[GOING HOME!”
THE JOYS OF LEAVE.
[BY A PRIVATE.}
"You're wanted at company, office," said the orderly, with a broad gria And immediately my heart began to thump madly and my face dushed and a smile camento my eyes. I tried took as if I didn't care, but I couldn't stop smil ing, and the others had seen the orderly and they cried, It's leave. Good old Blighty Cheer-o | Good luck | and they began to laugh top and shake my hand. Their joy was very real. My going meant that leave had started again after the stoppage
Good news spreads fast. The sentry at the company office knew and grinne I; the officer carte out of the room and puff ed his cigarette. You're for leave, to night," he said seriously, and then he laughed too
I felt as every soldier fighting will feel
when he tà told "Peace is declared.”
Only once before in my life have I been so happy. Try to imagine it--Irom stand- ing in a trench, dodging trench mortare and minenwerfers to a sunlit, cmpty. "English road; from standing on sentry, worn out and so tired that snipers bullets have no fear, to a luxurious bed, with wann, soft clothes and no stand-to": from cold tea and jam full of earth and white bread made brown by clayey fingers to silver and serriettes and sweet, fond womenfolk to attend you; from the middle of death and the life of beasts to home. Oh, but you cannot imagine it 1. Nor would I could only think about it and smil and smile, and reflect on this most wonderful truth in the world's greatest war the shift in a day from the environs of death to all that spells Heave
譏
In its own inimitable way the Army exasperated even the thousand or so hap piest soldiers alive. At the coast town, while we were buying tea and sandwiches at the coffee stall on the quay, officials be gun shouting "Hurry up now, or you'll raiss he boat," and, leaving the tea I had just bought. I hastened off. Lined up farther along we learned the boat was not timed to go for four hom, and we were not allowed to leave to buy more food Again, at Victoria, who we waited in long quetes to change our French money at the bureaux, we were old, after maybe one-tenth of us had been alt with, that there was no more money. Not an Eng-, Fish penny had we to proeuro a real wash, send a telegram. pay an ornni bus fare. Fortuntel I contrived to change mine at the boking-office, but they must have known we were coming they
ust had a ragh idea of the aimount of money-wald want to ex-
change, yet the greajority of us had to leave the bur run by the War office and get our notes changed as best weight. But it was here, too, that I Found the noble spirit of the new Eng land.
As we stod in the queue a man with white hair, immaculately dressed, and carrying an A. railway guide came along. In a second he was busy telling the men the time and station for Glasgow, Newport Birmingham, York, how to get to St. Pancras, Euston, King's Cross the quicket cheapest way He was so helpful, so quick, so kind, so affable! And he hid hurried from his office to do this, to give the lads a lift "Good old. Blighty! said somehotly huskily.
A STORMY SESSION.
THE COALITION IN PERIL.
CRITICISM OF MINISTERS.
THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10mm, 1916.
the autumn affords a convenient oppor-
· The adjournment of Parliament until tunity for taking stock of the second War Session, which opened on February 16th.
[BY
THE UNITY OF FRONTS.
PAST MISTAKES.
ALLIES
CO-OPERATION.
THE TIMES” MILITARY CORRESPONDENT.]
The head and front of your paration consists in a frame of mind such that each man among you shatt be willing and eager to do his duty.
DEMOSTHENES
the Allies in May and in August of the The difference between the position of current year is so strongly marked, and influence of the principle of the unity of is so directly attributable to the genial fronts, that it is worth while to dwell its many great merits, aut to see what upon this principle a little, to point out more we have to do in order to exploit them to still greater advantage.
HALF AUSTRIAN ARMY WIPED OUT.
1,045,000 MEN OUT OF TWO MILLIONS.
