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News of Old Students

F. A. Wilson went to Aldershot early in 1917 for a 2-month's course of instruction. When he joined up, he was 2nd in command for a short time, and later was made Major. On July 12th he was married to Miss E. R. Fell, who has been for the past year in London working at the Admiralty.

The Chronicles of the N. Z. E. F. recently held a competition for a New Zealand National Song. The competition roused great interest throughout the N. Z. E. F., and a large number of poems were sent in. The judges were the Hon. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, and the Hon. W. P. Reeves, who awarded the prize to Lieut. A. H. Bogle. Heartiest congratulations from The Old Clay Patch! We print the poem herewith, and hope that in the competition for the N. Z. E. F. to set the words to music, the successful composer may also hail from Salamanca.

"Far Away Yonder."

Far away yonder across the dark water
Set like a gem on the breast of the sea
The joy of my heart and the queen of my fancy
New Zealand is calling, aye calling to me.

Others may boast of their cities and temples,
Castles and pedigrees, lands wide and fair:
But give us a glimpse of our clean running hilltops
And where is the breath like our own native air?

There is the soil that has formed us and fed us,
Streams that we played by, the warm sky above:
And there are the hands that we clung to as children,
The homes of our dead, and the women we love.

New Zealand! My country! The fount of pure freedom,
Where all who are worthy may bear them like men,
May the lord give us strength to uphold thee in honour,
And the star of thy destiny never shall wane.

Mrs. F. M. Corkill (nee Lawry), who was married in London in April, is now doing war work at Walton-on-Thames. Her husband, Lieut. F. M. Corkill (formerly of Canterbury College) was slightly wounded at Messines.

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Corporal H. D. Skinner, D. C. M., has obtained his discharge from the Forces, and is now at trinity college, Cambridge, going on with his ethnological work.

Major R. St. J. Beere, who was wounded at Messines, is now recovered, and has been spending leave in Ireland.

A. B. Sievwright has been promoted Captain in the Field, and was in command of the Ruahines at Messines. He has since been promoted commandant of a trench mortar school. At latest advices he was, to use his own phrase, "as fit as a fiddle."

Lieut. (Acting-Captain) Noel Johnson suffered considerable damage from wounds in France on 3rd Feb., through the bursting of a shell. He was hurt in both knees. Unfortunately this has resulted in the amputation of the foot, not withstanding every effort in Chelsea Hospital to save it.