Praise For Australians.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 25 July 1918, Page 3

Praise For Australians.

BY "TIGER" CLEMENCEAU. —is the description given by the Commonwealth Official War Correspondent of the warm-hearted spontaneous, and gonerous-miiidod visit of the Grand Old Alan of France (M. Clemenceau) to the Australian troops at the front after tlieir recent victory at Hamcl. News of the Battle of- Harael happened to roach Paris just at the time when the Dominion Premiers visiting there were sitting round a tabic in consultation' with M. Clemenceau and Mr Lloyd George, the correspondent states, and all sent,, at once, telegrams of warm congratulatton to the Australian troops and comjnander. The venerable French Premier, a man upon whose fiery courage and grand determination France has depended through this year of terrible trial, turning to his secretary, said: "Telegraph thom my warmest congratulations." Then, "No. I will go and see them and congratulate them myself.'' The f dieting Sunday he was true to his word. The Premier of France came from Paris in a motor car to the Australians who were concerned in the Hamcl fight. The little, whitehaired Frenchman, with his genial, laughing face, humorous, kindly eyes, and chin firmer than steel, wc.nt among the officers.and men straight away, laughing and talking to them in English. It was not hard to believe that the crumpled grey felt hat, and strong, good-hum ourcd countenance, covered a generous soul, and the strongest, most unswerving determination. This little leader, 78 years old, looked not a day more than -60. Every week he travels hundreds of miles through the country, visiting the various portions of the French Army. He gathered the Australian boys round him in one big semicirele. He did Hot attempt to hand them out cheap and easy flattery. _He simply, with quite obvious emotion, told them what he come .from Paris to say on behalf "of the French people. Speaking in, English, he said: "I am glad to be able to speak at least this small amount of English, because it enables me to tell you what all the French think of you. They expected a good deal of you, because they heard what you had accomplished in the development and creation of your own country. I should not like to say that they were surprised. You have -fulfilled their expectation, which shows the high standard by which they judge you and admire you. Hamel was not a great battle, but ia a battle of that scale the individual dutis show clearly, where in a great battle they would perforce pass unnotiecd. In this battle the Germans saw that they had against them men who came from far away to attest that wherever a free peoplo lived in England, France, Austi-alia, New Zealand, or Canada —they were not ready to make way for the rules of barbarity and brutality, which the Germans are trying to impose on civilisation. We have all been fighting in the same battle" for freedom. You haye-all heard the- flames of battlefields—, read them in history. It is a great wonder that you should bo here figliting on these old battlefields,, where we | never thought to see you. But you ) came to protect the work of our fathI. ers, .which we wanted to liand down unharmed to our children. These men tried to take it from us. They tried to Tob us of all that is dearest in modern j human society. But men are the same 'in Australia, England, France, Italy, ■ and all countries which arc proud of i being the home of a free people. That was what made you come—that -was what made us greet you when you