Since the first week of June more than half the Austro-Hungarian army has been destroyed. The Kingtieme Siecle, the Belgian organ at Hayre, which has very often a semi-official character, gives the
effectives were about two following calculation (August 17th):
At the beginning of July the Austrian were distributed as follows
millione These
try and 11 divisions of cavalry, or Russian Froat-47 divisions of infan- 1,200,000 men,
try, or 700,000 men,
Italian Front 21 divisions of infan
Rumanian Front--25,00 men,
The Austrian army appears to have lost so far since the opening of the Russian offensive on June 4th and the failure of the Trentino offensive in May
Prisoners Wounded Killed Italian front,
400,000
• 400,000 100,000
The Coalition still stands. Mr. Ae- quith's Cabinet has passed through more crises in six months than some of its pre- decessors passed through in six years. It has come safely through one form after tion, and the rest and has reached another-recruiting. Ireland, registra period of comparative calm. But it is met Parliament in February. Lord Kit a very different Cabinet from that which chener is dead. Mr. Birrell and Lord Selborne bave resigned. The Foreign Secretary has gone to the House of Lords. It took long, terribly long for the Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Montagu, Lord Allies to decide to act together and all Curzon, Lord Crewe, Mr. Henderson, the same time. The novelty of the and Mr. McKinnon Wood have asdamed, and the sentiments, rather national the distance which separated some Dow responsibilities, Lord Robert Cecil, Lord Crawford, Mr. Duke, and Mr. Ten than Allied that ruled our thoughts, most kaleidoscopic Cabinet, of our time.. uant have joined the Cabinet. It is the caused us all to concentrate upon our
own affairs almost exclusively, and to Killed and wounded 130,000 The principal achievement of Parlia Allies were doing. From August, 1014,
Pike only a languid interest in what our Prisoners
15,000 the passing of the second Military Service his own hand where and when he pleased, Fingtime Siecle, Austria has managed ment in this period was unquestionably to May, 1016, each one of us fought for By emptying her depote, adds the
Round total 1,045,000 Act, after the Easter Cabinet crisis had and as result Germany regulated the to put another 100,000 or 200,000 men into both Houses and the framing by the Gov- laid down the law. We Allies fought in material-soldiers hardly cured of their led to the bolding of a Secret Session of campaign, and in matters of strategy the field, but they are the poorest sort of arament of a compromise which the House turn and only by chance simultaneously, wounds, elderly landsturmers, and boys of Commons contemptuously rejected. A We English fought at large as though our of the 1018 class and quite unfitted to second display of determination later in military resources were unlimited instead stiffen the moral or resisting nower of the Session led the Government to bring of the reverse, as at first they were. Ger-1 in Bill to constitute Special Commis many opened a defence on one front and and heavy losses.
troops already demoralised by defeat sons to inquire into the operations at the an attack upon another, just as she Dardanelles and in Mesopotamia. The pleased, using her great railways with concession especially in the case of Mesopotamin, co-operation among her enemies offered to of independent inquiry, masterly skill, and sure that the want of was an important point gained by the her very brilliant prospects, ary pressure, old-fashioned instrument of Parliament
legislation, solely for war purposes M. There has been a good deal of other MeKeung had no difficulty in securing the passage of the two Finans Bills, em bodying a Budget estimated to produce the gigantie revenue of £500,000,000. In addition, war expenditure to the extent of £1,170,000,000 has been authorized by successive Votes of Credit. From a con stitutional point of view, importance at taches to the second amendment of the Parliament Act by a measure, which has extended the Life of the present Parlia ment until April 30th next,
proof of Austria's used-up condition that The Viagtieme Steele points out as a
colours men up to the age of 55 years.
she has been reduced to calling to the
FOOD BY LOTTERY.
method to combat the growing dissatis
German newspapers say that a new
stuff-especially butter, lard, and meat faction over the distribution of food- has been introduced by the municipality of Schuettorf.
British side during this long period of The only sound piece of strategy on the
theatre of war. But this had been pre 21 months was the dispatch of the original Expeditionary Force to the principal pared well and patiently by the General beginning of 1900, and the Cabinet of the Staffs of England and France since the war period can claim no merit for it except that they let things slide. What they did immediately afterwards was to These foodstuffs, on arriving from a to a back sent, and to be deprived of all parcels of two and three monde, priced allow our General Staff to be relegated neighbouring country, are wrapped in share in and influence on the war. The at 1.30 marks a pond, and are stored at work of 10 years was lost, and the higher the town hall, each parcel being number. direction of the war on land lapsed into ed. The public draw lots as they file the hands of a number of political and through the billing, and the winners semi-military individuals, great and receive their prizes at once an small, whose only common denominator was a complete ignorance of the prin-win in the lattery is not mentioned.
