A LITERARY CORNER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10298, 5 June 1919, Page 8

A LITERARY CORNER

(R.A.L.) "THE •KAI-COURIER," R.E.S. Ferguson, Osborn and Co., Wellington.) This is "a tangible, expression of the war experiences and companionships of ono homeward complement of H.M.T. Kalkoura.'' So . we 'learn from the ''Foreword'' which is signed R.i'..S.— the .initials' we have placed in the corner reserved for' the 'author's name at the head of the notice.:: After that description of the "tangible expression," the foreword ogives so good a summary of the journal that we quote it an full:— ;■■: . • ' '-:■■"■■'■

' If" it :is not. as' expressive as it might . be, and .'falls'.short "of expectations, it should be' remembered that its con-. . tribut'ors.'are 'essentially men- of action, not'words. 'The pen- may be, mightier'than the'sword, but not in : the'-llands .of, this ; ship V personnel. There are-those;on this tub who' have ■ been-on-'every-Front and have engaged on, practically every bellicose occupai, fion—i'rance, - Xjailipoli; '■ Palestine, .Egypt, Salonika, 'Mesfopotamia, India, Persia,. Kussia,, <3ernian..East Africa, and ouKown iittle.Sanioa, have all got . .their/! representatives.'Amongst "naval ratings" ;oho, officer- was. a prisoner •ou' the; Moeweiland'i another flew his; "'bus',' in ."the West.": .Some there are who'have been cajitive!) in Turkey •fince the Peninsula, .'and .others who came under-the malign Ottonian'sway from'the. days-.'of. tho.i desert campaign. Here ;is one who has trod .the old '. Kermansbah'' road.' owl 'sailed across the Caspian'.to. Baku; another who has' been torpedoed three times, and boviV eighteeii month?, oh a "my-, etery ship:" Some of. us-have ridden our faithful' p'rads Street called, Straight," and others then "hooshters" Have''padded' thro ancient Philadelphia. Armageddon haa fcrernbled beneath 6ttr galloping hoots;from Pisgah we have looked down en the dusty ihaze of " the valley, and across t 6 the distant towers.of. Olivet., Tyre and Sidon have seen-us aud theeities .of .the ' There is scarcely a locality .in the theatre' .of i war that >is not known, to ;one of us, and yet,' as t. whole, we, could .. not ' adequately tell you of. it in a.written •talb. Perhaps threo per cent., ot, us know something about a typewriter,, the remainder, are on - easier, terms with a Hotchkiss' or a Vickws. , . •Uiffidciit'e,- modesty,' lack of ..confidence, sometimes a desire not to. open up old scores,, not- to, revive, ghosts of'the past, have deterred many lelatang their experiences. One fellow ' declared "I'd sooner attack . Gaza three times again 'than 'write to a : paper."' He- had the; wind up pro- • perly. He to, -whom the "epithet, "gunshy" could never "be . applied, was quite frankly • "pen-shy." ; No^-doubt' the pen'has r a in it,.^but- to { quote our- K.S.A, cardidate-'Did vou ■ ever , hear ' of a'" pen' back-firing and killing : a record sergeant?" ' - . ■ ' \h: ■ -wellV 'Such, as' this volume is ■we -present-, it-to, you- as B. sonvemr - • days -and- nights .spent; with thereto-, tafents -and with the :, kind passions which." niankind.,derives from such .', ■ ' ' < - At once -we .'take- exception to the deprecatory ' tone,: cdudeinnwg it- as unfair to this very remarkable, interesting' and well-written journal. ,»» have-not seen'anything quite like it -in. the shape,,of; a,sold;e V "record ,ot ttw journalistic: type, .nor any thing ; **"*- aivesin small compass so-clear a view of, great, events, and,,iaihous places., 'Tor'-example, there :is.'.an account, of the campaign '; of the. which covered the' country from Uagn dad; to- Baku, in , an' endeavour to stop the Hun-Turb. .'penetration eastward* towards India,-which,; has never beeii done so well:in.:such;Conipass, and, ot course, ■ thrpws just the .light on the l.'Easte'rn, side .of.-the 'cAny/as of. , the war,- which is the- . darkest for the student and..the; .general,- reader. .Thnr'fi' is also a -story ;-by. Irooper Kitkrvitrick, of : - the: -; New .' Zea-. land '.Machine-gun ■■: Section, . ; the, onlv New ~ Zealand . "nit which, took part- -. in Alleuby's - .&*** crowning battle, ,and- the lightning rush to Damascus which" followed the victory with such amazing dash and precision: ■' - The- story: puts an end- to the disappointment we.had felt at. tee-. inn no mention of New Zealanders. m this part, of , the -.' great/' Syrian ' cam-, pairm Of course the New. Zealanders played a-very important part on tm> right, over towards the Jordan,-, art integral "part 'in' the' comprehensive f)lan, but the spectacular part wax on" the other side, and ,we. thank the "Sai-Gourier" for the - pleasure ■ of knowing .that.-a New. Zealand' unit; took part in .that: grand feat of arm.*; The story is written, with vividnessenergy, and. simplicity,:, up,to the last episode, which ;is new. , This was tha overtaking: and. destruction.,of & great Turkish column : retreating down- ,th« valley of :the Adana I (ono, of the, river* oif-Damascus),' harassed- by. cose pur suit". .: As: it made its way; down tlm gorge through which, the riser reache? the plain :. of Damaacus,, the column got more and: moire congested, infantry,' artillery, .and transport getting hopelessly mixed up on the ■ narrow road. '• Suddenly a. flanking column, ot Allenby's-' men came " galloping ,to the plateau l above' the. mouth of the gorge, and opened fire 'with' artillery, machineguns, and rifles.':■ -The head of .-the Turkish column: was. stopped at once ; the rear, impelled," by; the .pursuit behind," pressed oh; and the 'result was "the- greatest tragedy:, of the' campaign.'-' : The description- rounds otf a; very ; good 'account with • full details of tbn' final manoeuvres oni'-the Syrian side new ; to ! newspaper readers her<». There is alsq : a'capital a'iscoimt of a visit, by -men on leave, to Jerusalem and the'hbly places, -it is alive with local colour.' and • instinct with history, which: is handled in masterly fashion. For' exarni>lei "the .writer," looking, east from the Mount'of Olives, sees' the gap in theinouhtairis ofMoab,.; and notices how' -Che : lsraelites of 'tlie "Exodus ' came that way. "for "the. liahd ; of Promise" over' the fordß of thei Jordan by Jericlio.' ~ It. is', the :glance of ra'iUtary eye : which ' gives appreciation of, imp6rtant situations of ';the great past. ' The ' story .'carries the visit further/ north; to Nazareth, Tiberias, and beyond, and /as. it goes we . get gliinpses'o.f, great history. / Very well' done, sir-1- • • , ,', ~ '' - Capture-by thoMocw-e, and life on boat-d that' ship'and, its consequences; astorv of captivity among the Turks; a story of flying with-a,disquisition on the "training of novices- and- their behaviour, with incidental inio-miitJon about air " defences ' and * viiiietn-.-i ot aeroplanes: most'.interesting and useful; n- l : st : of : da.t-5 weir compiled, and much plcnsant stuff in lighter vein, some of it humorous, and some poeticfl and of a good sterling order—make* ap the-bal-ance* «f- this, interesting journal of our

issue:. and there is a list of all the officers nnd men, arranged -according to their unit*, nbo returned to "God's Own .Country" after thfirl great adventure The issue should hare a piece on the bookshelf of u\try collector ot war. books. :