SPARTAN MOTHER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 212, 8 September 1941, Page 8

SPARTAN MOTHER

EIGHT SONS OVERSEAS

CAMPBELLS IN THE ARMY

Auckland recently entertained unawares a visitor from Invercargill who has the unusual distinction of having sent eight sons overseas with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force from her generous family of nine sons and two daughters. The ninth son also enlisted for service, endeavouring to join the Air Force, but failed to pass the eyesight test.

This Spartan mother is Mrs. Campbell, whose husband has been for many years in the postal service in Invercargill. She was staying with relatives in Auckland last week, and has since returned home. In seeking her a reporter found that she shunned publicity on the subject of sacrifice on her part. Her point of view was explained by a relative, who said Mrs. Campbell did not think there was anything exceptional about the fact that ail of her boys had offered their services. She felt that there were hundreds of other mothers in Xew Zealand, perhans some of them with as many sons, who were in the same position as herself—all their sons had offered their services.

In the course of conversa-ion it was learned that the Campbell boy-; themselves, some of them married, had enlisted voluntarily, and that starting with the main body, one or more of the family had been with every echelon that had left Xew Zealand. One of them had been reported missing after the Greek campaign and another had been wounded but was later reported discharged from hospital and was expected back home shortly.

Mrs. Campbell was described as a bright and lively little lady who appeared much too youthful to be the mother of 11 children, much less one who was worried by the cares of trying to keep touch with eight soldier sons on active service. One compensation was the fact that her sons on service were earnest letterwriters. and four of them were in the same sector and able to check up on one another in their home correspondence.