PERSISTENT VOLUNTEER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 74, 26 November 1915, Page 6

PERSISTENT VOLUNTEER.

TRIES, TRIES, TRIES AGAIN.

A striking instance, of the determination of a patriotic Australian to get to the front is given by the follow-ing-letter, written in the firing line, to 'a- Sydney resident:— s. t'When war was declared 1/was in, the,/baek-coun j;ry of'Queens'uitidi and I sentmy application ioi' djifolinont in Brisbane, but was turned down; I then mounted a bicycle* and rode 250 miles on my way to South Australia. The machine broke down, and T was compelled to hump the 'knot' another 50 miles. Then I met some drovers in charge of a.'mob of bullocks going through to South-Australia, took'pu a job as assistant drover, and thus covered another 250 miles to Broken Hill. At the Barirer I again volunteered, and was rejected on account of my teeth.

I \ "I took train to Adelaide, _ where made another attempt. When I walked in£o the enrolling office I met my old sergeant-major, with whom I -went through the South African war. He is no\y a full-blown major. His first when he saw me was: r'Hello! what are.,ypu after?" J I a>epliedj: ;J'What, do jyjyu think Twotild come here fq£§', fWell, sfiud 'tWotd 1 inajpr, quite pat] 'age, limit stops you.' f Isaw nijj cajke was ,dough here, so, without losing much, time I booked round to Perth (W.A.). Here again my teeth stood, in the "Way of success, as they also did at Geraldton, the place I next visited. By this time my cash , had run low, so I took on a three i months' clearing job for a 'pommy I cocky.' I soon found my employer had no money with which to pay me, so I left, and travelled up the Murchison River. Another droving job kept Ime employed for three weeks, and then I had the second shot at enrolment at again block-; i ling me. | . "From Geraldton I went to Perth, [ and made my second attempt there, with the .usual result. Feeling, disheartened, but not altogether devoid of hope, I took a job on a sheep station, and it was while I; was there that I heard the doctors were nowpassing men with false,teeth. I promptly chucked the job,' and hiked to the! nearest recruiting depot. To my disgust I was again rejected.- This was: at Northam. I left there, in- ' tending to go to the gojdfields. /On I the way I stopped at! a' a pla£e>pUed I Merriden, . wh^re^a' 1 doctor ,ihappened • to be examining recniiis>'rl',p'r'eseh'ted | myself, and, to my unspeakable de- ! light he passed me, and sent me into camp, where I arrived with Is 6d in my 'kick.' I had to pass the head doctor, and managed it all right. "I am at present acting-quarter-master-sergeant for the depot. . . You will see that I have tried hard enough to get back into the uniform. i and now I'll have to work up again | from the bottom."