NEW BOOKS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16722, 3 January 1920, Page 9

NEW BOOKS.

THK NEW ZEALANDERS AT ! GALLIPOLI. | The first volume of the long-awaited | official history of New Zealand's part lin tho war has at last appeared—a handsome volume of over ,'iOO pages, abundantly illustrated and furnished with a very fine map—six inches to the mile—of the Anzac area of the peninsula. >o mu* !i has been published concerning this great campaign —in volumes by war correspondents and soldiers, in Blue Books and despatches and official papers, and in countless let tors from the soldiers engaged in the fighting—that we need not go into any detail concerning a chapter of history which will always rnc;'.ri more 10 New Zealanders than any other -iory c.f historical happenings. The auth >r of t..)ir, volume i> Major Fred AVaite. who served with t'v Main I: vly ar.fl the A nzac Division as a Staff O'ii.er of Engineers, and who was later Chief Engineer Instructor at the N.Z.E.F. Training Camps. The ta>k of finding writers for the four volumes which will make up the complete history was not, we understand, a very easy one, but it may be said at .nice that if the writers of the subsequent volumes are ns «e!I equipped tor the work as Major AY aite, tho history will be successful beyond the expectations even of those who wero le.-.s anxious 011 this p.,int than we confess ourselves to have been. It is not diilicuit to write a long and reasonably accurate and adequately complete account of the campaign. Hundreds of our. soldiers found it easy to write graphic and moving and even brilliant sketches of , isolated incidents in the struggle en the peninsula, or of various j

aspects of the struggle. But to write a graphic and vigorous story of the whole campaign, with attention

to accuracy of detail and a just perspective, and to do this without letting one's pen flag to dullness—this was not a simple task. Major Waite is to Ik> congratulated upon having done this difficult thing quito well. This should be said before any reference is made to tho interesting prefatory articles—n few introductory lines by Sir James Allen, a preface by Sir Inn Hamilton, and a foreword by Lord Tlirdwood fas he has now become). Sir lan received a cabled demand for a preface just as he was starting on a visit to the Army of the Tlliinr. At tho first stop across the German frontier he got out to stretch bis legs, and tlio very first thing to c:\tch his eye was the badge "N.Z.M.I*." on a shoulder-strap on the platform. It was Lieutenant-Colonel John Studholme, tho very last New Zealander left in Germany. "Now here, thought I to myself, is a queer thing!" Sir lan remarks. "I am told to write a prefaco to a history of an Army, and I meet the last item of that Army which did so much to win the Tihineland. in Khineland; the last man of that sunerb hand who were raised from a population of one million, and lost fifteen thousand killed ; whereas, to take other standards, the Belgians, justly famous as having foucht. so lonpand so valiantly for tlio freedom of Europe, lost thirteen thousand killed out of a poplation of seven millions. Once again, too, there came to mo the thought of their losses at tho Dardanelles :—

Total strength landed Soofi nil ranks Casualties in killed nnd

wounded (excluding sickness) 7-147 all ranks

In the course of his preface, which is a brief and rapid survey of thoso wonderful days in 1015. Sir lan quotes some extracts «rom his diary:—

An extract from my diary, dated April 25th. 11.M.5., "Queen Elizabeth": "They are nob charging up this Sari Hair Ilidgo for money, or bv compulsion. There they are—all tho way from tho Southern Cross— earning Victoria Crosses, every one of them." An extract from my diary dated April 26th. 11.M.5. "Queen Elizabeth": "Passed on tho news to Birdwood: I doubt tho Turks coming on again—but, in case, the 29th Division's feat of .arms will be a tonic." "I was wrong. At 3 p.m. the enernv made another effort, this time on the left of our line. We shook them badly, and were rewarded by feeing a Now Zealand charge. Two battalions racing duo north along the coast and foothills with levelled bayonets. Then the tumult died away." Sir lnfi pays a very liigh tributo to Bauchop and Malono, both killed on the peninsula, and both, in his opinion, "soldiers of great mark." Of the New Zealanders who survived, Russell, according to Sir lan, was •"beyond doubt the outstanding personality on tho peninsula." Ho refers appreciatively to Chaytor and Gndlcv. Lord Birdwood's preface is occupied chieflv with tributes to New Zealand leaders living and dead. Ho writes with the warmest enthusiasm of Bauchop and Malono, who were killed on the same day, after months of strenuous fighting and brilliant leadership. Hirdwood greatly admired the New Zealanders. and "it was to me'a constant source of satisfaction and delight." be says, "to find Now Zealanders and Australians confiding in me the highly favourable opinion which, apparently to their surprise, they had formed of each other!"

