A NEW ZEALANDER IN PRANCE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2540, 14 August 1915, Page 15

A NEW ZEALANDER IN PRANCE

KING EDWARD'S HORSE RELIEVE CANADIANS, 'A' New Zealauder now serving with King Edward's Horse, in France sends an interesting account to a friend in Wellington of the time spent by him and his comrades when reinforcing the Canadian* after they had been so badly cut up at Ypres. He writes: "Three Masts of a whistle. Enemy aeroplane above us.' Everybody gets into their dug-outs. Stand not on the order of thy . going, but go tho quickest way—Oh, T toll you, wo do have an exciting time out here in Franco. Last night working from 8 o'clock till daybreak (2.30 a.m.) digging a communication trench; slept all day, and am now in suspense as to our proceedings to-nirfit: whether we man a front lino of trenches or be left in peace until tomorrow. You see, we are now acting as infantry for the time being. We are brigaded with Lord Strathcona's Horse and the Royal Canadian Dragoons, forming a cavalry brigade under BrigadiorGeneral Seely's command (late Secretary of State for War). We are known for short as Seely's Brigade. Well, tho Canadians at Ypres got cut up so badly, and their reserves had then not left Canada, that we all volunteered to come over on foot to givo them a hand. We wore told for only about three or four weeks, but we have now been over here seven weeks, and our hopes are as far off as ever. When mounted. I never used to tako particular notice of the 'foot-sloggers,' as they ' call them, but now I can sympathise with them, and very deeply. Some ohap with a distorted 'idea of things invented what they call our webbing which is tho worry of our lives: we even dream about it. When fuly loaded, and with our packs on our backs, and also blanket and w.p. sheet, the whole lot weights about ninety pounds, which is all right for tho first half-mile, but at the end of perhaps four or six miles it feels like a ton. So mo humourist once said that an iufantTy man was designed to hang things upon, aud he's perfectly right, for we look exactly like blobming Christmas trees. "I should very much like to seo New Zealand again, and I hope it's my luok to bo one of the luoky ones who escapo with a whole skin. This trench warfare is awfally monotonous, and after a few weeks gets on one's nerves; Hot in ■the sense of getting umierved, but it makes one fed up. Wo usually go in for about throe or four days, and tneu go out for a rest, and thou back again. This time we have been in already five days, and will probably stay another four.' and after that tlifiy may give us back our horses. None of us will b® at all sorry. We are like iisli out of water on foot. If ive had been trained for it, it would have been all right, but we oamo straight off horseback into the trenches, and you can understand what we felt like."