REMINISCENCES OF ANZAC.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1916, Page 3

REMINISCENCES OF ANZAC.

ITS PERILS AND PRIVATIONS.

A PADRE'S EXPERIENCES. Wanganui, Monday. Trinity AlelkodUt Chuic-li was crowded at both morning and evening service*, yesterday, when Captain-Chaplain BlAmires occupied tlie pulpit. Captain liiajnires, >vho for the past seventeen months has been on active serviee in Egypt and pallipoli, was detailed as padre of ihc troopship Tahiti, on which a number of .sick and'wounded officers and men returned to New Zealand last week.

It was not hi s desire, he said, to say anything to create fear in the minds of those whose sons had gone forth to light, for King and country; but he thought it was desirable that the people at home should be enabled to realise what the men who had been through the Gallipoli campaign had had to face. He had only been back a few days, but from what lip bad seen and heard even in that brief time it seemed to him that the people of this favored land had not yet awakened to the great and vital issues which were at stake in this mighty conflict. He had found ablebodied men taking the tickets on trains and trams and doing other work which in the Mother Country was now being largely done by women, so that the men might be, free to go to the firing-line. Altogether it appeared as if, despite the very large number of men who had. already gone out, and despite the many casualties which our troops had suffered, the people here had not yet fully appreciated the need that there was for personal .service and sacrifice on behalf of tile rig'hteons cause for which, our', .Empire was at war.

In referring to tlie reinorable landing at Anzac on April 2j last, in which the New Zealand and Australian troops were allotted a place of honor ill effecting a landing in the face of the conditions that prevailed. Captain Rlamires said the feat appeared to be humanly impossible, yet the wovld now knew 'how our gallant men had succeeded in accomplishing the impossible. After seeing what they had done, one felt, when moving among the sick nr.d'wounded in the' hospitals of Egypt, that lie was in the presence of heroes. But there was lift tall: of heroism over there: the men did what they had to do, and endured what they had to, as their simple duty as soldiers.

FEARFUL LOSSES. Captain Bla.mires went on to speak of the great "push'' which wa6 made in August, by wliicli, though at terrible cost, our troops succeeded in gaining three times as much territory as they had held up to that time. The severity of the fighting at that time could best be instanced hy the case of his own regiment. After the first big fight only six out of thirt.v-flve officers were left, while after the next engagement the only officers remaining were the signal officer and himself, and out of a roll of 800 men only 80 were able to answer the call, the principal 'squadron being represented by four survivors. Our men. 'though thin and worn, were full of grit and courage, and were ready to face any danger. Ho instanced the bayonet charge by which our men, with the Australians, won their way to an important position, which, however, they were unable to hold owing to "somebody's blunder" in connection with the Suvla Hay landing. It was a night attack, and the men were ordered to keep their cartridges until the morning, and to use only their bayonet's. Each unit was allotted a definite objective, and every man was provided with whfre badges, one for the back and one for the arm, the order being to bayonet every man who was not protected by these distinguishing marks. The men moved off in silence, and how well they performed their deadly work was evidenced by the fact that they won their way to the very top of the hill.

TRENCH LIFE. ■ Captain Blamires wont on to describe the conditions of trench life, with its dangers and hardships. One of their great troubles, he said, was the poorness iii quantity and quality of the water they had to use—his own allowance for shayjng and washing purposes was one pannikin-full per day. Another trouble was the dies—(lies bred in the bodies of dead Turks, and afterwards swarming over their food. It was 110 wonder that disease became rife. But our men endured these things with the same courageous fortitude s\s they faced the sheila and hullpts of the enemy. Jin the hospitals, among the sick and wounded, it ivas the same—there was no complaining, but always cheerful courage and heroic endurance. He did not think that our troops would ever again be called upon to endure what those who had served 011 GaHipoli luid been through. Captain Blamires described the death and burial of Captain-Chaplain Grant.] He. with Captain Grant aiul another" padre, had gone out to look for wounded. Each had crawled away through the scrub in different directions, hut only two returned. When going out, and before they separated, Captain Grant "Tills is the valley of the shadow of death," to which one of his comrades replied that "there might be worse ways of passing out." Captain Grant agreed. "This,"' he said, "is the very beet way." and lie (Captain Blamires) believed that these were the last words Captain Grant hwd to utter. Captain Blamirps paid a warm tribute to the hoveie work of the medic?.! corps and the stretcher-bearers, and concluded by .an appreciative reference to the Turks fls clean fighters. Tho speaker frequently alluded to the religious peet of warfare, and to its effect upon the lives and characters of men, his experience clearly indicating that most men, even thn«t> who were most sceptical under ordinary circumstances, were inclined to be much more seriously thoughtful in reference to religion when faced with the perils and hardships of active service.