_The land we from our fathers had in trust,
And to our children will transmit or die:
This is our maxim, this our piety;
And God and nature say that it is just.
That which we would perform in arms--we must!_
WORDSWORTH’S “Motherland.”
_Glory we count of lesser worth
Than wife and babe and hearth and home;
Theirs is the mandate speeding forth
Our steps of thunder on the foam;
For them we fight, for them we stand,
Yea, and for faith ’twixt land and land._
WILLIAM WATSON’S “Ten Men Forsworn.”
Give my love to Patrick-street, Waterford, for that is where the best
girl on earth lives, and tell Ireland that we’re doing our duty and
that Thomas Moran will have another go at the Germans directly the
doctor permits: _Pte. T. Moran, East Lancashire Regiment_.
Busy!
We have had no time for anything, for when we have a minute to spare I
have to give my clothes a scrub, and they don’t half get in a state.
I have only got one pair of socks, and I have to wait while they dry
before I can wear them: _Pte. Chapman, 3rd Hussars_.
“Really Good”
I am well, and just about having the time of my life. It’s really good
always being on the move, seeing fresh sights every day; and if there
should be a few Germans on the move--why, it only increases the fun,
and throws a little more excitement into the work: _Corpl. R. Carton,
Royal Field Artillery_.
A Great Time!
We are having good sport out here. I have got as good a heart now as I
had when I left home. I tell you there is nothing better than having
a few shells and bullets buzzing round you as long as you don’t stop
one. We are having some fine feeds out here--ducks, chickens, rabbits,
and bags of fruit: _Trooper G. W. Maddocks, 5th Cavalry Brigade_.