LETTER FROM GENERAL BIRDWOOD

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 232, 19 June 1918, Page 6

LETTER FROM GENERAL BIRDWOOD

"EVERY AVAILABLE MAN BADLY WANTED."

If cabled stories of battles and their inevitable casualties do not sufhcicut]y indicate tho need of reinfoTccments for Australian ,units at the front, the following letter,, sent by General Sir William Birdwood to the mother of Private KL M'Mahon Kith Battalion), who is still with his unit in France after three and a linlf years' active Sirvice, slwuld sufficiently •emphasise to Australians (says the "Age") the stringency, of the situation. Writing on April 12 the Aub- i ■ tralinn commander says:— Belie.-e me, I sincerely sympathise with you in your desire to have your son back with you, which makes me nil the more regr6t having to tell you that this is not possible. As you will probably realise, I roceivo very many Requests of this nature from mothers in Australia, who have so bravely given their boys to fight for the cause of justice and liberty, and to whom I am forced to give this answer, even when the men opneerned have been with us siuco 1914, and have lost brothers in tho war. , As you know, it was found impracticable to grant furlough to AustValia to the men of our first contingent, owing'to the dearth of reinforcements to roplace them, and the difficulty in finding the necessary transport accommodation. As I say, I am very sorrv it is not possible to grant your request, which in the circumstances . I hope you will understand. Every available man is badly wanted, especially at tho present time, while I regret to say that we have not sufficient 'reinforcements to keep our Australian units up to strength. General Birdwood trusts Mrs. Jl'Mahon's son "will be spared to return to her with Jionour when the war is • over." '