THE DAY!

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13940, 19 July 1919, Page 7 (Supplement)

THE DAY!

(By Johannes C. AjndersKm>.)

Fail'n-is oppression:; asad the oppTes sor proud,,.

Is humbled; —be his purple now his shroud-

Hi& blows have sihiatitered not, noo" }»is flung fiiTos Tontuired to his desires. The nations ho has •trampled;— f[ Ye and bIoRV

Haro teinpett'ed and welded thenil to overthrow

The aPL'ogiamciet of his invesited hordes Whose so-iipplioaite/d cross was the rted sword's.

Now leLips from sccii toi sea. Tho cry,—'the world is free, Speiiiti is black liatc, ended is tyranny. From a cniished people, now the tyramlti 'knows O'.i-ly 'the wine erf insiirmaliian. flows; And he, for iilll his craft, .Must di'ink 'die bitten* draught ; lie from- his ouirussed anuinence is hurled, Losing his niri'ogjainiti 'thrown©, who tihoii^'hlt Jto rule the world. Nor, tihyug-h \ha ihundei" of 'the war ', ' bo stilled, « Is. >tlio Ted harvest over; thoy© who* I willed Till is horror into birth.' With, jv must fall to ea.itih : Meu mv..sit, the dnigoin and his seed destroy ; In the f'a'k>h.-aib:-o:>'atoi' ip-ub iw> trust; Red 'is lisa swo-id with use. Iris truth wMi rust; His word is driven dust; Ho as the soivpoaiiit does but slough , his- skin. Leaving 1 his lieair't foul and uincihiainig'ed within ; Bluster and whiino ailtorniato; give no heed To sxivy word, of his ; —judge by his unmasked deed ; Though, he have worni a> crown-, Spwyi j|.?it, to. carat him down ; 1 Shall kinvew frioan righteous laws immiuin.iit.y enjoy? So, then,; 'tis over; and not all in vain The sobbing laibouir, and the burningi • v poiin. . Clear we of despite now Our wair-en&eia.med brow. . ' . Curb we t«h*ei. .paiseiioms, loritih to be leashed 'again ; ■■'■':■ ■• • : Not oin Ms subject vicitinxs fall the stroke; . ■ ■ • Could they resist, the lash, bending bemeialtth the yoke?. Triuomphainit, then, buib 'noit vainrgloil- -.. ioiiis,. be The ' ciry,—-Opipressiioini ends; the. woakl is free:, Be alH' the naftaoins no^ Kniilti iinr a laaiawd t-jw That at n'oi niaitticin's dd'otaifco, no king's mciod, ■.'._'*■ Shiall devastating war .looee r'a,pine, fire, a.nd' b100d.:...;' > TriuiTiiphiamt t'iheni aa"e we,' . '. • And,, aill men freev Bu*, amid jubilation, well we kmioiw A deep : sad''toiic©, . wide-tangued, if mnuraxiiuired low, Sayinp!.—'tibouigih :vicitoay come, ' ': The shadow v'M ";'moiti go; Where.-aire' tlhe A roiceis nioav fW eiver dumb? „■"•■ (the: -wHildeisib ■• exuilfaibioni ba-tng's not home . . One single fallen AVell-beiloved son, Onei deaa-est'i—nioi, notb orae. • | Soa-giivea-s noible! 'T'is tio> you w© turnKniowing hoav beiaats have weipt; how . hearts still year'iw .^ Dry-yoiua" tieai's, O ye mourners; weeip. mo ■niare; ■, _' ' .. Thougii viotoay seiizeid what it" cannot ' resiboire, v '/■".•■■■ "In pity liest reMef, Assuagieinemib of your' grief ; " Dryyoiim" imars, 0 ye mourners, — tliinkd'n^ of tliose , •■ Whose ba^p'keninies-s.- noi 'salve of cioin- ,-"■ foii't, knows.; Who husiband gfa^i, and son, And know tnoi victory worn; Who gave tiheir blood, ag&im and yet aigiaiim, . . ■Wlicise gifti As proivem nititeniy iin. vaitoij. AlieiD: in tomgiue, aiti heart the closest kiin., >'"•-. How shiaiU tihieso cioonfort win,? ©ruaihed amd heart-broken- women, «i •'■ bniissd knieesPity, oh (piitiy. tlieste. --' I "Buoyaffiit uipon a! (hundred breezes tO'-:s j A hunidi'ed- flags,—oaii' emblem, a.nd our cross, . . •'..'.. Not with;o:ut 1 bonie, though born© 'wiibh pride, Otiir ftn.g, with blood of sotns brigihteined aiiid 'sancixlfie,dy Who flxrais; ■,a r'oeo to freedomi as thery died. , . Libeirty, jiisticei, equity, and riglity Follow iitfii buoy-ant' flight; . Under its 'shadow, -Weal fcr aill iaTcirease; .■ ■ Joy. wlicir'a it wideily fiiesi, Follows on; sacirffice; And now, —'When waif, and hate, aaid r'aaiicioair cease .