Major Waito commences his narrative with only the briefest- of general reflections—lio is nlread.v into the facts of the mobilisation by page 'J, and by page 10 lie is describing the farewell parade in Wellington, on September 24th. It was on the morning of October l">th that "the watchers on Mount Victoria saw the long grey line slip silently down the Straits." The long monotony of the voyage was broken by the famous exploit of H.M.A.crv Sydney off tho Cocos Islands, and did not end until the transports berthed at Alexandria, on December 3rd. Major Waite's account of the stay in Egvpt, and the impressions mndo upon the New Zealanders by Cairo, is as fresh and lively as anv we have read. Chapters on the defence of the Canal, and the rendezvous at Mudros precede an account of the Anzac landing. Major "Waite's work is hero less satisfactory than in preceding and subsequent chap tors. Here, moro than anywhere, elaborate details are a great virtue, and although the general scene prior to the landing is well done, tho actual landing is less well done, and there is a positive hiatus between the landing and the struggle up to Walker's Ttidge. We quote the coneltidine sentences of tho section describing.the landing, and the opening sentences (immedintoly following! of the fighting on tho Peninsula:

" . . . He fell into the surf, bnt was hauled on board again, nnd the picket boat towed him back to tho transport he had just left. The survivors fell in and adjusted their heavy equipment under the protection of tho sandy cliff. • Up in the maze of gullies our men were struggling with the Turks. As each company or platoon came ashore it was rushed up to the firing line . .

And a few sentences later wo read that j p.m. the Auckland lsattali<>n u.is recalled from Walkers the only previous reference to this Battalion being a bare mention of the fact that it completed disembarkation at n<->n, and was given Walker's llidize a- ii.- ..hi.rtive." What we want to know U everything w'o can be told about "the tiring line." with maps, and uv detailed a description as possible <>i the .-trugtrle from the beach to the Jlidgo. ,\t this point in tho story, and for many follow-

lr.g pages, diagrams should hare been thieklv strewn, even at the expense of some of the line photographs. Major WV.itn make no attempt to gloss over Ttio dread nil sufferings caused by the inadequacy of the provision of suitable hospital ships. Everyone was splendid !v:r the most devoted labour by the medical services could but slight lv mitigate the horrors of unprepared"ne»s : "Presently the crv would be, '-hip full:' and the next load would ho taken to an ordinarv transport dirty, full r-i vermin, and entirely unsuited for handling wounded."

fJaUipnli moans glory. Imt it meant hardship. rriif 1 and continuous suffering

' A periscopir view of No Man's Land was a terrible sight, littered uith jam tins, meat tins, broken i :(!('■;. and discarded equipment— e\er\ yank a dead bodv. and ho.-!-. oi tlics. Chloride of liine. with, its hateful associations, was soattonxl thieklv on all decaying matter, and the scent, of A nzac drifted ten miles ■ >ut to sea. In this fetid atmosphere, with the miners on both sides burrowing under the posts like furtive rabbits, hand-grenade throwers . arrying on their nerve-rarking duels, ■i retcher-henrers constantly carrving out tne unfortunate ones, digging and improving the trenches under a

filching sun—is it am* wonder that tho men of Anznc were looked at almost pityingly by the reinforcements and the rare visitors from ITelles and the warships?"

Ma jor \\ aite quotes one of theso visitors:—

"'lhe sotil of An7-ao is something apart ami distinct from any feeling nnc gets elsewhere. It is hard tn write of its most distressing feature, which i.s the agonv it endures. But '■t is quite necessary, in justice to the men. that this should be said. There is an undercurrent of agony in the wholo place. The trace of it is on every face—the agony of danger, of having S een good men and great friends die or .suffer, of being away from home, of seeing nothing ahead, of sweating and working under hot suns or under stars that mock. Let there tie a distinct understanding that the agony is not misery. The strong man bears his agony without misery: and those at Ansae are strong. What ♦he men endure should lx» known at home.''