The state of ming of those who do not ciples of strategy and of things that tops cau du,
ENTER THE GENERAL STAFF.
On the administrative side, a notabla event was the abandonment of the last vestiges of the Declaration of London More noteworthy still was the acceptance of the recommendations of the Economic Conference of the Allies, which toet in All our mistakes and disasters were Paris during the Whitsun recess dae to this fatal error, which was not Lloyd George's effort to secure a settle then because the hopeless incapacity of Two failures have to be recorded. Mpaired until October, 1915, and only ment of the Irish question by consent amateurs to conduct a business of which failed, after an agreement had actually they understood nothing had, in site been made between the Nationalist and of the Censorship, which covered every Ulster parties. Ministers reverted to.
fault us with a cloak, become patent to pended after the rebellion, and the posi Castle government, which had been aus-
every member of the public. From the tion is obscure and, in some respects, dif-
moment when Sir Archibald Murray took ficult. The registration problem was also
over the work of the Chief of the General left unsolved. The Government failing Sir William Robertson sacorded him, Staff matters began to mend, and when to agree on a solution, attempted to shift bringing with him a fully trained staff, their responsibility on to the House ni Commons The House declined the task,
and acquiring wider powers, we returned finally to the right paths, and ever since and the Government eventually brought in. a Bill for the creation of a special register
have followed principles consecrated by which failed to secure general aseent. The
experience. Principles, it is true, do matter is accordingly held up till the
not wir wars unless nemies are adequate
autumn,
and have munitions to space, while the lost much It is one of the first questions which arliament will have to tackle when it re-asserables,
And now I began to taste real joys. 1 rang a friend up on a telephone." Is manding position of Sir Edward Carson
Finally noto must be made of the com that So-and-a I said I could hear as the mouthpiece of the wishes of the the familiar, alm, strong voice, and rank and file of a House confronted with then, as I said, "This is as if a Government which whips" three of had been saying, as in the old days See the four political partica. In the absence you at the clab," I felt the little moment of a regular Opposition, the Unionist and of silence and surprise as the news sank Liberal War Committees have exercised
Government.—Times. a growing influence on the policy of the
Ci
Next I walked to the taxicab ranks and looked at hem. Any one of them I could" have to marry this old rifle, accursed
ipment, these poor old fect that had Leen slogging along four months. I nodded to one, and it gurgled and whirred and sidled up. I fung in my rifle, said Euston," cambered In, and sank back. Oh, but it was heavenly This after carrying planks when waist deep in water; this after carying ninety pounds of equipment to and fro for an age. And it was itt taking rit--nobody else in the world-whither I chose it should go. Aladdin never commanded his wonderful Tamp with more delight than I my first taxicab,
*
Euston I left by kit and washer and was shaved Delicious warm water -leaps of it, and then to lie back and
eat the buffet ham that once was so taste
off any of us by her old game of shifting troops about. She is everywhere on the disappointments we have given the Ger defensive, while if we have had some mans some hard knocks, have employed" 43 German divisions on the Somme, and have killed a great many of the enemy which is, after all the only known means of winning the war. Neutrals are either more openly favourable to than before rare learning what it costs to be the land and sea, is palpably feeling the reverse. Germany, beset by enemies on strain, and her Press writes at last in a chastened mood. We have certainly caused our enemies 800,000 casualties in the past three months. We have taken from them many guns and much material of war, while on all fronts Germany has
results of past errors cannot always and at all. "And has gained none
speedily be changed; but at least we have made no fresh errors, and the days of the amateur strategist are let us pray-gone never to returilloser
THE MEANING OF UNITY.
