A SYDNEY GENERAL

Hokitika Guardian, 21 July 1917, Page 1

A SYDNEY GENERAL

TALKS PLAINLY OF THE ‘ NEED FOR MEN.

After splendidly serving the Empire until compelled by illness to leave the front, Brigadier-General Sydney Ernest Christian, C.M.G., re turned to Sydney, and his message to Australia —the message of one of Australia’s finest soldiers and a man who has seen and knows— is an earnest appeal for men.

Brigadier-General Christian is a native of Sydney, and one of whom the city has good reason to be proud. One would know him in an instant for the born soldier that he is. Upright and well built, with keen blue eyes and a square, firm jaw, it was instinctively borne upon one as he paced the floor of one of the staff offices at Victoria Barracks yesterday afternoon, and pronounced Australian manhood to be the finest material fop soldiering the world could to-day produce, as his face glowed with pride while he praised the response that already had been made, and then, as lie gazed fixedly out of the window and his face became grave and resolute, ho declared with emphatic decision that Australia must, send more men to keep up the strength of her forces at the front, that hei’e was a man whose word must disturb the tranquility of those who even yet have failed to hear the call.

“ Ye,” he said, “ the response in Australia has been fine, and Australians haVe made a namo for themselves. But,” he continued, squaring his shoulders and folding his arms, " Australia can, and must, do more the great name that Iter sons have made must be upheld. 1. cannot put too strongly ti e absolute necessity for reinforcements to keep our forces at the front up to full strength. Every'man who can should go. .Men nilist go to give rest fo- those who have been lighting all this time. They are getting comparatively no rest; they are going on lighting and fighting, and', mind you, enjoying themselves, too ; but they are gradu-ally-wasting. No man, not even the best, can stand indefinitely the stress and strain of fighting without rest. Anybody who has been there will go back. They may say they are glad to get away, but when they have rested they are breaking their hearts to get back—faithful to their comrades, faithful to Australia, and faithful to the Empire. A week or a mouth is no good to a man who has been fighting for a year ; a man who has been in the trenches three months needs three months’ rest, It must be remembered that a lighting man loses his power if he is unable to get proper rest. want men, and we want those men to make up their minds to “ play the game ” when they get to the front. OBRMAXY N’OT YET BEATEN’.

“ What struck us over there,” he continued, was that, there seemed to be almost a want of patriotism amongst a certain number of Australians. You would think that they would like to be over there, conscious that they were doing the duty which traditionally belongs to men—that of defending their homes and those they hold dear, and their country, when threatened by a ruthless foe. With the huge crowds which still attend football matches, races and stadium fights it seems unthinkable that we cannot raise the number of men who are so much wanted at the front. It really seems as though many people > in Australia do not even yet grasp the fact that we are .at Avar, and Avhat avo are fighting for—Ave are fighting for absolute existence. The response, as I said before, has undoubtedly been fine, but there are many mop in onr young generation avlio could poine along if they so filled. When Q n ? sees old men out there, some of them nearly 60 years of age, with their sous also fighting ing in the ranks, one cannot lielp feeling that the strong young fellows that Ave see standing about here ought to be out there helping. Unquestionably many men are needed to keep production and industry going here, hut there are still a great many Avho could be spared. These men avlio stay behind would be the first; to squeal if the Germans got the whip band- German rule is unthinkable. Bnt it Ave would have a satisfactory peace men must come forward ; 'wq rauat avert, the possibility of an unfavourable peace being obtained at the end of the Avar. Wo have got to i beat the Germans ; avc must break their might and bring them to their | knees. Germany is not yet beaten . she will not be beaten until she is absolutely doAvn and out. Here we | have the freest country in the , world, ) and if we want to keep the freedom I w ‘e must fight for it, and. now is the "time t 9 prp.YS yfhat Australia uj ‘of.’’ "V

Brigadier-General Christian has long been regarded as one of Australia’s most brilliant artillery soldiers, and the rapid promotion and. responsible commands which he received on Gallipoli and in France were a fine justification of the high opinions entertained of him. He was educated at King's School, Parramatta.