Obituaries Australia

General Birdwood has written to Mrs. Metcalfe, of Norfolk Island, in sympthetic terms regarding tho death of her second son, Major James Beverley Metcalfe, M.C.: —

''It is with feelings of deep sorrow that I write to you regarding your brave boy, whose death in action is mourned by so many friends here, who hold him in such high esteem and affection.

"He was, as you know, with the 10th Field Ambulance, and during the operations in tho vicinity of Albert on April 24 he was in charge of the advanced dressing station at Bonnay. This village was subjected to a very heavy bombardment of high-explosive and gas shells by the enemy, under which your son, with practically no protection, attended to the wounded.

"The dressing station had to be moved to a new site, but your boy remained in Bonnay with four men to dress and evaluate the odd cases which continued to come to the old post. Shortly afterwards two shells struck the dressing room, wounding him severely. All possible treatment was afforded him, but it was realised that his case was hopeless, and he died in one of our casualty clearing stations at Vignacourt, whore he was buried. . . . For this most gallant work, which I have described, I was glad to have the privilege of submitting a recommendation for the award of the D.S.O., which has since been approved. Alas! he was not to be spared to wear this high honor with that of the Military Cross (it will, of course, be sent you in due course), but I trust that it will be of some comfort to you to know that his gallant service has been recognised in this way, and that he was prepared to make the supreme sacrifice, doing his utmost for the noble cause of right and freedom, which we all hold so dear.

Of Mrs. Metcalfe's other son—the late Captain Frank Bramall Metcalfe, who was killed during last year, it is said in Hermes, the University magazine: "He died as he had lived—patient, resigned, cheerful—one of the finest types of men that our University has producod.''