Levin Lad's Letter

Levin Daily Chronicle, 13 February 1917, Page 4

Levin Lad's Letter

■ « FROM THE FRENCH | FRONT. Mrs N. C. Holdaway, of Levin, is in receipt of the following cheery letter from her son Jack:— December 24j 191 G. "We have 'been having quite a good time lately. The New Zealauders have ibeen playing a series of* football matches against different teams. So far the New Zealanders have played ' four matches, and "in those have scored 115 to 0. ((Not bad, is it?) One of the chaplains arranged for the first match against the Australians. The New Zealand team romped home with a score of 20 to nil. The Australians were not at all satisfied with that result so they challenged the N.Z.'s again, only this time they combined all the divisions an camp.. By this they calculated to wipe the floor with our poor little team. There was considerable speculation as to the result. A good deal of money was at stake when at last the great" day arrived. As two of the chaps in the tent in which I am were playing, we were able to hop our frames in with the team. You will see " why presently. The match was played on a Saturday, so that we were all off duty. All the available New Zealanders were paraded, and with a couple of Highland pipers and a bugle band at the head we marched the three miles to the scene of slaughter. As you perhaps know the villages in both France and England are very close together, so that we had to pass through a couple before we came to the ground. There are more than six New Zealanders in this base and when the leading four were half way to the ground the rear four were just about leaving the parade ground. Going through tjhe villages we all' stuck out our chests, and waved out hands to the little (French girls leaning out of the windows—with great gusto. The pipers in the lead played the merriest of tunes so that everything in the garden was lovely. To make a long story shorter, the game was commenced after a little delay. It was a very disappointing affair right through. The New Zealanders finished up with a score of 35 to nil. to their credit. The worst of it, was to think of the hard' toil we had put in slogging along the heavy, sandy roads. The majority of us were somewhat consoled when the "Ausies" came up and handed over their hard-earned francs. The rest were so disgusted that they "slung their hook" into a neigbouring village to drown their woes in Malaga and champagne. The "Buffaloes" hopped their frames along to the dressing shed with the N.Z. players. For, you see, all the New Zealand team had leave to French town a few files away. The "Buffaloes" I must explain is our particular little clique. We have been all together right from Trentham. They once numbered thirteen but now there are only ; four original "Buffalods." The irest are "up tho line." Two of the brotherhood, as I said before, were playing, so they "made it possible for us to get on the leave list. ("Us" is Wag. and I). We were marched past all the pickets and guards that had given us so much trouble before, and like true soldiers, gave them a good deal,of cheek in doing so. The dinner was the last word absolutely. At tho end of the evening we arrived home with enough provisions to last a week and empty pockets. A soldier's life to the "T." But, .by Jove, we had a good time. I'll hop along to see how many sacksful of letter there! are waiting for me. It's Christmas Day to-morrow; we are having a great spread, I hear. A four-course dinner—meat, cabbage, carrots and 'dug.'