OUR COMMANDANT

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 993, 7 December 1910, Page 5

OUR COMMANDANT

DUE HERE TO-DAY. o NEW STORY OF MAFEKING. -t TOLD'BY HIMSELF. (BrTclesrauh.-Special OorrcfißondonU . . Auckland, December 6.-': Tho new Commandant of. the New Zea*j land Forces, Major-General Godley;C.B.;i '•and Sirs. Godley, who were among thef passengers from Vancouver, ;by the Ma-■ kura, and who are now due in .Wellington;;' crossed' over from, Liverpool to Quebec.; in the Empress of Britain. He speht at' day at Quebec visiting the Plains J off" Abraham, on which General Wolfe met" with a glorious death'. 'He nextr spent a.', couple of.days at then went!' on to Ottawa, whore* he and Mrs. Gbdleywere the guests of Lord and Lady Greyi at Government House.. At Ottawa"MaJDr-i; General Godley' met Sir Percy- L'ake.f Jnspector-General of the Canadian Forces, ; and General Otter, Chief of'the General Maff. A visit which proved full -of!interest was paid to Kingston,' the mili-i----,tary training school of Canada.' "There'-' are about 120 cadets, there, and a highly-i efficient staff, including about half -a;' dozen. Imperial officers. It may also -be'' mentioned that there aro two Imperial! officers on' the headquarters staff at''ot- i; tawa. ' •. -.-; -:•■:-.

Military Centres of Canada. .' v r \- It is understood that.. Major-Generalvi was favourably "impressed with? •' tuo training at Kingston, which he.consid-J '' ers ostremely good. He afterwards t00k..-S a run into the States, to see the Military.P Academy at West Point, but, except per- - f, a ,P, s £ tne matter, of buildings, he found I 'i'that Kingston had nothing to fear from'V; a comparison with' its American rival.- At" ' loronto he inspected the armouries and';' ■the headquarters of the Canadian dra-. i" goons, and the infantry regiments, and" : : at Winnipeg he. visited the headquarters" V: of Strathcona's Horse, and inspected : the".;' 1 ' historic. Fort Garry. He also had • tha : % pleasure of meeting Colonel Steele, who '"'•■ commanded the, • North-West ''•• Mounted' : '»' : Police. - After a brief - stay in ■ the Eoc- ;'-Vi ties he and Mrs. Godley embarked on : V" board the Makura, as .already stated, Just, before reaching Suva "the passen-'si gers in the saloon enjoyed ah unexpected :v| pleasure, the General being persuaded to : "'j give a "talk",on the siege of Mafeking.-in"l tho defence of which, it is pretty gener.':- < ] ally known, he played & leading parti"'-.; to him was entrusted the defence of thaV'i western portion of tho beleaguered a '» T* s lie wko. when' towards, the '*-■', j end of the siege, Eloff (Krugcr's son-in- ; .'3 law) succeeded in occupying a fort insids ' -q the entrenchments, cut him off from hi? :: ';-j supports, drove out a'party of Boers'iwhb-/'! were following him up, and. compelled -.;-> him to surrender. v. ;■ :-- j -\6\

New Light on Mafeking. .V'..' ; ; ;Si -In simple soldierly-:-language ,Geheral:i§ bodloy told, the story of. the siege/ nar-M rating its incidents' with much' humour.','i and he omitted; as. far as possible, : his ; S own'part in the proceedings; giving fulL ■• credit to his brother' officers :and 'the'"i brave garrison formed;. out - of. materials;/i that_ seemed so unpromising in rthe- be-' W ginning, and, above':aU, speaking with 1 * enthusiastic, devotion and admiration of i'i the commanding' officer, General Baden ; * : Powell. He cleared up one.or two points'•■"■'■ regarding which.there has been some apprehension, in New Zealand as well; as'-": elsewhere. "8.P:," for instance, has beehi'S adversely criticised because his portrait; ! '. was put on the Mafeking stamps.. Gen- v: ''j eral Godley showed that-, this was done! Vi by the postmaster at .'the suggestion; of:"! .some of, the officers to- whom, it seemed '.>1 the. obvious, thing to do.' Again, when " ; j the relieving column reached Mafeking--\ (themselves without food) they were-sup-'; plied with meat and' biscuits, and this; ""■< gave rise to the impression that the gar-l-v rison could.not have been in any'seriouaj.: : difficulties. In'regard to ■ provisions Gen-* - "eral Godley however showed that,-for;: s.omo time, the garrison had been reduced;': to quarter rations of biscuit, ..together. . with a kind of porridge made'of the' husks .of oats, and known as "sowens." ' There .'■■> had, however, been locked up in store'.. : five days' rations of ; meat, ■' and :■ seven ',} days' rations of biscuits to bemused 0n1y,:..] in the last emergency. -There was. toba/i':; no question of surrender but, if;the-;' ? worst came to the worst,'it .was.intended :'j that the garrison should fight their waj;- : ! out, and it was; for this - contingency >.;? that the rations had been reserved.: 08 7 V course, when the, relieving troops arrived,-:'"! theso emergency rations: were at-: ones :.:] placed at their disposal.. .'. . • , ; ;;1

Cheered by the Passengers. ('. : J Throughout.this interesting address>th's>i-j audience with attention,'giving' ; ";;ij utterance to .their appreciation by ■ fre-»' -:'| quc'nt bursts of applause/ ■ . . .';:■■:'J The Earl of Harrowby, in" moving.:a;:.| very hearty vote of thanks to .Major-,,:>] General. Godley,. said that he was sure" 1 :-; that .those present felt, proud of hini-5..:) a "sentiment, that 'was endorsed byV'tha.;] cheers of the audience. ■'•'.-' !! \?

The voto was seconded by the Hon'. ; Mr.r.Xj Mlvenzie, the Victorian . Minister ' fop,:'.?.] Lands, and carried with.enthusiasm.: .' : ,J Tho new commandant went on to Bris-.-.*•-bane and: Sydney by the -Makura.;■;, ff.e>'•■< intended to take' the opportunity of visit.:.:, ing Melbourne to have a: talk with . the.,';:! military authorities there,- and, returning .-• via Sydney,, will arrive in- Wellington:;:; by the steamer due there on Wednesday,; - December 7. ._•;, •■:;■ -''''L;;'.. General' Godley strikes' one as exceed-i.:; ingly keen in his profession,' and 'admij>;v : ably qualified for the important/-; jjost"j : ;Hr which he has been called .upon to: .filllicv Both he and Mrs.. Godley: almost .'in-?:;' stantly won tho regard of the rest:<sf ; . thei' L ..'-j passengers, especially.the New on board, by their unaffected charm'of-.:-;;.. manner., '/-. '■■::■'■■ .'-'^i,.';::;]

Major-General Godley is due her*' the Manuka this morning.; Colonel Robin and the members of the' headquarters staff will go off to the. steamer..on'-the-Janie Seddon to welcome the command- - ant who, on landing, will be furnished with a guard-of-honour, provided by th(Eoyal New. Zealand Artillery. '.'■' '•"'-•.•-".'