BEHIND THE LINES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3144, 24 July 1917, Page 6

BEHIND THE LINES

FOR SOLDIERS UNDER SHELL-FIRE. ■

_.Corporal Fred. Nation, son of Mr Nation, of Ngaio, who was wounded iii action, spent a portion of his time as a convalescent as a member of a party of soldier entertainers which gave shows to the soldiers immediately behind the fighting line as a relief to the awful strain which, they have to undergo,' Experience has taught the authorities the value of such relaxation and the appreciation on the.part of the men is tinbounded.

Writing to his parents, Corporal Nation says:—"We are having.- splendid ■weather hero at ; present. ... It is very hot, and our clothes are almost too thick to wear. I suppose you. will have heard before this of poor Sid. Donaldson being killed. Hβ was only a short distance from me when it happened. I heard the shell coming at a certain point, and then met a mute of mine helping to carry Rid. out. Ho was killed outright. You will remember that his father was a member of the Garrison Band in Wellington. Our concert party is still going strong, and we get full houses of soldiers every time we perform (if 'the shells will let us). When not too close to the firing line we set a mixed audience—plenty o.f pretty French girls included. One day' this week we had to give an entertainment to some big. people. I must not mention the place we went to, but it was one of thoso grand old historic residences that one reads about but seldom sees. Included in the audience were a wealthy American lady, a General. Mayor, and the Baroness la Motte. It was an afternoon performance in the open air. The grounds were simply lovely. In one place there was a lake with swans swim■ming peacefully about, and the lake was spanned by a beautiful old-fashioned bridge, and if a knight in glittering armour had walked across at the time the picture would have been complete. At Mm back of us we could see through the trees one of the old canals, with horses pulling tlie heavy barges along. At the conclusion of the performance , γ-ij were shown over the place. The worst feature of this outing was the journey back in motor-lorries. It look tiro hmrs —over cobble stones. Never go to Franco, for comfort in riding, as the cobbles are aful. Whilst T wns writing the last ?(!ntonrp old' Fritz sent a shell over us. II; made a n-e.ird sound n« it buzzed along over the house-top?. I. don't know where it went—you can never tell where : thev land. We hod some fun tlie other ' nHit. The Germiins came over after oii.v Walloon, and thev did sot a hot tini". Our'men in the balloon came down with waclmtes. and then our anti-aircraft irnn got- to work. The German machine mtist." , hnve Vm badly hit as it went linn l " vp-t shaky, and ;u c t about reach*A if« own line when it pollapsed."