"SAILOR, AND SOLDIER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 288, 1 September 1919, Page 6

"SAILOR, AND SOLDIER

.— PRESENTATION TO LORD JELLICOI

GOLD BADGE OF R.S.A.

;. : A very interesting and pleasant little ceremony took place iii 'Admiral Lord Jollicoo's stateroom on H.M.S. New Zealand at noon on Saturday; when tie offi- . oials of the Beturned Soldiers' Associa- ■ ' tion of Wellington waited on. the Admiral of the Fleet to ask him to accept . a life honorary membership of the ■ taanob. and as fin earnest of their sincer- ; ity and l regard, to present him with a ; gold . badge ox - the association. The badge, whioh was enclosea in a velvet- ; <t lined case, had inscribed in the plaoe • usually reserved for the owner's regimental number, the word "Jejiicoe." i The Mayor, who was present, eaid he : was there to associate the city with the ■ association, in recognition of the magnijiusenf work Lord Jelliooo had done for • . 'lunfr and Empire., j. -. _ Itr, J. Harper, ohairman of the Wel- ( ling ton Assooition, and vioe-president of ; ■ the New Zealand Beturned Soldiers' Ai>- ; .eooiatiop, said it was the'first opportun- : , jity that had presented itself for the re- ! I turned soldiers to show their appreciation of the great work he had done for the country, aiid how prpnd they were i' . that he had been able to help so maJterlaHy in achieyiag 'the viotory. He leaked Lord Jellicoo to honour the associJistion by becoming a life honorary rnemjbor. It was explained that the Weliainsfon blanch was only one of some ■' -j fifty branches of the New Zealand Association, and to body he must (be a member of a branch. As soldiers, ithey had appreciated how little they could have done without the assistance ;of a powerful and efficient Navy. Thoy •realised to the full the awful responsibilities that were placed upon the heads of: f-tfllb Bayy, and were vlry- proud to know (that' they had carried out the work so. ; ißticoesafully. He expressed the hope /that the Admiral would wear the badge , at the function in Christchnrch next I ■ week, wlien the foundation stoiio of a new | cltzhhooso was to be laid. All sailors I who had served during .tho war were eli- , JtiUlo -or membership in the association, jlhev recognised that the Navy was the eenlor arm of the service—indeed, it admitted all arms of tho service. Mr. Harper -• then handed the gold ( badge to Lord Jellicoe, at the same time j saying that it was his duty and pleasure, ' (to, declare him a life honorary member of tho Returned Soldiers' Association. . (Applause.) . < ; Mr. Claude Batten, speaking for the iNew Zealand Association, said that they ihad been closely associated with the Navy at Gallipoli, and reforred to the sense 4f security it had given them all. • i They had seen there the wonderful ef- ■ , j fect_ of training, tradition, and dis- ' f cipline. • They had seen little midship- . men—mere boys-nstanding to their post 6 ■ with arms folded as the shells fell thicki ly, and children as $iey were, th'ey had • j not'blanched at all. The feeling of mutual respect and admiration which had - 6prung up there was unmistakable, and would be a good thing for ail time. (Appluse.) ! "In a Cloud of Imperishable Glory!"

- In Jus reply Admiral Jellicoe said that he did not think a greater honour had ever been bestowed on him than the one the Discharged Soldiers' Association ' . 'had asked him to accept, and he thanked them for the honour so done him. As ' . had been said, the comradeship had been ; started during the Gallipoli campaign bejtween the Eoyal Navy and New Zealand's magnificent soldiers. It was a comradoship' born of mutual respect, he thought he might say of mutual affection. He knew that his men 'were imbued with an admiration and affection for 'the Anzacs, the gallant soldiers of New Zealand. The part tliey lxatl play- ' „ ed in the war would, if he might be al- ™ say it, go down to posterity in 'ja oloud ' of imperishable glory. Eo wonld not fait to wear the badge so -kindly presented to him at the laying - ut the iotmdation stone of the Beturned Soldiers' at Ohristchurch. In do./•iDfif 60 he.felt that ho would 1)0 bringing the Navy into closer association with the , dischax/jed soldiers, and all other soldiers. m New Zealand, as a distinct out- ' \ a . visible sign of tjiat comradeship of which he had spoken, and of " irhioh he was so proud to be a pnrtici'.'Pant. It had not been his fortune to be .personally ■ oonoerned in the Gallipoli campaign, and was glad to hear that the j officers and men of the Navy were ad- '; mired by soldiers of New Zealand, who , J flad shotted such gallant oonduct. They (had oome from the stook which they all came from—the stock of Great Britain, , -..which always would live like gentlemen end fiR-ht like gentlemen, with great cour- .; SSff, 811 " in every respect play the game. .With a emile, the Admiral said that ho bekerred the Turks had played the game i at" Gallipoli—if not quite so well later. New Zealand had always played the Kama, even the Maoris in'the old wars. '^~77®.™/' told that on one occasion when - 'their'(the British) fellows ran short of , ammunition, the Maoris - had handed " some over. (Laughter.) Again, he had - informed that on another occasion the British were sapping up t 0 a pa that was too strong to take by assault. The operation was so slow that the Maoris offered to do the digging themselves to facilitate matters. (Further laughter.) "He cordially thanked the association for the present they had made him, and the honour done him.: It would be with the ' "greatest 'pleasure that he wcrald wear the ""[badge.- (Applause.) • , tho. call of Mr. J. Harper three - hawtv , cheers woto given for Admiral ' Jelliooa.