MISSION TO GALLIPOLI.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 September 1921, Page 6

MISSION TO GALLIPOLI.

MR. W. T. JENNINGS’ VISIT. CARE OF SOLDIERS’ GRAVES. COMMISSION’S FINE WORK. London, Aug. 5. Among the recent arrivals in London is Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P., who crossed the Channel from France three days ago. Before leaving New Zealand he was presented in Auckland with three wreaths —one to be placed on the grave in Gallipoli of his son, Mr. Edgar Jennings, N.Z.E.F.; one to be placed on the grave of the Unknown Warrior in the Abbey; and one to be placed on the grave at Athlone of Lieutenant H. R.F.A., who died in Ireland after having been wouded at Loos in 1915.

Mr. Jennings left Australia by the Ormonde in May, and travelled by her to Port Said. After visiting Cairo he went to Alexandria, and saw the graves of a number of New Zealanders there. From Alexandria he took steamer and went to Piraeus, and thence to Smyrna, Mitylene, and Chanak. At Chanak he was met byColonel Hughes, the Australian representative ot the Imperial War Graves Commission, who took him by steam launch to Keilia, where the Imperial War Graves Commission have their depot and headquarters in connection with their work on the peninsula. At Keilia Colonel Hughes made Mr. Jennings known to the two New Zealanders who are attached to the commission—Lieut. A. W. Mildenhall and Mr. E. T. Marr (Gisborne). So great an advance has been made with their work of road construction, as well as cemetery formation, that it was possible to cover a great distance by motor-car. With the two New Zealanders Mr. Jennings motored to Quinn’s Post, Lone Pine, Walker’s Ridge, Courteney’s and Anzac Cove, and then down to Cape Helles. ’ Altogether he visited some 20 cemeteries, and in every place he found the graves kept in the best possible order. Large numbers bore the names of men whom he had known in the Dominion, while in other cases their relatives are personal friends. MANY GRAVES UNIDENTIFIED. After placing the wreath on the grave of his son, Mr. 'Edgar M. Jennings, who was with the N.Z.E.F., Mr. Jennings went up to Chunuk Bair, where Lieut.-Col. Malone (officer in command of the Wellington Battalion)

and so many other gallant New Zealanders were killed on August 7, 1915. Unfortunately, Mr. Jennings found that the percentage of identifications, not only a,t Chunnk Bair, but elsewhere, is very small, due to the fact that, many of those who gave their lives on . the peninsula were left uninterred until after the armistice. It was, of course, a very sad sight to the visitor to see so many thousands of the i original wooden crosses, many of them bearing names he knew so well. In due course these crosses will be replaced by small headstones of uniform design. Tn Mr. Jennings’ opinion, the whole conception of the cemeteries is a very good one. It will take a ’ long time before the wonc is completed, but at Keilia he was shown the sketch maps of what still has to be done, and having already seen the cemeteries which have been laid out he was able to form a comprehensive impression of the whole. To the representatives of the Imperial War Graves Commission Mr. Jennings pays a great tribute on account of the devotion they are bestowing on their work, which naturally is of a very sad and. trying nature. Mr. Jennings has no hesitation in saying that when the work is completed it will be very creditable to New Zealand in every way, and it will be an achievement worthy of the memory of all the brave New Zealand lads who there sacrificed their lives. With his two companions Mr. Jennings spent two days making a complete tour of the cemeteries which have already been formed, and many times he photographed the graves of New Zealand men, in the hope that those records, although pathetic, may be of some comfort to their relatives in the Dominion, a number of them being personal friends. MEETING WITH LLOYD GEORGE. After leaving Gallipoli Mr. Jennings went to Constantinople, where a brief stay was made before continuing the journey to Nish, Sofia, and Milan, by the Orient-Sim pl on line. The over- 1 land journey was a very hot one, the shade temperature in the train last Sunday in Northern Italy registering 104 degrees. From Milan the journey was continued to Paris, and Mr. Jennings reached London on the evening of August 2. Yesterday afternoon Mr. Jennings went to the Abbey to place the wreath on the grave of the Unknown Warrior, and now he is about to start for Athlone to visit the grave of Lieut. H. Jennings, who, after being wounded, was sent from Loos to Dublin Castle with a number of other officers, and there he died. With the completion of the main purpose of his mission Mr. Jennings will go to Scotland, but he does not contemplate a long stay in the British Isles. He thinks of leaving about the end of September for America on his way home.

This morning Mr. Jennings accompanied Mr. Massey to Downing Street. The New Zealand Prime Minister introduced him to Mr. Lloyd George, and there was time for a brief chat.