of unity of fronts we must judge by these If we are real believers in the principle general results, and not by the particular The necessity for closer cooperation result in some sector which, it may be, between all the Allies was pointed out interests us most. In these days, and in this journal during the early mouths with 'national armies in the balance, we of the war, but the best that we could achieve was occasional mecting with see that results are achieved after three our French Allies and a certain amount old one-day battle, would have been months similar to those which, in the of intimacy between the Allied Armies reached at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. thanks to the final officers who kept us The numbers engaged and the character well informed of what was going on of the fighting must usually entail theso Real co-operation there was none except prolonged exertions during which cer in France, and even here our energies tain troops alternately fight and rest. were atrophied, by the side-shows which and fight and rest again. In the old at the most critical moments deprived us days we did not consider the battle gained of the services of tea, guns, and price if we only defeated the enemy in one less shells. We lost scores of thousands of men by death and disease in some of part of the field, nor did we call a battle Up there near Trônes Wood last week I
these adventures and accomplished no-beaten hack. We judged by the whole a defent if one only of our columns was found a man with a badly injured footing at all, while in another we maron transaction rather than by particular who had been ordered back to get his footed hundreds of thousands of men who did incidents of it, and similarly now dressed.
not fire a shot for nearly a year. May should regard the whole field as one and reunion of a Conference of all the Allied suis. A Russian general said the other came round and saw at last judge it as a whole by the general re- Powers, and a decision taken, late as this day that if we in the West could hold up hour was, to act unitedly and together the 122 German divisions now fighting in long did sense take to triumph ver going East, Russia would be satisfied and from the summer of 1916 onwards. So France and prevent-many-of-the-from
EVERYDAY CHIVALRY AT THE FRONT.
An invalided Army Chaplain tells the following story:
He had heard, or fancied he
senselessness,
PENALTIES OF ISOLATED EFFORT. By then we in England were in process of overcoming our want of munitions and roof of men, but the general position, as
We
heard. a faint sound of moaning, from a shell-hole, out beyond the he was injured.
in which He had crawled out there on his belly and found there wounded man who had lain in that hole for three whole days and nights, utterly: helpless, chilled to the bone by night, scorched and blackened by the pitiless
would look after the rest. This we have done. We must regard each national sun in the days, with foul earth caked
group of Allied armies as formerly we Feel the keen blade running softly over my moisture of any kind. The man with the result of all our past folly, was still battle line, and just as to these old parts:
about his lips and never f! Ah, but men are luxurious beasts injured foot had secured the fill of his unfavourable. Russia had not que re and in another a defensive or demanstra- regarded the right, left, or centre of a en to the affet with tolerably clean own water-bottle to help him on his limp covered from her misfortunes of 1915,
was allotted in one case a brilliant role fingers and brurled hair-not for four fing: way down to the dressing station. and her endeavour to strike a blow tive mission, so now we cannot all' play) months bad my hair known a. brushtoi What does he do now. He used the whole herself in the winter had decidedly failed the same part, and it is the beginning. le-sand that now was delicious. And mouth of the man in the shell-hole, and and no other Power was fighting, too such action as we take conduces to the of his treaured drink to cleanse the France was fighting alone, a Verdun, of wisdom to appreciate the fact. It then by tube to my friend's office. Great for that poor chap to drink; then with except Italy, who has never ceased fight greatest advantage of the cause, that joy that, too, to talk about trenches and infinite labour, dragged him back to cover: the grim humour of dodging mortars and and, when I found him, was carrying the still at liberty to do what they pleased; the unity of fronts has hitherto failed
ing at all. Germany and Austria were suffices. falling over one's own feet so doing, and wan pikaback and limping, along with and it pleased Germany to begin that
Certainly at Balonika the principle of to laugh over it, and to tell what wonder him to the dressing station, his own right assault on Verdun which occupied the in its application, for no one can pretend ful, glorious lads are those out yonder.
