MUSIC FOR ARMY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 21, 25 February 1942, Page 6

MUSIC FOR ARMY

CONCERTS IN MIDDLE EAST

EASY ADMISSION CHARGES The provision in the Middle East of musical concerts for the Army, which are conducted seven nights a week, is referred to in appreciative terms by a former Niew Plymouth soldier in a letter to his brother in Wellington. "The price is well within everybody's reach, equalling only 7%d per time, a civilian guest being free," he states. "Even for the Palestine Symphony Orchestra the damage is only Is. They are giving a special concert next Thursday. It is good to, listen in a hall set aside for musical performances—lovely walls and trappings, small stage, grand piano, and very good sound qualities. It is equipped in the usual Egyptian style, with tables and chairs, so that patrons can have refreshments during the intervals. It will become quite a culture centre in time." The Nile Delta In an account of a trip across the area of the Nile delta the 1 writer says it is very heavily cropped and most support a huge population, to say nothing of countless beasts of burden. The area is intersected by many waterways, mostly of the muddy ditch variety. "It is quite usual,' - says the letter, "to see young things washing clothes and pots and pans in the brown water, and nof far away fishermen wading kneedeep in the mud, and elsewhere animals coming down to drink. "It is amazing," he continues, "to* see the countless youngsters who throng" the approaches to the large? centres, begging for cigarettes oi food. Most of them imitate their elders in the matter of wearing apparel, but many of the garments seem to have done very strenuous service. They are of all sorts and colours and many of them ill-fit-ting. "On a recent journey Ave had several improvised meals, thanks to our primus, Avhich is one of our platoon handy assets, tc say nothing of our Hun Avireless. I spoke to a uniformed Avar correspondent one day Avho turned out to be one of New Zealand's Avell-knc.wn former broadcast announcers and is noAV in charge of the iveeklj T radio broadcasts." On the day of writing the first of some parcels from home had been received. "This Avas my lucky day," says the soldier. "I got four parcels after being the last in the platoon to receive any. I felt as if I Avas carying the Avhole platoon's parcel mail."