Evening News, says; ‘I am moved to admiration by the splendid courage of so many men and officers of every race. lam particularly proud that one of my own people should have been so foremost in these wonderful and brave achievements. It is only one of the many exploits which reveal the Irish as great fighters, and is a vindication of Mr Redmond and his colleagues in calling upon their people to rally to the great cause of the Allies.’ The Countess of Limerick states in the same paper: ‘The Irishman never fails. O’Leary is typical of the Irishman, and the Irish Guardsman: His exploit finest thing in the whole war— does not surprise me in the least.’

IT Colonel Driscoll, . D. 5.0., Commandant of the famous Driscoll Scouts, also writes of him: ‘ Magnificent ! O’Leary’s exploit was thoroughly Irish in method '■ and execution. /v This splendid Irish Guardsman deserves to rank as one of the greatest heroes of modern warfare.’ A representative of the Cork Examiner, who interviewed O’Leary’s father and mother at Inchigeela, County Cork, writes: ■ This gallant Irishman, O’Leary, comes from, near Inchigeela, a little hillside . district called Cooleen, in the celebrated barony of Ivleary. He may -he said to be a child of the mountain and the flood, for the district' is the hilly, boggy land that lends such a wild charm to, that beautiful, lake country. The first news his parents received of the greatness that he has achieved was a telegram from the Examiner and it was not until our representative visited his home that they learned of the story. .‘ We had a letter,’ said his mother, ‘ and it told of a big engagement, but he gave us none of the details now published.’ Though proud of his wonderful feat, her greatest concern was for his safety, and when she learned that evidently he had done this truly herculean feat without sustaining even a scratch, she gave God thanks for His mercy from her heart and prayed in out presence for his further safety. ‘ Perhaps they will let him home for a while, as he has done so well,’ she said, and we could only hope sincerely that her wish would be granted. \ In an interview she told us that when he was sixteen years of age he entered the Navy. At Malta his health broke down, and he got his discharge. He came home crippled with rheumatism, and was so bad that he had to use crutches. His mother’s careful nursing restored his health, and soon after he joined the Irish Guards. He comes of a fine, healthy, vigorous stock. His father, Dan O’Leary, was one of the finest athletes in a parish that could match men with the pick' of Ireland. His son is not of the father’s physique, being only about oft lOin, and rather lightly built, but he has inherited his dash, courage, and vitality. His father stands to-day, though over 60 years, well over six feet. A spare, lean man, with massive bones, long, supple sinews that allow the arm to strike like a shot or the legs to be untirable. From' Macroom to Ban try there are told tales of the strength of the father in his younger days as a hurler, a footballer, or particularly when a quarrel was forced on him. On our remarking that it was a good thing for the Germans that he was not amongst them with a rifle and bayonet, or his son’s performance would likely suffer, he said; ‘ I think I could get back a bit off some of them for their murders at Louvain—God forgive them ! I wish I was only twenty-four years of agemy son’s.’ ANOTHER VICTORIA CROSS HERO. Another Irishman got the Victoria Cross also for heroism, part of which had to do with machine guns. Lance-Corporal Kenny had rushed through a hedge of flying shot to rescue comrades that were wounded. He brought them to safety, and, hearing then that two maxims were in danger of falling to the enemy, he rushed back again to bring them away. Kenny was invalided home with a broken wrist. He -is a native of Drogheda. His achievement, too, found no mention in official despatches. If these two Irishmen (says the Freeman’s Journal) had not been awarded the Victoria Cross, and their deeds, in consequence, formally set out in the Gazette the world would know nothing of them. It is not so when men of other nationalities do brave deeds. A Drogheda correspondent, writing to the Freeman’s Journal , says In an interview which I had with the parents of Lance-Corporal William Kenny, of the 2nd Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders, who has been honored with a V.C. distinction * for conspicuous bravery on the 23rd October, near Ypres, in rescuing wounded men on five occasions under very heavy fire, and in the most fearless manner, and for twice previously saving some machine guns by carrying them out of action,’ I learned a few particular? about this fine young soldier, whose native modesty is an inheri-

tance of his . worthy parents, who, though naturally proud of their gallant boy, are singularly reticent in regard to his exploits. - ■' l ‘ William Kenny’s father, who served 23 years in the Bengal Tigers (Ist Battalion of the Gordons), the old 75th, is still a hale man, while his mother, a magnificent type of Irish womanhood, is still also hale and hearty. This worthy pair saw a good deal of military life together, the old man’s regimental experience dying amongst other places in Gibraltar, China, Egypt, and .South Africa Durban and Natal. Old Kenny, “during - his service, secured five good-conduct clasps, and sports the Khedive Star and Medal on account of his Egyptian experiences.' His son William, who is one of thirteen children, joined the colors some seventeen years ago, saw war service during the Boer war,, from which he brought three medals. STILL ANOTHER IRISHMAN. His Majesty the King on February 20 received at Buckingham Palace Sergeant John Hogan, 2nd Manchester Regiment, to whom the V.C. was awarded some time ago for special gallantry displayed on the 9th October near Festabert. The sergeant was passing through London, and, as in the case of a former recipient of the V.C., the King, on hearing of his presence in town, directed that he should be sent for . in order that his Majesty might personally attach the. coveted decoration. Sergeant Hogan was conducted to the King’s business room, where his Majesty pinned on the medal and chatted with him for some little time about the occasion in respect to which the award was made. It has been already notified in the Gazette that Hogan and a lieutenant (the latter has received the decoration) volunteered to endeavor to recapture a trench which had been taken by the Germans and which the British had on two occasions failed to recapture. By a display of special skill and daring a commissioned and non-commissioned officer succeeded in recapturing the trench, killing several of the enemy and taking several prisoners. The King, on shaking hands with the new V.C. at the close of the interview, warmly congratulated him.