A WORTHY ALLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 308, 17 September 1918, Page 8

A WORTHY ALLY

9 ITALY'S PART MR. WILFORD'S WAR LECTURE Tlie share of Italy in the great war was tho subject of a lccturo given in the Town Hall last night by tho Hon. T. M. Wilford, in aid of the funds' of the Italian Red Cross. Tho GovernorGeneral (Lord Liverpool) and tho Countess of Liverpool were present. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke, M.l'.) presided. After referring to a pre-war visit to Italy, Mr. Wilford said that his object that evening was to give some idea of the part Italy had played in the war. There had been uncertainty in August. 1914, as to what Italy's attitude would be. The nominal ally of Germany, honeycombed with German influence, I Italy had a- momentous decision to make! Her decision was for neutrality and 500,000 French soldiers who had been guarding the Italian border wero released to hurry to the Marne. By that initial decision of neutrality Italy saved France, and nerhaps, the world. Italy's entry into th 6 war on the side of freedom and civilisation came later, and was the result of a steady growth of public opinion in the licjlit- of Germany's actions and methods. Mr. Wilford referred to the dramatic appearance of the seven sons of Garibaldi, who gathered in Paris from different parts of the world and formed an Italian lecion to fight on the side of the French before Italy had entered . the. war. Under French leadership this Italian legion fought its first action near Verdun. Two of Garibaldi's sons fell there, and their bodies were taken to Rome, where the realisation that Italian blood had been shed in the Allied cause stirred Italy to the heart. Men ill high places and financial magnates stood still for .neutrality, and the German, influence remained, a power in tho land. But public opinion swept along, and the time camo when the Italian nation declared war on Austria. The declaration of war against Germany came later. Italy to-day was holding 550 miles of Ifrout, a greater length than tho total West front. It was an unfortunato thing that for a long time Britain, had utterly neglected propaganda in Italy. The Italian soldiers had been left in ignorance of Britain's effort in. the war. They had asked if Britain had any army, and had got no convincing reply. This neglect had been a factor, in producing the disaster of 1918, when a section of the Italian Army succumbed to German wiles and propaganda. The German's went to •*\'e length of publishing a (rake Italian newspaper, containing stories of Brituish brutality and weakness. Italians and Austrians fraternised. The enemy spread the seeds of rei-olution among the Italian soldiers, and persuaded the men on the Italian flank to consent to a simultaneous throwing down of arms. One evening Italians and Austrians put their weapons aside. Then during the night_ German divisions replaced thei Austrian, and' in tlie morning the Germans attacked and swept forward at headlong speed. Tho Italians were unable to stem the tide until the Piave had been reached. They- stood on the Piave, not because it was the ; b'est line, but because they wished to defend Venice if possible. Mr. Wilford proceeded to explain, with the aid of a blackboard, the course of the campaign on the Italian front. He told some stories of the stirring deeds of Italian soldiers, and of the part, played by the Czecho-Slovaks in the Italian campaign. Tho Czeclio-Slovaks had lifte-d their cause to a new plane. They hated tho Germans. Britain, France, Italy, aud the United States had recognised them as a nation, and thero were 50,000,000 of them in the Balkans. ' The establishment of a powerful independent Slav nation in , the Balkans was a great ideal for tho Allied Powers, who by this means could erect a barrier against German aggression in the Middle 15a3t. Italy's work in Albania deserved more atvmtion than it- received. The Italian soldiers in Albania were helping Britain to hold Salonika, and Salonika had to bo held lest the Central Powers should obtain an important submarine base in the Mediterranean. The, Albanian campaign represented an important part of Italy's great contribution to the Allied war effort. "To our Italian' Allies,'' lie added, "we hold out the hand of friendship, believing that Italy will become not only united bnt free, aud that tho, principles of nationality laid down by Mazzini will find expression- as a result of the great upheaval." (Applause.) In conclusion, Mr. Wilford gave a "ten minutes' sketch" of the situation on the West front. He emphasised the importance of Lille, Cnmbrai, St, Quent-in, Laon, and St. Mihiel. Tho capture of the St. Mihiel salient by the' French and Americans was ail event of striking importance, since the advance was towards tlie heart.of Germany's 'iron-producing area in Lorraine. Tlie great German attack on Verdun lnd b"en an at.temnt to nrotrefc Lorraine, because without the iron district Germany could not fight. Mr. Wilford was heartily apnlauded at the clo«:e of his lecture, and was ac-|'-corded a hearty vote of thanks, on the i motion of the Mayor.