New Zealand.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 59, 12 March 1915, Page 5

New Zealand.

DEATH OF A NEW ZEALANDER. Per Press Association. Wellington, March 11. Advice was received in Wellington to-day to the effect that Private William Bainbridge, son of Mr H. B. Bainbridge, secretary of St. John's Ambulance Association, Wellington, was killed in action in the north of Fiance in January. He was a member of the King's Royal Rifles.

TIMARU'S £IO,OOO.

Timaru, March 11

A great patriotic carnival and harvest festival was held in aid of the Belgian Fund. The day was beautifully fine, and there was the biggest gathering of town and country people ever seen in Timaru. The whole affair was an auspicious success. . Commercial travellers from all parts of New Zealand assisted in a very effective way. The election of a Queen of the Carnival brought in £6OOO, and there was a brilliant crowning ceremony, supervised by Professor Cardston. The whole function will realise about £lO,000

A LETTER FROM ECYPT. A well-known Toko man with the forces in Egypt, writing from Cairo on January 26th, says:— I am starting this letter early in the week owing to the fact that my regiment may be in the firing line within the next day or so. We happen to be within 60 miles of the Canal, which is guarded by Gurkhas. Yesterday a party of these were camped some 20 miles on the other side of the Canal. They were unable to reconnoitre, and the enemy (Turks) in close proximity was not revealed to them. The result was the Gurkhas were surprised, and 110 out of 200 were killed. Our infantry immediately left for the Canal, and we have instructions to be in readiness to move within 24 hours. It was inspiring to see some 5000 infantry marching off, all happy-looking and J eager, while the band played "Its a long way to Tipperary." Last night an armed mounted guard of 50 men (myself included) was sent to the Citadel at 10 p.m. to guard the troops removing ammunition for .its despatch to the Suez this morning. The citadel, standing on a rise, is indeed a wonderful place, and was once occupied by Napoleon. One does not sleep much until after 12 p.m., for these moonlight nights are taken advantage of by the artillery for big gun practice, and the roar of bursting shells out on the desert tends to keep one awake when you are not used to it. The estimated strength of the Turks is 90,000, and they proceed across the desert, .slowly building a light railway, connected, of course, with a supply base as they move. We have plenty of food, ammunition, horses and big guns. There is little chance of the Turks crossing the Canal and invading this country. Turkish spies are being arrested and imprisoned daily, and a further trouble to the authorities is to provide for the hundreds of refugees daily flocking into Alexandria, from Palestine. They bring tales of cruelty inflicted by the "Terrible Turk," and pray for intervention by the British; possibly this will come later, but Lord Kitchener "won't be 'ustled." . . Some 15 miles from here there is a wireless station occupied by operators taken from the troops." Each one has to sign on for a year, which means that should we move on to the "fighting line" they will be left behind. I considered this for a week, and then threw it aside as useless, thinking I came out here to 'fight, not to secure easy billets in a place of safety.