DIGGER REPUTATIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1940, Page 6

DIGGER REPUTATIONS

IMAGINATION DRAWN ON JOKE ON ENGLISH PUBLIC TARANAKI MAN'S LETTER Company Sergeant-Major S. H. Betts, well known Taranaki cricket and hockey representative with the N.Z.E.F. in Engiand, in a recent letter commented on the reception accorded New Zealanders in districts not visited by Anzac troops during the 1914-18 war. "New Zealanders are very popular over here and so far we have been in several places our troops did not reach last time," he writes, "with the result that we have had some remarkable welcomes. Of course the usual questions start to fly, such as 'Where is New Zealand?' 'Which part of Australia do you come from?' 'Gee. You speak English, and look like us, too!' and "What do you eat?' "Eats Raw Meat— Bones And All." "Well, a lot of the boys are making the most of their opportunity, and so far we are thousands of miles from Australia, we eat raw meat— bones and all— and raw wheat, we wear six-shooters, and often shoot on sight. Many chaps are reputed to have at least six notches on their 'gats.' "By the shape of our hats we have been taken for real wild cowboys, scoutmasters and all sorts of wild creatures. However, the truth gets out sooner or later and all ends well, and they decide that we are not so bad." Company Sergeant-Major Betts also re-. lated an amusing incident of camp life as follows: — "Our cook uses a benzine lamp, like a huge brazing lamp, for cooking for the company and the other day he could not find his tin of benzine. He hunted all over the place and as he was going past another fire with many tins of hot water on it, he "happened to move one off to see how things were going and it was the tin of benzine. "Whew! Did we laugh? An orderly had left a tin of water beside this tin of benzine, and had gone away. In the meantime the water was used for something else and the orderly, on his return, just naturally put the one that was left on the fire."