WITH THE ANZAGS IN FRANCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2832, 25 July 1916, Page 7

WITH THE ANZAGS IN FRANCE

BEHIND THE UNES

REFLECTIONS IN " THE NURSERY"

(i'loty Malcolm Ijtoss, Official War Correspondent with tho N.Z. Forces.) Northern France, May 20. "Woll, this is bdtter than Gallipoli," said the General, smiling. "My blooming oiith!" replied the Australian soldier, and there was a world of meaning in his curt phrase., "How's your health here?" ventured the General, still smiling. "Pretty crook,"" oamo "tho. quick-re-sponse. It had occurred'to him that in his ; first reply, ho might 1/tvo admitted too much,' ' Both answere were typical of the character of the colonial soldier; But to'one who does not know "Tommy Cornstalk" this oasualness .might seem to indicate .familiarity, if not" disrespect. Yet nothing was further from the Anzac soldier's mind. - Just as : the' English Tommy used to refer affectionately, to General Roberts as "Bobs," ■so tho colonial soldier has his own particular appellations for . tto Generals and the olbcers he knows; ■?**'., When Lord Kitchener, General Maxwell, General Birdwood, and General Godley climbed the heights of Anzac to view the Turkish lines, one of . tho Anzacs asked who they were. - "Oh,•• that's Billy Birdwood and throe other blokes," said his mate; : A litllo. later,, when ; Lord; Kitchener addressed tho troops, this apparently indifferent soldier -would be one of- the first to join the cheering throng. Similarly, when the Prince of Wales .was in Egypt he ;was. heartily'acclaimed by the Australians and tho New Zealandersi though one .of the most enthusiastic was afterwards heard to say, "I. don't-., take, muoh stook in-Royalty, but I simply:had to cheer." ' . . . • The-quick-witted Coolcney. soldier has it . humour of . his own, the Irishman, has tt ready wit that never fails him, and there is the delightful humour of tho Scots soldier with which lan. Hay. has made us all so lamiliar. Again, the crisp, dry humour of the Canadian is, a novelty in Franco. -And.now.'there has' been added another blend, for the men from the Ailipodes have, certainly: it huinuur imd a slang of their own. -Their doiinitlon. of tho various batches or volunteerstnat have come. out., to fight is' worth' quoting.' Tho first contingent. ibecamoknown as the "Tourists." 'They.were out. to see..a bit of the -world. Incidentally, -they - would do any fighting that camo along. And. they did !it.' Then tamo: tho "Dinkiims"—the . true fighting men trier called. themselves,'.'"dinkum" signifying thtt very embodiment of all thu virtues. There, followed the- "Superainkuins," the "War Babies," arid, tho "Hard Thinkers," the;' litter having thought, a great deal before they came. But even the "Hard Thinkers" are quite up to th<> mark. It will tax . the intenuity of the coloniul "Tommy"' to fnd appropriate names, for the'batches yet to itorne; but, one nifty be sure that ho will ilo so;- " ■ • - :

In the meantime, strange Australasian' terms are being grafted' on : to the lun-' guage' of: these French ■ and. Flemings, liven, the "mshi'Vof the Egyptiun Arab baa been trausplaated-into the vocabulary of the boys and girls 'of Northern. Franco per medium .of the 6oldiers froin-'over-neas.' ;; ' Often the' oolonial "Tommy" affects an air of'-surprise or incredulity when; his hret reply is not exactly'understood.' ■ "What do you .belong to, my man?" asked a famous General who was visiting Anzae. "Me?" replied the "Tommy." "Oh, I belong to ta'e famous Third/' ■ "Why famous?" added the Genctal. ".Why fa —- Why famous!" eiclaiined tho "Tommy." "We're the blokes wot look these blooming hills I" And'noiv the colonial "Tommy^'is be-Binning-to ;adapt : . another' language to the environment' in whioh 'ho finds himself;' but his incursion into the new vocabulary sometimes leads to rather amusing consequences. ' .'Recently.' an - asked ,one of his men if ho was guilty of a certain dereliction of duty. ; "Oui, Oui," replied the .delinquent. V"Very well, seyea days' C.B. Comprendre?" said-the officer." . In Egypt; and on the way to Franco, the necessity for good, discipline was instilled into our troops, and on the whole tbeir discipline lias been-satisfactory., It has been the custom'iti the past ! to tell amusing stories about -the' discipline of our troops and that of- the Canadians. The question, of saluting was' often the theme. "I saw an 'extraordinary thing to-day," .an English officer is reported to have said in the mess one evening. "What -was that?" asked a brother officer. "Well," replied he, "I saw a colonial wldier saluting his officer!" That story, however; can- no longer be told with. any teinblance of accuracy. Both the Australian and New Zealand soldiers now salute as it' to tho manner born.'. A great deal that is highly'imaginary .regarding the troops from the Antipodes has already been appearing in the English Press. It. has been stated that they havo been put into a difficult and vory important, part of the-: line. Really it is tho very opposite. Indeed, our section is . known as "The Nursery." Apart, ■from the -usual shelling there is very .little doing in it. .''Whether thev will remain thero or not, only, the' ' nigher command knows, and, naturally, it won't tell. The men in the trenches have been also amused with a highly imaginary account of a fight between, tho. Germans and tho Australians, said'to havo' been altogether to the advantage of the latter. As a matter of fact, although no part of the trench was lost, the Germans ■ actually had tho best of that foray. There had aUo appeared an imaginary account .of a wood-chopping contest between a frenchman and an Australian, : in which th« Fienohman was said to have won. The contest was really, between a team of Frenchmen and a team of Maoris, and the Maoris won! The-Australian and the New Zealander do not like undue praise or praise of any sort -until they have earned it. : The fighting hero is going to be veiy different from any. tiling that our men have already taken part in l . Physique and dash and initiative will no doubt still come in, but . not to tho same extent as at GallipolL Here our men have more done for them by others., A great doal moro will depend upon tho co-ordination of our ai\ tillery and the 'success/with which it is handled in a critical attack-or advance, , That much is already clear. Tho Australians and the New Zealanders have to prove themselves under new circumstanecs and in a new field. Already, on the borders of a ravished land, tho iittlo mounds aro beginning to be heaped over our dead. • But- that was only what our men expected, 'i'liey. have'taken the chances, knowing full well what they were to fight for, and of them have ■ given their all. They are sleeping their last .sleep .in alien but friendly soil.