ON ACTIVE SERVICE.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 April 1918, Page 3

ON ACTIVE SERVICE.

OUR MEMBER’S EXPERIENCES,

The London correspondent of the Christchurch Press snvs:—“Lieut. T. E. Y. Scddon, M.P., who has been promoted Adjutant to Major-General Sir A. H. (Russell, is promoted captain.”

Lieut. Soddon became A.D.C., to General Russell after the October fighting at Passchendaelo, where the member for Westland encountered some of the enemy gas hut not too severe to report for hospital. In February last Mr Seddon was still with the New Zealand General, on the staff, which gave him v the opportunity of seeing the Division as a whole, for some unit or other was visited daily.

Early in February the General was ordered to the South of France for recuperative treatment. Lieut Seddon accompanied his superior to the Riverina where the change to genial weather tvas most acceptable. At this time Mr Seddon,’s seven days leave to England became due, and his brother Stuart hav ing gone to Italy in December, our Member got pel-mission to take, his short holiday in Italy in the of looking up his brother. Mr. Seddon travelled by way of Ge-

'noa and Milan to General Headquarters whore lie found out his brothers address, up in the hills near the Phive river, and there late one night the brothers met. Mr Seddon was privileged to go well to the front } passing through Padova, Cossefraneo and Montebillima. The experience was quite a' compeusation for journeying so far. Just prior to the meeting of the brothel s Lieut. Stuart Seddon’s battery, had brought down an Austrian aeroplane, so it was not difficult to get three days leave to enable the brothers to rush off

I to Rome. They had a great time there sightseeing. Thev wont first to the Oollisimn, then to the Palatine, then some catacombs, and finished up the day at the great Cathedral of St. Pauls. The architect for St Paul’s was the peerless Michael Angelo and the sew Zealanders were impressed with wonders of the Lieut. Seddon writes:

“Its wonderful facade, its disappoint; ing exterior and its amazing interior, with its immense of marble, and tho cloister, all impressed us greatly. We drove homeward past the Pyramid behind which is the English cemetery where renose Shelly and Keats, Wo also viewed the Seven Hills of Rome from the Garibaldi statue and gazed down at Father Tiber—the most historical of rivers. Of course, we had to see where Horatius held the bridge in the brave days of old. At night we heard Puccini’s latest opera “La Rou;nr.’’ It, was sTilendid.

“Early astir next day we went first to St Peter’s where' we lingered nearly all morning, mp brother pointing out the beauties/of the architecture, the glories of the statues, % the grandeur of the building, and the delight of the cupola—Michael Angelo’s work. The view looking from the stops of the renowned Clnireh towards .Rome is wonderful. On entering the Church one is amazed at the magnitude, the grand-

c ur of it all—but one visit is not enough. Afterwards wo went to the Vatican, where the picture galleries, the statuary and the" tapestries weie thrown open to the public. The art treasures are wonderful. The QistineChapel, the greatest work of art as fains painting is concerned . attracted us' greatly. . , TT „ “Wo drove along the Appian \Va>. visited the Forum, and saw also some modern art at the new national gallery.. We saw the Pantheon, the Victor Emmanuel Memorial, the Capiliol, and through the courtesy of a Senator we sat in the. Senate. There is a wonderful pictures in the lobbies depicting Cicero’s denunciation of Catalme—a arc at work ; x but all through the Senate House the pictures were remarkable. Hadrian’s Tower (pagan) the Courts ~f Justice (modern) St. Peters (renaissance) all interested my brother much and the beauty of their lines, their architecture, compelled one s admiration. “We say saw Maseagidis’ opera Lodoletto”*—the fourth performance only. Tired of buildings and statues, and paintings, frescoes and works of art, we vent out to the hills to Friscato, where from the Heights we saw Rome in the distance, Tivoli, the Sabine lulls, the. Old Walls, and Aquaducts, and looked across the flat country for. miles and miles. We were loathe to leave but we had but a short time to spend and “leave” just flies.

“Wc found ourselves in Florence and there we visited the Cathedral, % Medici Churcli, the galleries and other places of note. From Florence 1 went to Piza, where after seeing the leaning Tower, 1 caught the Rome express for Paris. The mountains about the' Mt Cenis tunnel, reminded me so much ot the mountains about the Bealey 1 It was fairlv cold coming that way. I arrived in Paris Ihe‘ day after an air raid there tb-, rejoin the General. “The Parisians were frightfully excited about the raid lmfc'they were nothing Jaunted. I saw one house which was wrecked—-the two top stories had been knocked in. I “j w as delighted with my trip and 'don’t regret missing seeing “England, : oven though it is six months since I

had any leave there. “In Italy there was no depression. The retreat has been permanestly arreted, and it is not thought the Hun or Austrian will make any progress. A good deal of treachery was . suspected about the capitulation of some of the Italians. They went over in a body aiul the whole thing-seemed to have been understood. Impregnable positions wore given up quietly without any suggestion of a fight- The presence of the English and French has put a different •complexion on the outlook near the frontier. Our gunners speak in glowing terms of the gallantry of the Alpini and

the Bersaglieri (the soldiers with the plumes) some of whom I met. The English are popular in Italy, and after the war there ought to he a good understanding between the two countries and a. closer trade understanding, 'lhc Italians officers are courtesy itself and cannot do enough for one.. The food one soon sets used to, and after a while one- likes it. I nipt aDr Gngliardi (Gnglinrdi is a well-known Italian nam*., and so, too Manzoni) nnd. he and others, like a merchant not froinVenico but from ,-Vicenza, could not do more for me. ''They are kindly, hospitable,

i people. And so, lam back in Flanders with the General, but I beljevo I am going back to my old Company, again. I feel splendid for the fray any way. We aro having a bad time on this front. Tell the Liverpool workers tho socks arrive in good order and are distributed at once, and welcome they are.

Despite, of all that cynics say, There sometimes is a perfect day; Cloudless and dustless, calm and bright, The day that gives usf all delight; The day that conies to compensate For cold, grey winter days we hate; Those drizzling days we’d ne’er endure Had we no Wood’s Great Peppermint. Cure.