FLIGHT OF THE BIRDS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 56, 6 March 1916, Page 7

FLIGHT OF THE BIRDS.

THE LUCK OF THE GEESE. The following is an extract from letters from a soldier (of 3rd Battalion): —•' ‘At th e time of the- evacuation I was one of the last batch to leave the peninsula (and our battalion was the last off). The move was splendidly arranged and well timed. As we finally steamed away we could hear Jackos ’ (the Turks) keeping up their usual desultory sniping, probably thinking it was one of our lately adopted ruses. Wo camped on Lemnos Island for a couple of days, and went on board a transport on Christmas Eve, spending Christmas Day aboard. Landed at Alexandria three days later, and entrained straightaway for this outL

kb hole of Tel-el-kebir (the historic battlefield where Wolsele-y defeated Arabi Pasha in the year ’S2). I weiT to have a look at some of the old 1 trenches still showing, and wondered if w e shall soon be lighting on the same ground. There is only one very small native village here, which is out of bounds to us. The nearest big town is Zag-a-.zig, and Cairo is some 50 miles. Before leaving the peninsula we had a very sharp spell of cold weather — snow and ice, etc. During the last month of onr recent campaign we saw da ilk- great flocks of birds, thousands and thousands strong, on their way to their winter migration —from the cold north countries’ to Africa and the sunny south. Hundreds of different kinds, and each kind seemed to fly in a different formation. Some would be in long, serried ranks stretched across from one horizon t' the other, some in a vast wedge shape, some in column of battalions, and others in column of route —just like soldiers; in fact, we used to yell out orders to them sometimes. ''Up on the left, there"; "by the right in the centre,"’ etc. But one of the funniest things happened a few weeks after we landed, when a big mob of wild goes' flew just over onr lines towards th Turks. All our mn started having a shot, and as the leaders of the flock approached the enemy lines they a> started. Soon the whole of us were blazing away, and the excitement got very high. We could hear the Turks veiling for all they wer e worth. r not a bird fell, however. I think if 0,1 e had happened to fall between the linos there would have been a general scramble for it—whether onemv or Ally.

I see that Coltonel is back in Sydney again. We boys are all very glad to know ho is well. But don’t we wish ho was back with us once more. The battalion has never been the s'”'

since ho left. He was the most popular officer in the whole Army Corps—" Old Dads,” as he was called."