BIRDWOOD STORIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2138, 10 June 1920, Page 4

BIRDWOOD STORIES.

THE GENERAL’S RETALIATION

Since it was first announced that General Sir Wjlliam Birdwood v, as to visit New Zealand, innumerable little stories of which he has been the hero have been recounted by men who fought under him on Gallipoli —and others who didn’t. Some of them were mentioned incidentally by speakers at the public reception in the Wellington Town Hall. They were treated by the’ visitor as inventions —in fact, he said that of the dozens that had been circulated in Australia during his visit he recollected only one as being founded on truth —and then he proceeded to get his own back by telling a few tales concerning the men he had with him in Gallipoli days. “There was one of your boys, I believe he was in the Wellington Battalion,” he said, “who surely showed the essence of casualness. It was at Quenn’s Post. 1 found him in charge of a bombing post. In those days we did not have perfect bombs by any means; they were of the home-made jam-tin variety. I asked him how his bombs were going on, and he replied: ‘Damn bad! The bombs are no good at all. I’ll show you!’ And with that he Jit 1 lie fuse of one of them. It fizzled and spluttered, and just as 1 turned to get out of the way, went off, a bit getting me in the garter, and a bit getting the bomber in his face.

Turning to me, he remarked casually: ‘Well, that’s the first one to go off to-day!”

Before the laughter had died down the General was started on another story —the one told in Australia concerning himself, which he remembered as being based on fact. He said it was his habit to run from one outpost to another. On getting to one of the posts he found a man who was cold, and who said so. The General replied that the best thing to get rid of the cold wa.s a run, to which the man agreed with ontbusia.sm. “1 was surprised when I left that post fo run on to the next to find the man coming with me. He stuck with me from post to post, and at last, when I was wondering stillmore what-he was doing it For, pulled up and asked: “A hen do we get to that rum?” The General added that when he explained that a slight mistake had been made in the matter of the remedy for cold the soldier’s language left no-doubt upon the question as to whether he came from under the Southern Cross or not.

One more story the General told tc illustrate the average Colonial soldier’s point of view when Government stores were in question. “One hot day,’ ’he said, “1 saw a man in a heavy greatcoat. I asked him .what he was wearing it for, and this was the reply I got: “Well, I only got it new this morning. I don’t like to throw it away just vet!”

General Birdwood obviously bad many other stories to tell, and the audience would have liked more, but he passed on to the more serious side of his experiences.