TEN DAYS ABOARD A WARSHIP

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 159, 6 July 1940, Page 5 (Supplement)

TEN DAYS ABOARD A WARSHIP

Experiences of a Soldier From the Rangitata. THERE is at least one soldier who travelled in the Rangitata who was afforded in the course of the voyage an intimate experience of the workings of those sleek grey monsters to whom we are all equally indebted for our common safe-keeping. He is Private H.D., of Overseas Base, and the fact that for ten days he was an honoured, if uninvited, guest on H.M.S. Kent is something of which he is inordinately though justifiably proud. How he came to be a guest at all is a story by itself, but suffice to say that H. got mixed up in a little affair of honour while in Fremantle and by the time the hospital authorities there had sufficiently attended to his needs the convoy had departed. So H. got his trip—some chaps have all the luck. Feeling a little sorry for himself and not a little anxious, he arrived at the wharfside in an army transport, and was bundled with a large assortment of mail into a minesweeper, which shortly after chugged off into the stream. There it pulled up alongside the Kent and H. had the remarkable experience of being hauled aboard a warship per medium of a crane. *1 was landed at night right in the midst of a bunch of commander chaps," said H.,- "and as I staggered out of my mail box I felt just a bit dazed at all that brilliance of gold embroidery. They all seemed so horribly efficient and immobile." However, an officer took charge of H. and led him to the sick bay, where all sorts of questions were asked, and where he was eventually made comfortable for the night on a deck chair, this being considered the best type of bed to save him unnecessary pain. He had soon discovered that the sfek bay had plenty of other inmates. In fact, it was a full house, every arm of the ship's service being represented by some cot case. One man had fallen from a gangway and broken his leg. H.s first night aboard a warship was not particularly comfortable. He perforce had to sleep, fitfully owing to the whirring of the ship's ventilators and of course his own little worries as well. As regards eating, he was attached to the marines, and for the first day his meals were brought to the sick bay.;Not being anxious to spend the trip beneath blankets H. was soon up and about, and with a fellow cripple, a marine, as a guide, commenced to explore the ship from end to end. He was not lone before he found his way to the holy of holies—the quarter-deck, where no matelots are allowed. He nevertheless ran full tilt" into a commander, who put him through a tidy questionnaire, just as the doctor had already done, on New Zealand in general. He found that eyerybo • med very interested in our Dominic I all hoped to pay it an extended visit. None had ever beep there.'

"One thing that struck me," said H., "was that the average person could not

understand why anyone should want to join tip of their own free will." "Were you out 1 of a job?" was a common inquiry. Next day H. mada the acquaintance of a telegraphist, who was being treated for slight deafness, brought on by overwearing of earphones. His father had been a detective-sergeant at New Scotland Yard and he gave H. a warm invitation to call on hie people should he ever be in London. He also proved a wonderful guide, and soon H. was being introduced to the mysterious mechanism of a warship, which in itself is an unending source of interest. <» ■$>

RAILWAY BATTALION R.S.M.

Regimental Sergeant-Major S. M. Thomson has been posted to the Railway Company, which is in training at Hopuhopu. As the ribbons indicate, he is a Great War Veteran, 1914-1919, wi(J> the Bth Seaforth Highlanders, part of the time acting as interpreter with Divisional Headquarters. Was secretary Imperial Ex-Servicemen's Club, Palmqrston North, from its inception till his enlistment. ♦ — 4

Not far out from port H. had the enviable experience of being aboard a warship at full speed, oh the track of — something. It actually was a cargo boat which in the darkness had strayed on to tlie .track of the convoy. This became quite a usual occurrence. One offender, a tanker, seemed to give cause for. suspicion. In a flash a powerful searchlight played straight upon her and simultaneously, with an eerie, cohesion, the great guns swung round. To the spectator there came the feeling that one false move and the tanker would have been blown out of the water. Altogether, the private had rather an interesting and pleasant Unie on board the Kent, and his pleasure v. as not unmixed with a tinge of regret when, on arrival at Colombo, he was transferred, again with mail, per medium of a gunboat, back to his own ship. "The Rangltatler."

«> MOUNT ALBERT MOVEMENT In keeping with districts and communities in different parts of New Zealand, Mount Albert borough has organised a movement to provido every serving soldier with gifts while overseas, also to remember those yet to go on service with some tangible token of appreciation and encouragement. This is a sentiment that all ex-servicemen will be pleased to see, and the Mount Albert committee is endeavouring to make sure that no soldier is forgotten or overlooked. Consequently Mr. T. R. Congalton, himself a veteran "Digger," town clerk of the borough and secretary and treasurer to the committee responsible, asks if friends and relations will stipply him with the names and addresses of men from Mount Albert who. may have gone on service or are about to do so. Donations to the fund, too, would be more than welcome, and it is gratifying to learn that amongst the first sums received was a contribution from their wages from men on relief work.