THE ANZACS TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2727, 23 March 1916, Page 6

THE ANZACS TO-DAY

LETTER FROM GENERAL BIRDWOOD, ■ • .. The Minister of Defence lias received a letter from General Rirdwood, ilio first Commander! of the Anzacs, concerning, the reorganising of the growing Australasian Army. Following aro some extracts from the letter:—

"Having now got down to I am glad to say ■ that I have again taltoa over my New Zealand and Australian troops, and am .'delighted to do so. 1 find, however, that in addition to our organised formations, we have in Egypt an enormous number of reinforcement? and returned convalescents. So many. In fact,-that it is impossible to deal with tliem efficiently, as tliey are far too many to, put into existing regiments, and as unorganised uflits they naturally cannot be looked after properly, either for discipline or training purposes. You will, therefore, before now have got my proposals to form' an Australian and New Zealand Army of two corps, in lieu of the existing corps. "There will, of courso, be a great deal of improvisation required to get our formations right, as artillery, engineers, ambulances,, and trains will all have to be worked up to larger establishments. (General Birdwood fives details of i;he arrangements.) Tin's will give every battalion its quota of experienced officers, n.c.o.'s, and men, and I asked Godley yesterday to wire to yc-u about this, and at the same time to wire about the increased New Zealand artillery .required. .'"'[ do hope that these proposals, will have met with your anproval. ' The point on which I feel the greatest apprehension is in involving you in the responsibility of keeping no drafts for this increased force. That'yon will do ao if it is in any way possible I of course know well, but it is just possible that it may .be beyond your means, wlrioh I know are not inexhaustible._ and which must be ■already stw'ned...

"I .was so pleased to hear all vou had ■to nay about your Bth Reinforcements. 1 h.ive not had time to see very much of our tronns since I have got "back hero, and they are of course scattered] 1 some in —-, some at , and some here.;l'snw all those in :. and I Kin quite delighted with them. Turnout., appearance, keenness, were all excellent, and I am quite certain thev will prove themselves fullv (he equals of (he men you sent, out at first. "I have to-day seen the N.Z.M.R. Brigade, ineludine the Otacns. They were looking. better than I have ever seen them before—men and horses comnlete,vand in perfect heajth.. Cha'/tor looks after them well."

Referring to tho suggestion that the formation of tho new Division might mean an inrrenoe of Reinforcements, Mr. Allen said that as a matter of fact that chaivw would ''lot involve ,i«it inaterial idditiou to the number of men in each drpft. Tlie rate of Reinforcement had been reducd from 20 per cent, per month to the original rate of 15 per cent. But it would lx> newspaly to Increino. fhe. proportion of infantry and reduce the proportion of mounted men in the Reinforcements. The change had been made alreadv in allocating tho quotas for future Rein, foicomtftilJ.

In a list of brigndiers of the New Zealand Division 'published a few days ago only two infantry brigades were accounted for, commanded by BriaadierGencral'Erl Johnston and Colonel Braitliwaite. Tbe Third Infantry Brigade is commanded by Colonel Fulton, a New Zealander, with sorvico in the Indian Army. He was with the Ramoaii Expedition as second in command.