MEMORIES OF PALESTINE.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1922, Page 5

MEMORIES OF PALESTINE.

; MOUNTED RIFLES RE-UNION. A PLEASANT EVENING. There have been many re-unions, socials and dinners of units of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force since the boys came home, and they have served, and continue to serve, a very useful < purpose in keeping alive the tradition* brought about during service in Gallipoli, Palestine and France. The members of the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade have not let the years paes without suitable gatherings, and the second re-union of the returned Taranaki mounted men was held at the Kawaroa Park Bungalow at, New Plymouth last night. Owing to the late | date of the re-union a good number who are resident in the country and are now • getting on into the milking season were unable to be present, but neverthelMS a sufficient number of old comrades gathered to spend a pleasant couple of hours in reminiscences, song and toast. The ehair was taken by Major J. B. . Davis, and after the loyal toast had been enthusiastically honored, he called . on Archdeacon Evans to propose the toast of “Fallen Comrades.” The archdeacon made feeling reference to the fact that the lives of the men who had. fallen were not wasted. He had seen a newspaper statement that the lives of * these men had been thrown away. (Air nation, the Army, and the Navy, had been built on tradition, and as not only the men who had gone away and com*' back, but those who had fallen, had helped to make more tradition, how could it be said that their lives had been thrown away? The toast was drunk in silence. In proposing the toast of “Other Services,” Mr. J. E. Avery paid a tribute to the work of the other branches of the army and to the fact that one branch of the service could not get on without the others. The toast was responded to by Captains A. Mac Diarmid and A. McTsaac (infantry), Colonel. G. Home and Major R. Brewster (medical corps) and Lieutenant Peerless (artillery). Responding to the toast of “The Returned Soldiers’ Association,” proposed, by Sergeant-Major C. J. Davies, the president of the association (Captain MacDiarmid) referred to what had been

done by the association, which, as a national institution, had been of assistance in righting wrongs during repatriation. These wrongs had not been intentional, but were more in the nature of oversights. The Government had been faced with an unprecedented situation in repatriating the soldiers, and Captain Mac Diarmid said that when the association had been able to point out injustices or anomalies the Government had been only too willing to adjust them. (Applause). Captain Mac Diarmid. concluded by appealing to all returned men to join up with the association, and so help them in the little difficulties that were continually arising. The toast of “The New Zealand Mounted Riffe Brigade,” proposed by Lieutenant H. Mcßae, was most enthusiastically honored, and. in responding, Major Davis and Captain Jagd gave on® or two very interesting reminiscences concerning some episodes in the campaign in Palestine, more particularly in the Jordan Valley, where dust, flies, malaria, snakes, and an epidemic of mice made conditions far from pleasant. > Other toasts honored were: “The Territorials and Volunteer Corps,” proposed by Mr. Rundle and responded to by Lieutenant A. Smith and Archdeacon Evans,” and “The Press.” The toast list was interspersed with songs and stories contributed by Messrs. Smith, Mcßae, Gray, Mclsaac, and Jago.