page 9

Personalities.

Captain J. Bell, R.F.C., wounded in an air duel in France, returned to the British lines, but died after lingering for several weeks in hospital. He left Australia as a Lieutenant in the Light Horse, with the First Division. After Gallipoli, he went to England, and transferred to the Flying Corps. Returning to Egypt, he did air work at El Arish and Gaza, then went to England again. With his brothers, Captain Bell owned! Wurrook South, in the Western District, Victoria.

News has been received of two New Zealanders who are prisoners of war in Turkey. No 13/334 Tpr. McLennan is at Noussaybin Working Camp, Bagdad Railway, and 7/879 Tpr. C. M. Morice, Canterbury Mounted Rifles, has reached Angora, from Kirshebir.

Coonamble (N.S.W.) has the honour of claiming Major C. M. Fetherstonehaugh, who won the D.S.O. in Palestine. Mrs. Fetherst-onhaugh is devoting herself to war work at Port Said.

Capt. G. M. Sproule (Vic), Rhodes Scholar, has just received the M.C. for good service in Salonica, where he has been for the past two years. He has now transferred to an infantry battalion in England.

Many South Australians on this front will remember Lieut. W.J. Denny, M.H.A., of Adelaide, who was seriously wounded in France last year. He is engaged in court-martial work at A.I.F. Headquarters, London.

Major-General E.W.C. Chaytor, C. B.. C.M.G., A.D.C., T.D., who was born on June 21st., l868, at Motueka, New Zealand, received his Commission in 1887 with the Marlborough Mounted Rifles. He left the Dominion, with the Main Body as A. A.G., New Zealand Division, with the rank of Colonel. He took part in the landing and was seriously wounded at Anzac on May 24th., 1915, and returned to Gallipoli on September 6th., 1915. On December 24th. 1915, he was promoted Brigadier-General and given command of the N.Z.M.R. Brigade, and was again wounded on July 19th., 1916. On April 27th., 1917, he was promoted Major-General and appointed to command the Anzac Mounted Division. Major-General Chaytor graduated at the Staff-College, Camberley, England, and served through the South African campaign. On his return from South Africa, in 1902, he joined N.Z. Permanent Staff, now Staff Corps. He commanded the 3rd. New Zealand Contingent from May I9th. to 26th., 1900 (severely wounded), and was in command of the 2nd. Regiment, 8th New Zealand Contingent from March 19th.,

1902. He holds the Queen's Medal with three clasps and the King's with two. The General has been mentioned in despatches three times during the present war. He has the Serbian Order of the White Eagle, and the Egyptian Order of the Nile, 2nd. Class.

Lieut. R. A. N. Plant, A. L. H., has returned to Egypt. He was wounded at Romani and invalided to Australia in September, 1916. He was found medically unfit and his appointment in the A.I.F. terminated in July, 1917. Later, he was found fit and volunteered for service with his old regiment.

Lieut-Col. C. D. Fuller, D.S.O., A.L.H., who went to Australia on leave in October last, is back in Egypt. He was wounded at Romani, mentioned in despatches, and was awarded the D.S.O. He was in temporary command of the 2nd. Brigade during the absence of Brigadier-General G de L. Ryrie, who was commanding the Division in the absence of Major-General E.W.C. Chaytor.

Major E.P. McDonnell, A.A.M.C, who has been attached to the 14th A.G.H., since October, 1917 has been invalided home.

Col. W.E. Summons, O.C. 14th A.G.H., is going to Australia on leave. Col. Summons, was O.C. of the 3rd. A.G.H. as Lieut-Col. He arrived in Egypt in September, 1917, to take charge of the 14th A.G.H.

Following on a hurried visit to this war zone by Capt. Frank Hurley, A.I.F. Official Photographer in France, a similar position for the Palestine front has been given to Lieut. J. P. Campbell, late Sergeant in the Australian Army Pay Corps, Egyptian Section, and one of the original signallers of the 8th A.L.H. Lieut. Campbell will be known to many Victorians as he was associated with the Vallan Studio, Mansfield, and was official Photographer to the Commonwealth Government for 18 months. In the commercial world, he was well known as Henry Berry's Gippsland traveller.

Sergeant Jack Dempsey, A.R.D., Australia's champion rough rider, is a fine all round athlete, and he has won many competitions in Egypt. He runs like a gazelle, and has bagged five 100yds'. championship races over here. He won the high jump at a Heliopolis sports meeting in December last, clearing 5ft. 6 1/2 ins., and a few weeks ago, at the Camel Corps sports, was victorious in a wrestling bout on camel back.

Capt. W. Macdonald, R.A.M.C., of Sydney, who recently left Egypt, is at present in London.

The Rev. D.A. Freedman, B.A., Jewish chaplain to the A.I.F., has arrived from England, and after visiting Palestine will return to Australia.

Col. C. M. Begg, N.Z.E F., who has been made a Companion of the Bath, is a Main Body man, and left as medical officer with the Otago Regiment. He was appointed to the position of Director of Medical Services in Egypt, and saw service in Gallipoli. He also did good work in hospitals in Egypt.

Lt-Col. H. Stewart, N.Z.E.F., who recently received the D.S.O., enlisted as a private, but the fact was quickly discovered, that he had had some nine years' experience in the English Territorials, and had held a commission, and he was thereupon granted his substantive rank of Lieutenant. He fought almost throughout the Gallipoli campaign, having only one brief spell when he received bomb wounds. In July, 1915, he was promoted to Captain, and received his majority in August. He won the Military Cross on Gallipoli. After the evacuation, he returned to Egypt. Later on he left for France, where he gained fresh honours, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He was again wounded last October.