NEW ZEALANDERS AT WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 1, 26 September 1917, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS AT WAR

MR. ANDERSON'S LECTURE. There was a large attendance at the Concert Chamber of the Town.Hall last evening, when Mr. Gerald Anderson lectured on "New Zealanders at War." Mr. Anderson ie a journalist and a returned soldier: His lecture is extremely interesting, and at times ie informative, and his sidelights and storyettes are vwy ■K-ell told. These sidelights are by iat the most entertaining portions of tho lecture. . . Mr. Anderson claims to be one of the first men in the. Southern Hemisphere to enlist. He shows a photograph of eight men whom he says were the first eight, and among them were three Nmv /ealanders. He has noted that in all parts of the Empire when the call came New Zealanders flocked to the flag. No cue could speak in more complimentary terms than he does of the work of the New Zealanders in war. He saw them as part of the Anzacs, during the Gallipoli campaign, and he has nothing but praise for them. He considers that the greatest battle the New Zealand soldiers took part in on Gallipoli was the fichi. for Hill 971. To reach the top of this eminenoe the colonials had to climb c'.ilfs which were in places as precipitous as the side of a brick building. Yet when the sun rose on a certain Sunday morning there were 50 New Zealnnders on iLe top, overlooking the whole of the Peninsula. This, he considers, was one of the most superhuman feats in history. Had the men on the lull been reinforced events might have taken a difterent course from the one they took. 1-he men were not supported, and the ■ urks retook the position, but..as. the, enemy., poured down the British , 'side of'the hill our guns on land and sea wiped tbemout in thousands—"the greatest massacro of the war." Mr. Anderfeon thinks our ideas on heroism have been greatly changed through events arising out ct the war. He soys that in future our Youths need not look to the Bu-kenhe.-ul "or the charge of the Light Brigade lor. a standard of heroism; they may find it m the deeds of our own men. He gives on instance. Many men who went to bnllipoli were posted musing. Well,jhen men got dvsentery badly they did not go back among their fellow-men to die, became thev did not wish to spread the disease, bit they wandered away and died no.one knew where. He asked for suspension'of judgment on the Dardanelles camnai»n It was this campnijm that made Italy join the Allies made M" Savia delay' six months about loming into the war against us frustrated toman plans for a march n* jj«« fiml caused the flower of-the inrkisn Army to be withdrawn when the iVta were Chasing the Russians before .rhern. nd a "ad effect on the <-Am P n, ? n ,„ he vicinih' of tne-Pewiaj Golf, end an n«where. ■