'"Of seeing nothing ahoad.'' This was the real agony, for as tho months passed it eouid hardly havo been possible tor anyone to Ulievo that the peninsula would after all l>e conquered. Suvla is still a great query. AYe know, and Major Waite clearly explains, how and why the Suvla movement failed, hut wo cannot bo sure it would have Fuceeeded even if the beach landings had not been bungled, if tho Englisii battalions had rushed the gun transport as the Anzaes did, and if tho waterbottles had been remembered.

Except for the one fault wo hnve found, and tho lack of diagrams, we havo no fault to find with Major Waite's work. i 1 is later chapters are written interestingly and vigorous! v, in a good, plain, workmanlike fctyle. Ife lias some talent for descriptive writing, but ho keeps description properlv subordinate to narrative. The volume concludes with an elaborate series of tables and appendices relating to tho transports, tho Main Hody establishment, tho supplementary units, a full list of honours and mentions, an excellent glossary of placenames, a diary, a modest note by tho author, and tho good map of thoAnzac area already referred to. Tlio photographs are exceedingly numerous. They include many which aro well known, but by far tho greater number are qui to fresh, and are of very great interest and value. Thcro is liardly anything ono wishes to have a picture of that is not to ho found in this fine collection. Finally, the most remarkable feature of tho book is its price—six shillings. It is a largo book, well printed on expensivo paper (although we are bound to say we do not greatly care for this highly-calcn-dered paper), and ir. every way excellently produced. As a mere nieco of book production (apart from r.ul),jcct or contents) it is a groat bargain. Any English book of tho samo sort, could not cost lesS than fifteen shillings net. It is exceedingly irritating to a book-lover to ,l>o tolil that it is his duty to buy nny particular hook, because it is nobody's duty to buy any lwok. We shall not, therefore, sny that it is anyone's duty to rend this history, but we shall be surprised if an uncommonly largo public docs not decide for itself that it must have this volume. In conclusion, wo havo ono suggestion to make. namely, that in the concluding volume (if it is not practicable to do so in any new edition of this one) there should bo printed all tho despatches of Sir lan Hamilton

(Printed and published under tho authority of tho Now Zealand Governnicnt. by Wliit-oombo and Tombs, Ltd.)

LORD FISHER'S MEMORIES

Tho large and handsomo volume, "Memories," which Lord Fisher has just given to tho world, is not an autobiography. It is suggested in a prefatory noto that wo may regard it as "a compromise between tho No-Book of Lord Fisher's inclination, and the orderly, complete Autobiography which tho public wishes to possess." In actual fact it is a curious medley taken down from Lord Fisher's dictation, and in style, as in arrangement, it is naturally quite unlike any other volume of memoirs that anyone is likely to havfl heard of. "There is no plan or sequence!" he dictated for a preamble. "Just as the thoughts have arisen so have they been written or dictated." Very often the discursive, digressive manner of this mastorTul sailer's think-

ing nnd dictation is vory_ reminiscent of a certain local politician's style.

Ho plunces at once into memories I of King Edward, to whom ho was deopj lv attached, nnd whom he regarded, and still regards, as easily tho greatest man of his age. Fisher must have owed much to the King's friendship and support. and to his own vigorous devotion to the King. There arc plenty of pood stories in this chapter. This one illustrates the relations between t.hom: "I said to his Majesty once: that was a real low form of cunning on your Majesty's part sending to ask'after Keir Hai die's stomachache!' By Jove, he went for mo like a mad hull, and replied: '\eu_ don't understand me! I am the King of. ALL the People! No one has got me in their pockets, as some of them think they have!' nnd he proceeded ; with names I can't quote." ] There is a pleasant and illuminating j little story which explains why King: Edward was a menace to the French j Republic in that tho French people] often appeared capable of commandrer-1 ing him for their King:— "Sir Stanley Clarke I saw get out [of the train] and fetch the Prefect and tho General in Command to the King—the King got out, said something swoot to the Prefect, and tl-en turned to the General and said with quite uuaffccted delight. 'Oh. Men i general! now delightful to meet veu acain' how glorious was that sph'i<rd regiment of yours, tho —the I'csiment of Infantry, which I inspected twenty years ago!' If I over saw Heaven in a man's faro, that general had it!" It, w.i- to Kitij: Edward that 1-Vher in KliS communicated a scheme i ,ir "C'ipenhatreniiig"' the German Xavy--a plan which apparently was as mil''" t;ii>->trong for his Majesty as for c on-- <■!-<-. To Fisher it seemed 4 imr>-> sagacious aft!'' Th'' great value* of "Memories' 'v its full revelation of a very remarkable character—a super!) naval administrator and strategist, a man of enormous') ; hatreds and love, a. mastcrru

