Page 9 Advertisements Column 1

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1915, Page 9 (Supplement)

HEAVY LOSS OF OFFICERS. In August alone 741 officers wore reported killed in Flanders. During the whole 01' the Crimean war, from the battle of Alma to the fall of Sevastopol, we only Imried 2fi [ officers. The phenomenal disproportion must be startling to the ar Ofliee, which is hard put to it to staff the new armies that are being created. In the Times one morning last week there were the death notices'of 31 officers killed in action, IS qf whom were between 10 and 21 years of age. Frequently lite deaths of. lads of 17, subalterns in some regiments which have been almost wiped out, arc reported, kither these young oflicern are badlv trained, or they are too venturesome. Jhe U ar Office would probablv be vasti\ scandalised if anybody dared seriously advance the former reason, and because of this the authorities are forced back upon the premise that these officers wore impelled by the hot blood of vouth to acts which unduly exposed them to destruction, At any rate, fewer youthful sub-lieutenants arc going to Fniiuo than at Easter.