A Digger Answers His Comrade's Plea

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 7, 25 August 1933, Page 17

A Digger Answers His Comrade's Plea

SINCE we published an article recently by Bertram Potts on the Wellington Carillon we have received letters from readers in all parts of the country in commendation or criticism of the article. We publish below a letter written by an ex-soldier i in North Auckland to Mr. Potts -also a set of verses enclosed with the letter.

AY I, as one Digger to another, congratulate you upon your very fine article in a recent issue of the "Radio Record" on the Carillon. If I were to go on writing from now until morning I don’t think I could convey to you how much I was ‘touched by your beautiful pen-picture. I agree with every word you wrote, and then some. I would like ‘to be able to afford to pay to have that article of yours blazoned forth from the front page of every daily paper in New Zealand, but I am very much afraid that a great many of them would not have the moral courage to print such a truthful and scathing article. I am by way of being somewhat of a "free lance," and do quite a fair amount of scribbling in a modest way, and on one or two occasions have penned an article along the same lines (not necessarily about the Carillon), but about the state of things in this beautiful Queen City of the North. . For instance, they have just had a "prosperity" week up here, which really ran for a fortnight, and you will see by the papers that they raked in the shekels to the tune of well over £10,000, out of which sum I very much doubt if any of the Returned Soldiers’ Associations will receive anything. Unfortunately on account. of my being up here practically in the backblocks I was unable to do anything beyond making suggestions to one or two like my friend Albert Russell, but he was powerless to do much. You would have thought that among the twelve Queens put up for election they would have nominated a Returned Soldiers’ Queen. If we who are a little more fortunate than our . Iaates cannot do a little now and again to ease their load, well then life’s not much of a catch. I have been trying for some time past to inaugurate a Diggers’ Session from one of the Auckland B stations, thus emulating your own 2ZW. Being an old professional of wide experience in the art of entertainment, I offered to make myself responsible for the weekly programme of one hour per week, but the said station,

though well aware of my capabilities in the entertaining line, and having complimented me upon my broadcasts from their station, turned my proposition down, giving as their reason the excuse that they have to study their sponsored programme clients, and would not be able to spare the hour; in other words, they could not sacrifice a paltry two guineas on one night

of the week to cheer the men in hospitals who made it possible for them to own those self-same stations to-day. However, I stil have hopes. The

very first night I get on the air I am going (with your permission, of course) to read your able article on the Carillon (how I wish the "Radio Record" went into every home in New Zealand), and if that does not make them think, well, then they must be petrified. I am very bitter on this subject, because I realise that the boys who have asked only for bread have been given a stone. You, my friend, know anyhow, and you can feel for them, for you have been through it as I have, and you and I know that these men are not asking for favours. All they want is the right to work, a decent home, and what’s more to the point, _ the respect and sympathy of their fellow-citizens. One farmer said to me the other day when I asked him to buy a poppy for the Returned Soldiers’ Fund, "There are no returned men now. We are all the samecivilians," and he had not been to the strafe. Well, I could go on, ad infinitum, but I guess I had better knock off before you think I am a "nut" ease. Once again let me express my thanks to you for your able article, and I should like, if not too much trouble, to hear a word or two from you on the subject.

"I’m just a blinkin’ Digger, what és truly down and ont; There’s plenty blokes like me around-just cast yer eyes aboutSome battlin’ in the country, and there’s ’undreds in the town, Just ’angin’? on, and ’angin’ on, without a blessed brown J "What's goin’ to *appen-goodness knows-to Diggers just like me: It makes yer wish yer'd stayed be’ind in far Gallipoli; We would ’ave been much better off if we'’ad got a crack And saved a lot of bother if we never ’ad come back ! "It *appened just the other day, T met another Dig "E stopped me by the Cenotaph and stung me for a cig.; { ’adn’t ’ad a coffin nail since Adam was a boy, And if P’d’ad a fag-end, I'd a given it with joy! "We yarned about them far off days, of death, and lice, and rum, We was feelin’ pretty ’ungry, and was lookin’? mighty \glum, When I *appened to look downward (a thing I often do For a ‘gasper’ in the gutter sometimes means the world to you!) "When all at once I saw a paper lyin’ on the kerb And somethin’ seemed to say to me: ‘Just grap that journal Erb!’ It was the ‘Radio Record,’ New Zealand weekly of the ‘air,’ And famous for its articles-I couldn’t ’elp but stare; ‘I picked it ub, and sure enough, as true as I’m alive, I found some thrilling reading there, which filled up all page fivel Twas. written by some author bloke, a chap who'd scribbled lots, By cripes, he was a Digger, too-is name was Bertram Pottst

"?’E wrote about the Carillon, and in ‘is piece ’e tells It’s best to ’elp the livin’ first than ring a lot of bells! The bells no longer jangle forth. their tunes, and-so it’s saidThey've raisin? money for our pals-for them, alas, what’s Dead! "This writer bloke, ’e’s got some sense-e’s out to fight for us’E reckons that its *ighly time they stopped this blinkin’ fuss! ‘If yer wants to'raise some oscar, if yer’ve got so much to buriThen give it to disabled Digs., ’twill be a slight retuen For what they did for you upon the batilefields of FraiiceBut do not think about it twice, for now’s a splendid chance! "*Just ’ark to what ’e ses about ’is poor sid pals what fell, And "ow they'd like to know the spared was treated mighty well; They'd rather that the ’oot was spent on them what wants to-day, Than spend it on Sweet Memories-it’s far the better way!. ‘We shouldn’t need a peal. of bells, nor monuments. of stone; To make us think of loved ones lost-their deeds are too well known; : Whenever it is possible, it’s up to great and -smail To ’elp the broken Digger who responded to-the ‘Call?! "Now ain't that just a bit alt right-a message full of cheer, And should be printed in the papers published far and ‘near; By cripes, *is words fill mé with ’ope, they rings so bloomin’ trueI really think our turn will come-I ’ope so, Dig, don’t you?