j and ruthless fighter for what hp thoughi i was wise, and the real creator of lhi i modern British Navy. Ho lias no douhi about liis own inunite caparity aivl infallibility and he proclaims himseli great and infallible. But there is nothing offensive in his doing so, because it is"so obvious cn every page that i:o shook bis fi.-t in people's fare? fo r _ F.r.::land's ,«ake. and that lie values inrn-.'lf heeau.»o ho tva« ef value to England. His sensational scrapping of the <Md Navy, his introduction of the Dreadnought. his application of t lie watcrtubo "loilers nil-1 adoption of the tur-Ij-h-—tiio-L- we re hi< l>i- pre-war \rorl.-, hut lie was still ••husthng" after the war had commenced. His work was carried out in the teeth o; bitter o_;o-,-.. siti n. which he never sou pi', t to soften, and. being a really preat man. with a i will of iron. ho Ho was a I ••Navv" man of the extreme type: i England was an island, and it nee led i or.ly ships. As a resuH. he was. and i stiil i?, opno.-ed to military conscription and huge armies. In his scraprv and emphatic fashion. '-:;h multitude"* of digressions, what, he chiefly tells us is how the mo !ern soa-powcr of Britain was built up. Hit he do'\s not t*ll anything like a p:a'n ta lp—it is all mixed up with quaint or touching anecdotes. outb'ir.-r* >/ passion, acid or humorous asiuo-, S'Tipt oral quotations, figures and ofhc-.al d-eumenfs. and an abundance of letters The volume is anything but a work cf art. hut it is the mr-st- vivid pieee of self-portraiture im-aninablo. with a subject well worth painting. His manner hns'-tmnoyod many of the English critics as no doubt he ho ['.oil it, would. But the manner is the cs.-erce ef a very fascinating book, and when iu> reaches 1 lie end of it tlie reader will have a kindly feeling oven for the vituperation that comes like mustard on every pace. In the iinal chapter, which follows an enchanting collection of sayings and writings that lie likes. Fisher approves of Admiral Moresby's likening him to Moses. But in tho same chapter he states a fact which means that ho pot. further than a. Pisjrah sight. Ho had built up British M'-a power, and might luivo been content to retire for pood when ho left officii in 1910. But he "came back," j in this wiso: |

"For a few short months in 1014 I enjoyed the 'dusky lutes cf glorious war,' and exceedingly delighted myself in those seven months in arranging a new Armada against Germany of f)l2 vessels, and in sending Admiral von Spee and all his ships to tho liottom of the sea.'' (London : Ifodder and Stoughton.)

AUSTRALASIAN VJTRSE

Wo aro sorry that tho first of tho little volumes of "Gleanings from Australasian verse" which havo been compiled by Mary Wilkinson has for a subtitlo (printed on tho titlo-pago in larger fypo than tho main title), "Poems of .Manhood." Lovers of poetry, remembering Ella Wheeler Wilcox and John Oxenham, and "uplift" books of various kinds, will bo apt to think this collection one of the Wilcox and Oxonham