foot being really badly injured. But all these joys, great as they were, I bave seen things like that during turns, for inany months, and would have ral Sarrail's has been well employed in stage of the war, exclusive of all other that an army of the magnitudo of Gene- wore us naught compared with meeting every single day of
he would rather return to France Nobody had told the man with the in passed itself and made a stand which other sectors of their common front have this offensive succeeded had not the French Army aur doing nothing while the Allies on--all in my stead thaI should go.
jured foot to do anything but look after transcends in glory even the grandest been fighting hard. There are anti- himself. He was entirely unconscions. But now, if I must say what is most that he had done anything in the least fell on Italy; we were not ready: and quite open to those who deplored the records of its own past history. Austria Salonikans and pro-Salonikans. It is wonderful about leave, I should reply it life of him see what I could find to ad-
out of the way, and could not for the had it not been for the chivalrous inter- Salonika adventure to hold that the ab- is the speed with which one ceases to mire in his action; any more than there is no saying what might not have in the principal. Westera theatre in the rotice domestic comforts. After the first should admire him for the loan of a happened at this time.
vention of the Russian Southern Armies sence of this army from the decisive point, day baths and easy-chairs and the rest match. Our fellows are doing this kind
summer of 1916 has converted what might were commonplace. The joy of sleep in of thing all the time, often using grand operations simultaneously at a ordinaire. On the other hand, the pro
The Conference in Paris agreed to
to open have been a bonne hataille into a butaille bod lingored longest. The comfort and abominably bad language while doing it, given date, with a certain margin allow Salonikans may be able hereafter to sav culture of twenty years is not easily and always taking such things with aed for contingencicu, and so at last was stamped out by a few months hardship, laugh and a joke as an ordinary part of pat into practice the principle of the wisdom, and to point to some offensive that the adventure was one of profound and I would assure my friends in France the day's work that they wil have no difficulty in curbing Christianity, what is it?
If this is not true unity of fronts We have now seen this undertaken hereafter in co-operation with their tongues. I only swore one, I think,
Da principle in operation for three months, some new Ally, and pushed to a victorious before women, though my friends tell me.
and it is not too much to say that it has conclusion, as a convincing proof that Since we began our attack on and meanwhile the best of friends cannot
•
Tam a little blunter than I used to bo. Tho sea is asleep in the warm sunlight, the Pletely transformed the character of they were right. The future will tell us :
Maybe ja
I am lying on a hillside watching the sea lasily roll itself up a sandy beach (Continued ut foot of next Column.)
and the wind that sighs in the spare trees the Somme only one freeh naszalt on always agres on every point, and we con is too loving to do more than kiss the Verdun has been attempted, and that has say that if we have not agreed with all waters into ripples. No sign, no thought failed; Germany, struck at everywhere, our Allies on this particular subject we of the war that is just across these waves, even at sca, has proved unable to score that we have both respected each other's have differed with mutual good will, ant Ah! for peace and leave eternal!
(Continued as foot of next fiolumn.)
point of view.
Hello! Are you there? Oh, no, it's not nearly finished yet, and Haig's simply pouring shells Hun across into the positions north of the Somme.
Hand grenades, too, are the order of the day, and our boys do REALLY GOOD WORK W with them.
Eh! What's that? What do t
they cost? Well, a £100 EXCHE- QUER BOND repre- sents about 800 hand- grenades, and these in the hands of a fast bowler............ you won't need my help to draw a mental picture.
Lively picture, eh? Yes, the Hong- kong Bank gets the Bonds for you. Think it over. I'll ring off now. Bye- bye.
Hello! Did you think over that business about the Bonds? Yes, it's pretty certain now that an UNREMITTING PRESSURE
on all fronts will lead straight on to Victory, and you can help in some mea- sure by lending money to the Government.
The least you can do is to convert all avail- able cash into EXCHE- QUER BONDS. The HONGKONG BANK will buy them.
What do you say? Only 5 per
er cent.? Well,
I don't think
any of us should mind whether
it's 5 per cent. or 6 per cent, so long as we get through with the War.
What's that? Oh, you're writing a'chit to the Bank now. Alright! I'll ring off. Good bye, old man.