PERSONAL SKETCHES & INCIDENTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2565, 13 September 1915, Page 6

PERSONAL SKETCHES & INCIDENTS

:• = It was impossible foi';anyoue in Wel,'lington to settle seriously down to work on Saturday, morning., .Tlio ,arrival ~</f > nearly 500 wounded soldiers direct from .. 'Egypt bad an' unsettling elfect. Throughout the forenoon tlio sight of heflagged 'Steamers in:- the h&rbour and buntmg- ; bedecked- buildings in-the City had its -.exciting influences, and it was probably great ;'reliefthat, the s shutters of: nw the shops were put up and the doors of v-. itho warehouses, - factories, and offices i. l ': ' (wore banged to at l o'clock. . Tlio troopship ;Toliiti, : -with. 491' Now. Zealand sick !• - ' tand- wounded • soldiers, had ■ dropped. an-. , chor at 1 a.m., and in the gloomy, •: i; ; :.-; showery, early; hours that 'marked, the : J -. dawn looked, anything; but an object of. (• ..curiosity.;, Avwell-seasoned.-;"trooper" is about the most unsentimental . thing ;v : :■■■■.■ -afloat, and. tile seasoned "Tommy" has. ; had, all the poetical' nonsense knocked i • ..- out.' of' 'him>■ever ■■ so long ■, ago. l •■ It was - Kudyard- Kipling who sang - . with tho ; homo-bound troops:— '

-"We'roi gom'-home, we'i:o goin' home,. ■ „• ,' \ Our ship is at the shore, . 'An' you must pact your .'aversack, • . g--/yi J, l?or we won't come .back no inore.\ ,;;■ • ,• f ' "Ho, don't-you frierefor me,Aly lotely Mary Ann, 5 ;■;.- I'or I'll marry -you? yit on a./ fourpenny bit, V ' .1. ; As a timc-expirccl''nian.". ' :' ;; v I -Wo are' not' an-ostentatiously' sentipeople,- but,.there; were outward j;- ;- and visible signs enough on the Glasgow ;i 1.: / iWharf on Saturday to,prove the depth !• •, of our emotions under such lieart-stir-'.'''riiig:.concUti<>ns. '• • A'! ■« uS, t irS?iComing Ashore, s-'i''vi'' The steamer, with heriprecious burden i v;v lif humans, was ;berthed' at .the Glas- •;' ,\ gow Wharf .soon,after,2.3o; p.m., ; and .--very'movingwas : .the I; scene . as..the j:\vu■•'•-thronging, relatives., on 1 the: wharf ondeavoured to pick, out their, own, from '&b;linei:of i :tbat: ' . lined the 'decks. If parting bo such ■ ; .-. swoet sorrow, ■ meeting-undor 6uoh. cir- . ' • cumstances is a sacred joy. <. Behind, the • ■ ' crowd-'wero:. others—poor fel->-v.lows,'with shot-shattered limbs,- still in •5W.■. -splints or' swathed- about m lrnt j nien. 'in : :bed-socks whx>;h'ad ;been ! shbtHhiough, y 5 • their boots, many wits! arms in slings, ; 'and missing fingers, and others,showing u i -wan pale faces .--after*bouts just, as bad t« ! \as those caused by' Mauser.. bullets. >. • ■v; . ■ The disembarkation of tho .'.'fits'and itliere are many; set up by, the voyage, . who are prepared to go . back again— . 'was splendidly* organised. s A line of . ■ . motor-cars were waiting ,to receive them as they stepped off tho. ship, and before ;i3': p.m.- the, procession, headed- by tho ;/. ..,'lVontham Camp ' Band,accommodated .'' in a motor wagon, • moved i'off along v.-: .--•■ ■Waterloo Quay, and to the accompani- . ment.of volleys . of. cheers, passed between avenues of people down, Bunny . -•r .- Street vto ; .Lambton Quay. —Flags'flew. : . bravely on the ' breeze, and the bands ,' alternated "See the.'Conquering Heroes Come" with! ".Tipperary;" '.'.and: old- homo '- tunes; As the - boys from. Gallipoli,

• • most of ..them ,in thohigkhaki helmots, m the' cars,., tliero, was a. > good ,- deal of. spasmodic cheering, but ?, .there woro many occasions .doubtless - when "the checrs :.' stuck . in.; people's ■, -throats,-.- at .tho sight of.a pair, of crutches, or a: white-bound forehead among • the Gallipolian heroes. " , ■ M:.-. ■ ■ > -There were no deaths on.:.the Tahiti . during her voyago from Suez,: and only two cases of sickness cropped up, which '■.v. speaks well for responsible for i :ristvirniiig - > : Tho Motor Parade. Tho arrangements as far as law: and .order were concerned . were 1 excellent. . (Tho Fifth Regiment :kept the road clear iv:'; from.-thV; cars :from : tho, wharf to Bunny ■: Street, andi at .important street inter-. . sections squads of • Senior Cadets and •, ißoy Scouts were posted to keep the . - crowds from bulging: on to: the lino: of march. The people' thought that the - cars.travelled too- fast; and' they were thus afforded a very poor chance of see- . mg the returned soldiers—before', a . olieer could bo given for-a; car-load, it had passed. . • .-

Scene at the Town Hall. ■ • The same perfection in organisation i , texistcd at tho Town Hall. . Long boi :> foro the first man in khaki appeared , . " the galleries were solidly packed; : most-' ~ ly with, women-folk,v all prepared to take tho keenest:interest; in the pending function. The big hall was. beau- . , titully hung and draped with tlio flags . iof: all? nations;', those -of . the "Allies: ap-> I pearing m friendly relation: above j the ,-... .: organ; .at which Mr. Bernard Pago pre- ,' / sided,;his brilliant music. Ming the air . : during the time of waiting;. , .. lit about? half an hour all the men ablo to turrrout liad arrived, and were • being feasted at the - litt-lo round'.'tables' . ' on the.'daintiest of afternoon tea-faro. And , how they did enjoy it. It was fare they had not seen tor six or nine i.:.-; . .anontlis,i and it tickled,the;palate pleas- ! antly. "This is the first cup of Teal tea IVefhad sinco I left!" remarked ono trooper, as., he was handed cup. • - "It • .• was .dishwater we got in Egypt!":' And , - - the relatives hung over their own flesh : : andiblood and wcro happy in-the rc,r'.union;.;'- It was :a; great. sight:; Mr. .Page's-thunderous music obscured many broken utterances and drowned many a deep sigh. It was a notable occasion. • At about 3.30 p^m.'the dhair was'taken- -' - by his Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke),"immediately after Mr.'Page had ~ , tlmiidcred "The King" on the grand. ;orga'u : ' as the official' notification :tb';tho' ,-;''"H - ®rtj:sydience that His . Excellency ■' the Governor and Lady Liverpool had arrived..! There- wore, also'present on- tlio platform tho Prime-' Minister (the -Right Hon. W. F. Massoy), the Right Hon. Sir . Joseph Ward, Hons.; James 'Allen 1 , W. Fraser, A. £. Her'dman, G.- W.-Russell; A. Myers, members of tlio Government, Brigadier-General- A. •W. Robin, K.C.M.G., Surgeon-General Henderson, ■■ and other Staff officers. ; - The function opened auspiciously with fh e singing -of !the "Old Hundredth.", There could have been few /present ' who ' did not feel a thrill, of exaltation at the -soulful and ■ uplifting "singing-. of tho grand old psalm.