THE SIXTH REINFORCEMENTS

New Zealand Tablet, 22 April 1915, Page 23

THE SIXTH REINFORCEMENTS

. OFF TO TRENTHAM. The Otago and Southland men for the Sixth Reinforcements left Dunedin on Saturday for Trentham. At 10 o’clock the men were mustered at the Garrison Hall, where Captain Fraser, assisted by Lieutenant Keligher, was in charge. After the roll had been called, and other preliminary work had been done, the men marched to the Octagon, where they were addressed from the Town Hall steps by his Worship the Mayor, Very Rev. Father Coffey, and the Anglican Primate (Bishop Nevill). Very Rev. Father Coffey, Adm., who spoke immediately after the Mayor, said he had much pleasure in being present to say good-bye to those men who were going forward to defend our hearths and our homes. They bore the honor of the country as they journeyed from our shores, and we hoped they would never forget the honor that was conferred upon them. They were going to form a part of that great army which was engaged at the present time in fighting the greatest battle the world had ever seen. We promised them as far as we could that those whom they left behind would never forget them. The time had passed when it could be said that a veteran who had fought for his country would die in a benevolent institution. From the head of the Government down to the humblest citizen of the Dominion we would see to it that no man who went forth to bear arms in defence of our country would suffer on his return. We promised them that those whom they left behind and whom in the natural course of events they would be supporting, would not be allowed to suffer because they had gone forth to defend our homes and our country. He advised them never to lose their individuality, never to lose their personality. Men sometimes were prone when they got into crowds to forget that they were individuals, and to take upon themselves the personality of the crowd. We wanted them to preserve their individuality to the very end. Because they wore the King’s uniform they were not to think that liberty meant license ; and he asked them especially not to miss the boat. We were sending them forward with our blessings to fight in a great and glorious cause. If the war had done nothing else it had done this one good thing. It had brought us all closer together and made xis better to* recognise the great Godhead and Lordship of the God of battles.—(Applause.) Ho hoped the words that had been expressed by his Worship the Mayor would be fulfilled. We feared 'that some of them might not see these shores again, and that was what made the parting more sad. Still we hoped that the great majority would return, and that then we should be able to show that they had done a noble work for us, and that we would do a noble work for them. He could not stand that.carping criticism. Because a man who had gone and fought for us had made a mistake on his return we condemned him. We should not condemn him, but do -our best to lift him up and recognise what he had done for us. For an example he referred them to his countryman, Michael O’Leary, who had shot five Germans, then gone on and shot two more, and brought in three prisoners with him, earning the V.C. That was an example to follow, and if they did there was no fear but that in six months’ time, or probably less, we would sec the end of this terrible war. He asked God to bless them and watch over them, and bring them back safe to this beloved country of ours.