The War on Gallipoli.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 67, 18 November 1915, Page 5

The War on Gallipoli.

NOTES BY A RETURNED NEW ZEALAND SOLDIER. GIFTS FOR SOLDIERS. (By C.S.K.) 1 wrote recently regarding gifts for soldiers. X hope I made myself clear —not by any means an easy busisesi. At any rate 1 think it quite right to use up in this place matter from another place which corroborates my contentious. No doubt many readers have read in the “L)oi\iion'’ of November 13th the diary of one Hickson, apparently a machine-gun man, dealing with life on the Peninsula. At the same time others will not have read the diary, and those who have, did not read certain portions of it in quite the same way as one who,has been there would. At any rate, 1 fake the liberty of reproducing a few entries from the diary, which will he all the better for being collected together in one place. The extracts are as follows ; 9 .May 16.—Some of the boys took the rifles (taken from Turks) down to the landing, where they exchanged them for bread and cigarettes. The bread was a great success, as we haven’t had any since April 25, and it all went in one meal, so that will give you an idea of the meal we had. June 20. —Received a mail from New Zealand, and everyone is happy. It is j marvellous how a little mail raises one’s spirit. You feel fit for all the Turks on the ePninsula. July 14.—Our shift played cards all day, and have had a dish of cocoa, it was lovely. July 31.—Went down and saw my Australian friend. Had afternoon tea with milk in it,.also some cake which he had received from home. It was lovely, A few Ghurkas landed to-da^. The “Dominion’s” introduction to the diary praises its simplicity and calmness, traits sadly lacking in some soldiers’ stories, and concludes as follows : _“The joy of mail day, the delight over an unexpected dish of cocoa added to the day’s rations; the ‘lovely’ cake his Australian- mate shared' with him—these are the sidelights that, illumine the picture. When we realise how big these pathetic little joys appear to the men a the front, it enables us to better appreciate what their lot must be, and how splendidly they are facing it.’ These extracts probably give a better idea of the importance of the gifts [to the soldiers than columns of argufinfent. '