and "uplift" kind when they see tho o sub-title. In her preface tho eom- <" piler says: "Included in tho present »s volume are, as tho title implies, poems •- dealing -with subjects of interest to n men, especially "War Poems, Poems of s Country, and Poems of Sport." It is n news to us that pcetry may bo classified v in this way. Poetry is poetry; that ,- union of sensitive heart and strengi- winged mind which glows at tho touch 0 of a fine poem is as common (or uncoinc mon) amongst women as men. Therefore wo complain of tho compiler's r excuse for her inappropriate and un- , necessary Rib-title. lint that is all r we complain of, for tho collection is r cjuito a good one. There aro authors, of : 3 course, whoso omission appears to us a to 1)0 unaccountable. Wo think at „ random of Will Lawsnn, Arnold Wall, t Arthur Adams, and Miss Baughan, all s of whom have dono very delightful work ; none of them is represented here. r ' Omissions, however, aro inevitablo in anthologies—tho greatest of anth-clo- _ gies, "Q.'s" "Oxford Book of English _ \ erse,'' omits the greatest sonnet ever f yi'tten, Blanco White's—and one can r fairly call an anthology faulty only if it includes the wrong things." Tliat is 3 not a fault of this very acceptable little 1 book; but even if such a fault could bo urged against Miss Wilkinson, it would !*> more than cancelled by tho debt wo must Acknowledge to one who has been ' so careful in collecting good verse. Kho P l as gone through a collce- „ tml> °* published volumes; st'o has kept. ■ a sharp eye on tho current Press. And ' blossed aliovo all anthologists aro those who thus preserve fugitive pieces worth - pieserving. Tho selections come from many sources. The columns of "Tho • tress have yielded Miss Veel's charm in " ■> little piece on "Tho Tall 'irecs of Eti"- !. . ", nt J- Miss J,,ssio Mackay T s Carol of Ivossovo." Tho "Bulletin," i of course, has been a rich mine. Wo (have not space for quotations; we » wish only to put up a signpost that, will " "°t missed. But there is one point that it is desirable we should emphasise far too long the verse of Australasia has been objective, and nf the subjective verse far too much has been tho . pedestrian stuff that anyone nan write : ro-day, however as this anthology • , Mlt, . ,e /, s .' Uc l ,lnvo writers who can . cletho worthily fine ideas. [ The second of the series of "Glcan- ! r/ RS ' -3 s J} collection of "Nature Poems." The general level of work- ■ niansh.p m this volume is bci'ow tliat 1 in Poems of Manhood," and Mm e of . the verses aro poor. But there aro sonio very good things, and some of tlir. wn.ers whose work does not appear in Perms of Manhood" are reproc P ntI ed hero. In both volumes there aro several verses from unpublished MS and these. not very surprisingly * are not the best. ' "When the series is completed it will nuko a very good representative collection of Australian verse, and n final . !'i*U tronsurahlo Tombs/ Ltd!) 0 : ; "1914." j! By leason of the furious discussions j provoked by certain passages in the j hook Lord French's "1914." j n which j tho Commander-in-Chief of the "Old ' Contemptible*" tells the story of the J ■ first five months of tho war in Franco, ! has received an amount of free adver- j tisement which could hardly have been < bought with money, and'which has | made most people inoro or less familiar with some of its chief features. The controversy began soon alter the first ; , chapters of the book had appeared in ! , the earlier part of last year, in' the 1 Jxjudon "Daily Telegraph." ar.d it* ■ echoes have hardly yet died down. The ; value of the book is undoubted, for ;itis a record-of one of the most vital i 1 j periods in our history, supplied by the , man who, above all others, was in a 1 j position to fill in the blanks in his own I despatches and in the censored letters* jof correspondents. But it is doubtful if ; any book did so much to spoil the 1 writer's reputation as this one did. , s 1 ortions of it consist of cx-parte -tat**- 1 ' ments <>n matters on which for several ' ' ! reasons—delicacy and loyalty to the ' j dead being among them—little or d ■ nothing had boon sai.l by ir.cn well v qualified to speak. Some of these v 1 statements llatly contradict otliers from the s;ane sourco. Lord French eritlhnrslily. for instanre Sir llora< •• Sniith-Dorrien for fighting tl:e battle , Le Cate.iu, instead of continuing the , retrf.it from Mons. Sir Horace's e\cuse was that his men were ;•><> ;;nd • to retreat any further. I>';! I.ord 1: tr»"u ii. tiuiugli nrt on ti-.e s>-" i.'•• - time. d:-misses this excuse. a< < ..*> Herat e of unnecessarily mure i; , than 14.<"•' (> oliicer- an'd men ani v " ; - S'-'f"-. .11, dof exposing ti;e l*»i it:-i. Avniv to the 10.-s of 1 Lr. ■v-fif:i:» <•: !; - strength. Vet his d(sr:.t ii K»*■'" " the t ].,. Fie!d-.Alar.-i;al <■ on:;..i- .. nv:i:.-| ;i 1( . ( ir!U . r; ,l iii-hb'. .l.'-elanng ' !;n<] the left *.v;nr; "i Arinv, riii that hardly ano-.i.- : officer r. could have done it. He now explains