At Ip,«ili,—thiani'k' God fo,r pc-ace

October V 2 S, 1918—Foirces passage of Escaillo'ii! River; captures

Beaudignies.November 4, 1918—Victory, of L"c Quesnoy.

The first, units Vy" ■!■'•>-" N.Z. Division, arrived at Marsielles' on 12th April,'' 1916, and were followed by the remainder in, rapid 'succession. The New iZealanders a,nd Australlaus arrived' at the same time, and were quartered in various northern training camps, where they "were initiated into the conditions of war'fa.re on tha Western front. The presence of the miMi from the Antipodes, "who had wcm such fame on Oallip'oli, not. >unmatu|raiHy a.roii'-sed intense interest amongst those knew they were tliace; their masrni- 1 .iicen,!) 'physique, splendid bearing and very evident keenness commanded admiration, and the highest hopes were entertained of 'them. They "were soon put .into the line. Division Enters' the Line. The 2\ew Zealand Division took over its sector in 'the neighbourhood of Armentiares in the third "week of May and fro>m tha.t time onwards always heW its positron in the line escept Tvhen taken out and sriven a ba-ief .spell before beinjr put into big offensive operations. The New Zealanders soon e.sita,blished' a repntaition. for the frequency with which tihley engaged' in trench raids, launching them, both big and small, uponi all possible, occasions, ,iand in-' variably meeting with pronounced success. The object of such enterprises Tvias< 'tK> gain inforrnaition

sheli-dre, and, getting into the "switch trench," made giion.. work of ■ :the enemy, and pushed on to Flers. Two tanks had been attached ulh the Sew Zuaiaiii^u-—Uie "Cardbai llouge" and. "'Creinu-ds-XLenxheV They were glow in gettingl ii..":i-y, but nought" up- the N.e\v Zealand-.i-s, and led them, laughing 1 and cheering", through Flersr, which 'the TiuioL-filanders captured ai'ter si short. rcsistainoe. Tho New Zealanders dug in ; it viis well they did so, for the. 6th Bavarian Dlivisioaii id'elivered heavy wuriterat tacks duirinig the -night, aaid tkroughoub tho following da.y. The whole of these .efforts by mm of tho Kaiser S* Uesli divisions were bloodily repulsed, buitf "the Ne-w Zoii.landc.rs were .obliged, to. readjust, tiieir line. On 2ilsifc Septeanber S>ir Domglas Haig a-eipoi-ted in his official comim,iinique: "Strong counteivattacEs were made by 'the enemy continaiously dua-'ing 'the .night, on the New. Z&a----landei-s. All, these were bea.ten. off with severe loss to ttie enemy, .who left prisoners in our hands, and a 'iaa-ge number, of dead in front of our tines-. Notwithstanding 1 tFu\s heavy fighting we advanced our front in the neighbourhood." On the 21s[v the New Zealanders, , enduring the ~ heaviest fire all the time, engaged in stiff bomb, and bayonet) ficliting-. They resumed tlie advance on, the 25th on' a front of 1800 yards', took "Factory Corner" (a strong post), and another line of 'trenches, penetrating in all that day a distance of §00 yards. On list October they engaged im nn-

Victory of Messines. hi. Ma.y. 1917, the now v'eteian K.Z., Division, was .taken''out of the' line for a. sp.ell, and.' for •rehearsm.g the Battle of Messines>, "m wliich I'icy wevs t" 1 play chief part. The. 7 ill .of Juwe was th© date iised. The ■ G-eiiuans knew the attack was bunim«r: 'they had had two yean; in v.:hich tci .poparts -theav 'po.sitic«s, and had greatly .strengthened tliem, nota.bly by 'the' niassirig of artillery and ■uiacliino r .giiine a^d thj' erection of luimeroiusi '-pi:Tl-boxes,' 1 or con-ca-eitei maichine.-g-mn emplacein.en,ts at paints ioX importance. . Both sides, tin fact, had prepared for the battle tor many mo-nths. A subterranean war had been, going on, in which the isi.Z. Tannieilinig Company and other: overseas mining 'Unitis played a most! distiinguishedi .-part. Nine- . teen mines, charged with 1 .HOO'.nOO pounds- of the high explosive ammoinal, had been laid under the fememry-'s tfrenches. and awaited 1 but the spark' to send Fritz's positions a>nd Fritz heavenwards. The fuses were fired at 3.10 a.m.' on the 7th. the mines were exploded with the shock of an • earthT" quake, the roar iva.s. hea.rd in Lnndon, the "Ridge" was rent. asunder as if by volcamic fii-es, 'the' -whole surroundings were lit up> with' a lurid glare,, and immense masses of earth, and 1 rock mounted skywards, to descend ' seemingly minutes afterwards. The lecho of the explosions had scaircelv; dli'ed a.wo,y wKen th? British artillery opened and deluged (Con'thmed' over Pajre 1).