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[Page 17]

taken place in Australia itself.

Fighting on a foreign shore keeps the Australian people from passing through all the attendant horrors & atrocities, ghastly & harrowing sights following in the wake of ruthless & frightful war. Were Australian shores attacked would any man able to stand up & fight refuse to defend the land that gives him all he has? Why every man would willingly risk his life to strike for his home & all that home means to him & his.

The War being in France today, would not in any way alter the position, were the War in Australia tomorrow.

It's a perfect hell in France but it would be a worse hell here, if we did not send men there!

After following the course of the War for twelve months the writer agreed that his place was at the front. His hair is grey. Enrolling officers are apt to look askance at grey hair so using what he thought was tact he scanned the list of places for enlisting & the names of the officers in charge & finding amongst the latter the name of an acquaintance of some years standing (he had played a game of billiards with him a few months before) he proceeded to the enlisting office one Saturday after his acquaintance had had a very good dinner, he certainly looked as if he had, & gave his name to be enrolled.

The officer looked at the name on the paper, mentioned it, looked up at the intending recruit & then declared We can't accept you! Why! You could not form fours! The intending recruit not yet being a soldier also had a say.

The recruiting Sergeant who had given directions for filling in the application likewise had a say, – outside,. The recruit

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