"A VERY BIG BIT."

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2613, 8 November 1915, Page 6

"A VERY BIG BIT."

WHAT QUEEN ALEXANDRA SAID TO A NEW ZEALANDER. Corporal P. T. Field, of the Wellington Infantry; Battalion, who went to Samoa with tho First Expeditionary Force, and on his return left for Gallipoli, mites cheerfully to-Sergeant G. P. Harms, of Wellington, from tho 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth, as follows: —

"No doubt you-will be surprised to see. tlie abovo address, but to use . the Cockney expression, I 'stopped one' at the Dardanelles on August 9; they bungled me on the Aquitania, and planted me in Old England. So hero I am. Wo had a rough time on tie Peninsula, and (jot fixed up very quickly. We were put into tho firing line as soon as we landed, and it was warm I tell you. Bullets, shrapnel, buzzing over, under, and through you. We were on the big Hill 971, where the fighting was about, as hot as anywhere. Our boys were very plucky, and showed an utter disregard for danger. I got hurt in the back and knees, but am progressing fine,' and expect soon to be 'at large in Lumion!'' Wo are in a very fin© hospital, and the English people axe 'on their own.' They can't do enough for us—cigarettes, tobacco, magazines, and every, comfort that is wanted to make us happy is, brought to us, and they think they are Tinder a compliment to us for being allowed to give to us. The colonials are looked on as heroes by tho people here. Wo are asked to stay in almost every part of England when we get our fur-, lough. I don't know how we arc going to satisfy them all. "Our own people are treating lis very fine, and I think Hiss Mackenzie, the High Commissioner's daughter, deserves mention. Wo have had some lovely tripa since we have been in hospital, and it is mostly, due to her untiring efforts to make tho boys from her own country happy. ' .• , "There is a young chap m "our ward named Claude Barnard, who was with the Australian Forces, but comes from New Zealand. Ho is wounded in the. leg, and has been in bed for eleven weeks. I took bim out in a chair yesterday for tho first time. We had rather a novel experience whilst out. A lady; whom wedid not know asked if we were returned German prisoners. I said: 'No, madam, "\ve are New ZealaaideTs! Slio wa9 delighted when I told her, and gave us a hearty handshake and said:. 'You boys have .done wonderful work for us, and we are\very grateful. It is: lovely to havo you with us.' I said we had only done our bit, but she said: 'It. was a very big bit—more than we ever expected!'' We talked away for awhile, and I do not know who she was, but when I said good-bye to her and she was getting into her car, all the ladies that were there bowed, and I found out to my astonishment that it was Queen. Alexandra. I must say that she is the most unaffected lady that I have ever spoken to. "We had the Kinc and Queen.Mo ry out to the hospital on Wednesday. . . . Fred Packer was wounded, also Jerry O'Leary and 'the Goose.' I didn't soe any of tho others."'