A SOLDIER’S LETTER.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 30 January 1917, Page 2

A SOLDIER’S LETTER.

The following letter from Private E. Lenihan, who was wounded in the last “Big Push” and is now in England undergoing medical treatment, is of more than usual interest, giving as it does many glimpses of incidents not usually touched upon by correspondents The letter is from Thorncy Hill Auxiliary Hospital, and is dated November 26th. 1917.

“It has just occurred to me that you might be desirous of a brief history of the doings of the Now Zealand Division after its departure from Egypt. You seem to get very little news in New Zealand of the Maoriland army, and much of what you get is false. Por instance, I have just read in a New Zealand paper about the fine things the New Zealanders were alleged to have done at Pozicrcs. As a matter of fact, none of our troops wore, over at that place, and at the time they were .alleged to have been there they were many miles away in what is falsely termed a “quiet part of the lino.”’ The Anzacs at Pozicrcs wore all Australians and to them only belongs the credit for the splendid work done by Colonial troops. There arc many other inaccuracies in the war nows regarding our troops, but the Pozicrcs falsity will be sufficient to deal with just now.

"You already know that after the evacuation of Gallipoli we spent more than three months in Egypt. The time came when we were frequently lectured about our future behaviour, and the billeting system was explained to us in detail. V.'e were filled with stories concerning the kindness of the French people, and before these frequent little lectures came to an end we had visions of a companativly ideal existence in cosy houses, with a chateau or two thrown in for the housing of the more fortunate of our fellows.

"Embarkation orders were issued and preparations were made one day in April to break up the big camp near Ismalia, and on the 12th we were on our way to Fort Said. The site of our old camp was illuminated by the blaze of burning refuse, and one of the canteens nun by a native contractor was fired by way of variety. We heard afterwards that other canteens were fired by some of the Australians, by way of bidding farewell to the native owners and as an expression of their regard. "On April 13 we left Port Said for Marseilles. Machine-guns were mounted

in convenient positions on every transport, each of which also carried a gun of heavier, calibre, and a strict watch was kept for submarines. The trip was, however, uneventful, except that it served to shatter one of my fondest illusions. I had never read anything about the Mediterranean Sea which did not refer to the blue skies and glassy sea. I had been misled into the belief that this was the best-b#-haved sea in existence, as my knowledge of it was derived from books in vraich the writers, with more imagination than marine intelligence, were wont to picture the delights of yachting cruises. I know better now. One day we encountered a storm —or a storm encountered us (I wag too ill to determine at first hand which was the aggressor). That storm, however, lasted for three days, and the seas were the worst I have ever seen. The old ship floundered along with her dignity torn to shreds, and wo all lost confidence in her ability to ride on an oven keel. At times she seemed to be attempting to convince us that she was the champion contortionist ship of the universe. She tried to sink bow first, and when this failed she tried to go down stern first. Another change of tactics, and she would decide to try rolling over to port and then to starboard. These efforts very nearly accomplished what appeared to bo the desired result, and the rail of the top deck was at times level with the water. "When I get back to New Zealand I intend to burn those Mediterranean yachting stories, as they are cruelly misleading. "On April 25 wc arrived at Marseilles, and every precaution was taken against the possibility of any of us seeing anything of the town. One of the transports which helped to carry the Division to Marseilles was sunk recently by a submarine. She was the Franconia. On April 25 we left for an unknown destination by rail. We passed through some very beautiful country, and caught fleeting glimpses of towns such as Lyons (with its splendid Rhone bridges), Dijon and Versailles. \Vc skirted Paris and passed through Boulogne, Calais, Abbeville and Amiens, and after a journey which occupied nearly 00 hours we arrived at Morcbecque—a village near Hazebroach. The billeting of a division in a village seemed to present many difficulties, and our visions of comfortable houses and chateaux vanished immediately. Some were ‘housed’ in tents, some in stables, and I have met some who made no pretence to being satisfied, with the tenancy of a pig-sty. One party found that their arrival was rather , unexpected,, and. the hostess set about clearing the pigs out of a tumbledown shod to make room for them. Of course, we at once came to the conclusion that the officers who had described the billeting system to us were visionaries of the worst kind. We .could not expect a whole division, to Jbe ..comfortably quartered in a small .village or two and we made the. best of what accommodation there sras* ,’X V. ( To continued!*