'*■ that this despatch was written in .'laste alter the battle, before he was fully acquainted with all the detail-! •; 1.-">rd 1- rem h s attack on Lord Kiteh--1 er.er ;s so woi: ktiown that little need said about it. h is possible that ° wr.en I..ir-: Kitchener, "at the in--0 st.mie cr tl'.e Cuvi-rnment. wiio •" were seriously disturbed bv I.onl hren-h's statement- as to his m- '• tended aeticn. crossed to France ! ' a pers.i'i -J inter view, he may have tried to dot:';.!* the parts of Secretary State f,, r War ai'.d Commander-in- ( :in tl.e ;i<-!d. M e havo onlv I/onl • 1' r. n n h'.- v. e.nl for it. however, that he *;• -i:d >-o. a;id if the F>ll-Marslial really entertained for J.<>rd Kitchener the admiral!-"!! and rc.-peot tli.it- he proteoses. ' !:e : well have retrained from an | attorn;.: to Uvittle one whom . I>ft:-.ii!i anil the Empire owe ail j unpayable (•«•! t. t gratitmio ANitii j te-arl t > the question o! mt'.niti-us. c-pii.iilv I,;eh oxpio.-ivo sha'lls, d.ord 1' ten- h ciaim- that for months he ce.-.se-i bombarded t):e Government for ! larger -1::»:•There is no doubt that j 'b:rin; the :ii-t few months of the war 'lie lhiti-h Army was scandalously short 1 botti ef hit: guns and .-hells. Wo have 1' rench'- statement that matters even- • tual'v became , M t bmi tii.lt- he took till' 'Uitisiiiil (ourse of appcaliii': to the pubI he tf 1 !'• u-ii Colonel r.f '"'J'he , Times." and thus about the toivernment's doiiniali. thoiifrli he knew that i; noubl aho mean his own recall. Against iiii-.. I,n .'.e/er, must he placed ; I tench's letter to Mr A-quith. written , 1 when the latter was retiring from oflice. ; 'ii whi.-h he .-aid. 'T am mre that in the ' whole hi-te-i v of war no Uenera] in the tiehl has ever been helped in a (lifliciilt task bv the head oi his (loverntnent. as , I have been .supported and strenpth- ; oned bv your unfailinp; sympathy and ; encouragement." It i- a'l-ri worth • 'ailing that a month before the (Jovern- | ment's fall Lord Kitchener leportod to j Mr .Vqinth that lyord Freni'h'had told him that "with the present- supply of : muni! ions ho will havo a-s much as his , troops will he ahlo to use on the next forward movement." .Indeed bv these portions oj the book. *101-I'' is the work of a vain man, anxious io secure Initios i j at tin? expense of those —superiors as ! | well as subordinates—with whom ho j j woihed. But- marred though it is by I unfortunate and contradictory state- I ments. and regarded apart from them, much remains which may ho road with interest and profit,. It. "contains references to the work and spirit of our troops which fill one's heart with pride, and there are suihr ient anecdotal touches to relieve the book from being a mere chronicle of military operations. Tt is a pity from pomo points of view tbat it was over written, but- it has at h-n-t the merit of being readable. (Ix>ndon : Oonst-nblo and Co. Sydney: Australian Publishing Co. Christchureh : ■\Vhitcombe and Tombs, and I<. M. I?itt, Ltd.)