A VISIT TO THE FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1917, Page 3

A VISIT TO THE FRONT.

SJR JOSEPI-l WARD'S REFLECTIONS. OUR MEN IXVINCIBLE London, .Novemhei 21. Sir Joseph Ward has contributed to thi- Daily Mail a brief article concerning his lecent visit with Mr. Massey to the British front in Flanderj. Thereon he writes: "Rather more than a week before the delivery of the last effective liloiv by the British Army on the Anerc 1 enjoy-v ed the opportunity of a visit 1o the British fro.it, which provided me with ineflaceuole memories. "What liai occurred since my return has done nt, more than justify the impiession I formed on my visit, from which I returned with a feeling of the utmost confidence. I thought I was confident before I started on my tour; yet tit every turn I saw things which en met o me in the nature of a revelation. To sum up my Immediate conclusions, I will use one sentence. "All the Allied countries must ensuie that full reinforcements shall be kept up, v.'tli an over-supply of munitic.if of v.ir; given these indispensable necesisties, and one can leave tl'o rest to 'our grand generals and »rmits with the fullest ""con fidence. "It is as unfortunate as it is necessary that a privileged visitor such as myself may not tell one tithe of the wonders he liar, seen, ot give (he most convincing of his reasons for beliet in the certainty of a great and complete victory. I jan only say on this score that if I had not seen f or myself, I could not have realised the meaning of the Allied effort on the western front. "The visit of Mr. Massev and myself was made with the object of seeing our New. Zealand troops fignting in the trenches. When I write of-tiiein, Ido

so with the knowledge that thej display the same splendid spirit which inspires their kith anil kin with whom they are fighting side by side; the grand soldiers of the Motherland and of the other overseas dominions. "Standing 'Within some hundreds of "fards of the German linn, I saw 4000 of our New Zealand men come out of the actual fighting'. They had not been relieved for 27 days; during the whole of that time they had been subjected to the terrible weather which had marked ch? fighting of the last month or more. "Merely to live in the open trenches in their permanently soaked cloths for tic long is a feat of endurance which,, before the war,' would have been said to be remarkable in any man. Yet these weary men, almost stunned by battle shock, strode past us ;n high spirits and with cheerful greetings."