GENERAL WAR NEWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1368, 2 March 1915, Page 4

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

THE “LODY OAK.”

The town of Nordbausen, where Karl Lody, the officer who was shot in the Tower ot Loudon, was born, has decided to honour his memory by planting an oak which will be called the ‘‘Lody Oak.” DEAD MEAT FOR GERMANY. A German buyer of Danish ca ! ■ io has been reduced to advertise for injured horses and cattle “or such as have died a natural death.” As bis advertisement in a Danish provincial paper puts it : “As I have a large order for abroad I am a firm buyer 0! all animals not suited for live export. Injured or dead cattle and horses wiU be -ken a->ay by me/” THE SAv. BROWNE BELT. On*', of '-be most dr .liudive pans of an c uniform in these clays of khaki is the broad leather Sum Browne belt round the waist, w.lh a snap over one or both shoulders, cy which he carries his sword, n velver, ammunition porch, and. so mr> t‘me3 his. great coat and waui ooltie. 1c is, in fact, rather 100 distinctive, and there seems to Lc some probability that the War Office will abolish it. SOLDIERS’ SONGS. A=ked what songs the soldiers sang at the front, a wounded man of the Middle .ex Regiment said llir- i-. the trenches they sang, “Get Cut atm Get Under,” when saw the shells coming. “Tip perary,” was a favourite on the road, but “The Germans Got My j Daduy.” a paiody ‘ another song, was popular. The Snotties had their own songs, and they made { must ncise with V- r T r - *' c Lads from Bonnie Scotland." A SOFT SUBMARINE. A dead whale b-'s drifted ashore on the notttiern part of the Dutch coast. It was found to be riddled with three-inch shells, and had obviously been mistaken for a submariue. The Germans are using a powerful searchlight to sweep the coast and the Dutch frontier Hue. The enemy’s trenches are now close to the Dutch troutier, between Sluis and Cadzand, where, according to the correspondent of De Maasbode, great activity prevails. MANY VERSIONS. Has any song of the purely “popular variety ever beeu translated into so many tongues as the übiquitous “Tipperary?” At least a dozen French versions have already beeu published. The song bas now beeu set to words for the benefit of the Indian troops, and in the chorus occurs the delicious phrase, “ salaam, Leicester Square.” Japanese and Erse versions have also been compiled by industrious students, but none ot these, perhaps fortunately, has yet seen the light of print. THE KING’S PRAISE. Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald H. Steward, commanding thedepotot the Wiltshire Regimental Devizes, has received a letter from Captain Pollen in which that officer stales that His Majesty said to him ; “The Wiltshire Regiment has done splendid during the war. In fact, I may say no regiment has done better.” Colonel Steward made an announcement to the men at Devizes Barracks and added ; These words ‘coming from His Maj sty are all that Wiltshire men want.” This evoked loud cheers.

BOMB AIRMAN. Thanks to a picture which appeared in a Loudon paper, the identity ot the German airmen who threw a bomb on Dover cently has been established. The illustration was reproduced from a German newspaper, and both at Brookhuds and at the Royal Aero Club, 166 Piccadily, the portrait of the bomb thrower has been identified as that of Herr Rnem pier. For some years past Dorr Roempler has been well-known at Brooklaads, where he was very popular. A memhe l ' of Br lands described him as an exc- i pilot. Pie was pilot ot the D. mV machines of the Gm’man -a ran works. Owing to tk? LG that c-e was employed at BrookianT or u considerable time be gance a thorough hao-viedee '■ -nib ,f England, fieqUeu \y *iv; 'g in all directions. LAWVEkS IMD TUF ’-V L L

The members of both branches of the profession line rood reas o to be proud of the resprr >'■ w’b.J: has been made in I Le legal world to the manhood oi '.he nation. 1 he Law Journal prints a list of the names ot 668 solicitors, including the president of the Law Society, who are serving in Ibe King’s forces. The list, which has been compiled by the secretary ot the Law Society, contains, in addition, the names of 434 articled clerks, and since its compilation about 500 further names have been received. The number of solicitors and articled clerks who have responded to the nation’s call may already be put, therefore, at over 1600, and the contribution of the Bar, in eluding Bar students, will finally be ascertained to be over 1000.

FINDING THE RANGE

Some of the ranges at which our heavy artillery has beeu firing in this war has been very long, and here again the presence of the aviator has been of the greatest advantage, for at such distances most targets would be invisible. But he indicates their position, describes their nature, and rapidly corrects the fire at them. On one recent occasion, writes Sir Des mond O Callag’uanin the Cornhill, the first shell from a big howitzer was signalled (presumably by wireless) by the aviator hovering over the objective as 300 yards short. The next message to the battery was “50 yards lelt.” The third, “Got the left gun.” The fourth, “Got lie same gun ; try another.” The fifth, “Got the other gun. Good !” These two guns were 11,000 yards, more than six miles from the battery !

A BRITISH SOLDIER’S SONG

The other day, writes (be Paris correspondent ot the Evening Standard, a matinee was given at the Municipal Opera House, Galte Lyrique, in aid of the needy stage aitists. All the stars of the Paris theatres took part. The singing of the National Anthem of the allies, the indispensable feature of every performance nowadays, came early in the programme. Well-known artists sang in cm in their original longue. The young lady bad just finished, amidst stormy applause, “God Save the King,” when a British soldier rose in the midst of the orchestra seats, and declared his desire to sing, “Rule Britannia.” His demand was acclaimed with cheeis he was assisted to the stage, as he was painfully limping, having been wounded only a few weeks before, an accompanist was found, and to describe the sc-.,re af'(e r he had finished would requite t. ■. -u ot a Dante.

A BIGETTING STORY. Patrick M-cgill, author “Childr-a c‘- u«c f con tributes an article ct. '‘Jiiller. mg” to the Evening Standard. He quotes the case of a iady rad gentleman who dislik*. .I ine . ea of soldiers living in ineir homes, and told the billettir.g officer that their four childien were imt re covering from an c : tr.ch r( |7boing cough. “The officer, being a wise man and anxious about the welfare of those under his care, fled precipitately. Eater he learned that there had been no whooping cough in the bouse ; in fact, the people who caused him to beat such a hasty retreat, were childless. He felt annoyed and discomfited ; but about a week following his first visit be called again at the house, this lime followed by six men. ‘These fellows are just recovering from whooping cough,’ he told the householder; ‘they had it bad. We didn’t know what to do with them, but, seeing that you’ve had whooping cough here, I feel it’s the only place where it will be soft to billet them.’ And he left them there.”