"OUR ARMY IN FLANDERS."

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 137, 13 June 1916, Page 3

"OUR ARMY IN FLANDERS."

AFTER EGYPT’S SANDS. SOLDIER’S LETTER TO HIS MOTHER. “Yes, I am actually in the Old World where we so often dreamt we would like to go for a trip, but little expected to see so soon.” Thus Private G. V. Woods, of the First Auckland Battalion, to his mother, Mrs. C .E. Woods, under date of April 16, 1916. He add s that the letter was written in a barn attached to a neat little farm in Flanders, where he was billeted for a while prior to leaving fcr duty in the trenches. “It is grand.” he adds, “after the sand and filth of Egypt to come to this peace-ful-locking country of green fields and hedges, to hear the birds singing, and see nice, fresh, clean-looking people around you.” The trip to Marseilles i s next described as a very smooth one in a transport of 18,000 tons. There was an escort of destroj-ers, as the enemy submarines were described “as fairly active in that sea.” 'Marseilles was reached on the 12th, and next day the troops disembarked, and one of the first men he saw was a parson from Stanley B'ay, who gave him a good deal of information. Half an hour’s tramp followed to the train, and then there was a 500 miles’ journey across Prance, through vineyards and most beautiful rural country. At one big station where the train drew up the people had tea ready for the soldiers. Soon the weather became so cold after Egypt that overcoats were promptly donned. Describing the people at work in the fields, the writer comments on the fact that there were only old men and women, young boys and girls, an evidence that those fit fcr service were on duty defending their country. “I enjoyed the trip to the full, I asslre you,” he vT/cs, “There were big; rivers and rr.iials, with large barges On them. I saw lovely oldtime churches and houses. The people of a small country district do not live on their land, but the houses are grouped together in villages. We saw lots of French soldiers in their steel caps, and gave vent to- cur knowledge of their language, mixed wit ha bit of Egypt. After this we ran along the north coast, bundled out at a small station, and were billeted on the village. iWe slept in till. late on Sunday. Some of the bcy s lost no time in finding cut that and boiled eggs were as her prices were very cheap she-; did good business. She kept brown Leghorns, and the eggs

were big ones.” “We can hear the boom of the guns at times, and I see a good deal of the Tommies. The roads -here are very fine, many of them being paved with stone blocks for miles.” After a visit to the nearest town, the writer expresses his surprise that at the place where he had tea one of the French girls had picked up a bit of everything in the way of language, talking Maori, Egyptian. “In fact,” he adds, “she quite took the floor from under our feet in the way of speaking.”

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