BERKENHEAD'S LAST LINK.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 179, 2 June 1916, Page 2 (Supplement)

BERKENHEAD'S LAST LINK.

DEATH OF ONLY SURIVOH OF THE GREAT DISASTER.

To-day there is not a solitary survivor of the Birkenhead disaster, which shocked the world GO years ago, but at the same time made every British man and woman proud of their naionality. By the death of Captain Ralph Bond Slielton, at hi.s Armagh home, The Argosy, the last living person who was on the ill-fated troopship has passed away. He was in his 83 rd year. The Birkenhead troopship struck a rock known as Danger Point, off the Capo ot Good Hope, on February 26, 1852, and of G:JS persons on board only 18-1 were* saved. When the ve-sel struck the troops were ordered to fall in on deck, and with iron discipline they stooil there while the women were got off, and wen', down with the ship. Captain Bond Slielton, whose name originally was Bond, was a cornet at the time of the disaster. He was entrusted with the task of putting soldiers' wives and children into the boats, and it was largely due to his heroic work that all the children owed their deliverance, for at the last moment lie rushed below and at great risk rescued the only two children remaining on board. When the ship broke in two Cornet Fond was thrown into the water, but he secured a life-saving appliance and reached the shore. He found his charger had swum ashore and the animal was waiting there. Cornet Bond assumed the name of Bond Slielton on account of his father's estates. His war service included the Kaffir War, the Crimea (where he took part in the storming of Sevastopol), and the Indian Mutiny He was wilh the Italian Army in 18f)t) during the war with Austria.

Such statements reveal not only a dense ignorance ,bnt a foolish attitude of mind. Wc have to mnembcr that our soldiers are only men, and that they cannot perform miracles. That is why, rightly or wrongly, I came to the conclusion that it would he folly for them to comment-.* any great movement until the winter was over. Think of the nature of the country on which the action would have to take place. Most of the ground was a swamp, and to advance would be alir.o't an impossibility. After travel-sin,; scores of miles of the tract )f country where our armies are situai.?' 1 , and thinking carefully of the ecud'i.ions which prevail, I cannot sec- ai'.uhing else for it (unless the German* through economic or some othe- pros-ire capitulate) than that we shall ha.o to be content to hold our groti"'' until, :-ay, April or May.

Of course, one does not mean inactivity. Constant small actions may be taking place, and much work, done. But for anything like general advance, physical conditions render it impossible.

Meanwhile, let it not be supposed that our armies are idle. Neither must we run away with the idea that the enemy is not evtry day terribly weakened. Some weeks ago 1 listened to a lecture, under the auspices of the Loudon University, by a renowned professor. He said he was much disturbed by a remark which Mr. Redmond made on his return from the front. Mr. Redmond said that our guns were firing five sheUs to the enemy's one. This, acording to the learned professor, was disturbing news.

"Wiiat is the use of our firing five shells to one," was the burden of this gentleman's comment, "when we are making no advance!' It is not the road to progress, rather it seems a waste '.l ammunition. Or does it mean." lie Miggested, 'that our young officers are.practising artillerv?" OIK DEADLY GINS.

AYith till dm. n-pccl to tin' learned professor, sihh m re-mark shows a gross ignoram e <f the triii" cnn(lit:cii«; ami had ho spent live minutes villi cur gunners ho would never have uttered sucli words. As 11 matter of fact, our gun* arc doing tremendous ex.vution. Let the reader visualise the fact that at present the western hattle-!ine consist.* of hundreds of milt's of trenches a feufeet deep. That in the-. 1 trendies are placed the hulk o! our fighting men. Perhaps iwo miles at the hack of these trenches are placed hundred*, or our guns all alone; the line. Thes,. gnus are pouring explosive sii ,1s o- . day !iy day. The firing is not haphazard. Nothing is a matter of guesswork. A modern •inn is one of the most wonde 'fill pieces of mechanism that can he imagined, and our gunners know the range of the enemy's trenches to a millimetre. They can phice shells where they like. Therefore every Itigh-exploMve she-1 means the destruction of the enemy's trenches, as well as tremendous havoc among the -non themselves. The more ivell-diree'.T'd shells wc- can fire, therefore, the execution we are doins:, and ihe more the enemy Uecomes diminished. That 's why, liy firing five times to the German's ome, we do five times the execution.

had everything in readiness, and we had nothing. They outnumbered us 'n every way, and yet they couldn't beat us. Is it likely'that, if they couldn't beat us then, they can do it low? We have plenty of guns and plenty of ammunition. We have learnt all they can do. We know their weakness, and wc know that from this standpoint we are masters.

British soldiers are better than German soldiers. We have proved it. Think of the battle of Yores; they outnumbered us four to one, both 'n men and munitions, and yet we beat them.

I don't say Tommy Atkins said this in so many words; but that was the drift of his conversation. They have the conviction —a conviction strengthened by facts —that they are better men than the Germans, and it has a tremendous effect upon everything that they du.

TOMMY'S DEEP RELIGION

The British soldier believes that lie is fighting for the cause of God. Again, 1 don't urge that he has ever said as much to me in definite terms. Nevertheless, he has expressed that belief in a hundred ways. Yes, Tommy feels that he is lighting for country, for home, and for the honour of his nation's word: but behind it all is the feeling that God is on his side, because lie knows that he is struggling for truth, for freed ->i. and for the destruction of tyranny. For Tommy at bottom is a religious man-not ostensibly, but really and truly. In times of peace I have heard men of his order express their doubts about, if not absolutely deny, the existence of a Supreme Being. But there is no atheism at the front. 1 don't know how it is, but this war has called a consciousness of God into lite. Tommy never argues about it; but he believes iliat God 11:1 .-ins right, •.rut'i, and honour. That i> what he is irjlitiie.' for. and therefore, we are certain to w:i.

Til, men at the!rout -imply la.'.gh at the idea i>l' any other i-uggostion than that the Aliic- arc pimp to he ti" imphaul in (his great war. 1 na" not met with one who exploded ev n the ol a hint that we •h.i'l :.i\e up until our victory is complete.

I'ei-onally, ] have never seriously donhied the issue of this war, although moment- of glo.iin have come to me v. inn I have read the view.-, of the " AH-is-!ost Brigade." I have always believed that the forces of right will uin the struggle. ! have always maintained that although the hoa.vn; were hla.-k. and the hosts of Hell we e lutteiing at the gates of iu.stie--, \icMiy would still he ours. Hut 1 never fe't it so strongly as when leaving the h.it-tle-line. HISTORY REPKATINT. IHELi'. More than a hundred year; ago when Napoleon threw a hlaek slu !'>.«• ever Europe, the liberties of thewt;>o (\>ntinent were threatened. But the faith and dogged pluck of the Army and Navy, of the men who followed AYeiliugli ii and Nelson, saved us a.jd pined Europe then. To-day the lihei cfs nt.i well-heing of Europe are again ilnx-'t-ened. History is, indeed, "■• self, and the England who i if