LIKE SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2866, 2 September 1916, Page 3

LIKE SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT

THE MAZE OF WAR TIME HOW TWO BROTHERS FOUND EACH OTHER The war lias cffectod many separations and many reunions. pothers meet unexpectedly in action, and there have been recorded instances of cousins coming i'aco to l ace in opposing forces. On of those strange stories is related, by Mr. George Donnelly in a letter received in Wellington. .Five years ago lie bade good-bye' to his brother. They parted in Sydney, and when war broke out had not met again. ■ Both vrent to the iront. 0110 from >iew Zealand, the other from Australia. • They each hat! a general idea of the other's whereabouts, but tlio Hand of I'ata guided them apart very remarkably. Letters mid telegrams in numbers passed between them without a meeting being brought off. -They, crossed each 'others' tracks and passed each other by, sometimes without knowing it. Once they were within half a mile of cach other, and neither knew of ihe other's proximity. However, the details run best from Mr. Donnelly's own pen:— "I said good-bye to him on the steps of the Gr.P.O , Srflney. I was then about- to sail in a few hours on one of Burns, Philp's ■ steamers for Singapore. On my return to Australia, I heard from liiui from .Western Australia. I lost touch with him,for about eighteen months, and in the meantime I had travelled practically the Pacific with two' trips to San FrancfSco. The next word I received from liim was in September, 1914, to the effect that lie had ejilisted with the Australian. Forces, and was in camp. I was in New Zealand at the time, and sailed on. » troopship for Egypt with the Maih Body in October, arriving m Egypt in December, and returning to New Zealand direct. In the meantime he had- sailed for Egypt, and I was transferred to other ships, and finally joined the Marama, and made another trip to 'Frisco. On return 1 received a post-card saying he had arrived in Egypt, hut to be sent to the'front in a'short time. I wrote to his Egyptian address saying I expected to bo in Egypt shortly on a hospital ship, and to wire'me at Port Said.•'■' We arrived in Suez oil January 9, 1915, and remained there for twelve days, in the meantime visitiug Cairo. T. made inquiries to j;ry and locate him without success. I have since learned at one time I was only half a mile from his camp at Heliopolis. On going through the canal I received a wire from him at Port- Said, dated some fifteen davs previous, asking me to come to Heliopolis if possible. Vi p then went to Alexandria, but I could not get away to visit Cairo acain, so sent him word to that effect. We, sailed for England a few days later. On our next- return to Alexandria,, a letfar from him awaited me saying to wire him on our arrival, and lie would come to Alexandria. The wire was delaved somewhere and on his arrival at Alexandria ho found that the ship had sailed the previous day for ' England. On our next return to Alexandria, in Jlay, a letter said that lie. was then stationed in the middle of Egypt at n place called Soba"fe, lint expected to be removed shortly. "A week later another letter said he. was. in the deser(, about forty miles east of the Suez Canal. I took train to Kantarah and luckily managed to set in touch with him by telephone. He told me his' whereabouts and how to ■iroceod. After-a wait of nino. hours I boarded the munition train .'at midnight. No' passenger carriages, and. was liickv to get a ride in-a van with four Arabs. If was the roughest Tide on record.-. The rattle of water tanks, barrels, boxes, etc., was awful. It was impossible to lie down. The journey came to an en'd at 2.15 'aim., and I found my brother awaiting mo at the rail-head.' I slept that night on an oil sheet on the sands, and next- morning trekked in over the sandhills over three miles to his camp, arriving :iii time .for breakfast, consisting of two pieces of bacon, a dixie of tea, mid about Half a. loaf of dry bread. AVo had a lot to tell each other after the long separation, and I spent a pleasant/day basking in the shade of a, date .palm, in a cool valley, returning to Alexandria in the evening."