MAJOR-GENERAL FREYBERG

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22907, 2 January 1940, Page 2 (Supplement)

MAJOR-GENERAL FREYBERG

RECEPTION IN . CITY

Great Enthusiasm Of Public

LARGE CROWDS GATHER

High Tributes Paid ' The reception accorded Major-Gen-eral Freyberg, V.C., Commander of the New Zealand Special Force, on his arrival in Christchurch was the most • enthusiastic seen in the city for many years. On the arrival of the Rangatira at Lyttelton on Saturday morning MajorGeneral Freyberg, who was the first to step ashore, was met by Colonel P. H. Bell, Officer Commanding the Southern Military District, and by Major «L P E. Veale, officer in command of Z Company National Reserve, stationed at' Lyttelton. A guard of honour from Z Company;. all former service men, was drawn up on the ■wharf, and was inspected by MajorGeneral Freyberg. At the conclusion; he briefly thanked the officers and men for the honour they had done him, and said he would have liked to talk to each man \ personally, , but it would mean delaying passengers disembarking from the. vessel. At the call of the Mayor of Lyttelton (Mr F. E. Sutjton) three cheers were given far" the general. Civic Reception After being welcomed at Lyttelton, Major-General ' Freyberg drove to Christchurch, passing- along the Summit road, to be greeted at a .civic reception on the balcony of Warner's JHotel in Cathedral square. His appearance with the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane,M.P.),Colonel.Bell, Mr £A. E. Haynes, i president of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association, and other officers and representatives of the city was greeted with loud applause by the large crowd that, had gathered in the Square. Throughout the proceedings the. high tributes that' 1 were paid to Major-General. Freyberg ■were greeted with similar applause. ,The crowd heartily responded, when cheers were led -by-the Mayor, and broke into cheering spontaneously at the close of the speeches. . "The people of Christchurch. are proud of the opportunity of welcoming Major-General Freyberg," said the Mayor, "We can also welcome him to the South Island, since this is the only city in the South Island that he .will have the opportunity of seeing on - this visit. "New - Zealand is fortunate in having such a man to command the Special Force. He has proved himself by his deeds in the past, his courage, and his outstanding all-round ability as a leader. His appointment has been heartily welcomed from one end of New Zealand to the other." ' ; Attitude of* New Zealand • Mr Mactarlane said that he could assure - Major-General Freyberg that the men under his command were or the same high standard as those that took part" in the war from 1914 to 1918. "And I can assure him that as far as the issues of the present struggle are concerned the citizens of New Zealand stand firmly behind the British Empire. Little New Zealand as a state could not exist without the protection of the- British flag and the solidarity of the British Empire. As firmly as we stood in the past so will we stand in the future." After expressing the city's appreciation of the men who had enlisted and thanks to the Recruiting Committee for its' work, Mr Macfarlane said that he felt that during the course of the next ,week the full quota of men would be - secured. - _ . _ , ■ "We heartily welcome Major-General "Freyberg to Christchurch," he concluded, "and We again assure him that New Zealand is determined to see through the struggle with the forces j rthat have thrust the present issue upon "Name - ax. Inspiration "His very name is an inspiration to rthe men who wentoverseas in the last •war, and it will be a source of enx thusiasnr to. those who will proceed overseas in the near future," said Mr |A E Haynes, president of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers* Association., ■when supporting the Mayor in the tributes and welcome to Major-General Freyberg. ■ 'We know that he has all the qualities called for in his position—- . initiative, courage, and experience. Under His guidance the New ' Zealand troops should' live up to their good name and reach even higher laurels than before. !...;,• "If the second division is still animated by the spirit of Anzac they will bring honour to their King and country and themselves .under the control and direction of Major-General Freyberg." Major-General Freyberg warmly expressed appreciation of the -reception he had been given. He spoke', of the pleasure he felt in visiting Christchurch, especially in having passed by the "Pilgrim's Way" on his drive from "Lyttelton. He was struck everywhere by- the gardens and by the large number of English trees, he said, mentioning that gardening was one of his own hobbies in times of peace. He paid a high tribute to the Mayor ' and the Recruiting Committee for the work' that was being done to secure . enlistments in the city. Special appreciation was expressed l>y Major-General Freyberg of the 1 guard of-honour composed of men of the Z Company- of the National Rewhich had welcomed him at .'"""" Lyttelton. . • "No guard of honour is more acceptable to a soldier than the old comjxades who fought with him in the last rwar," he said,, adding that he wished to extend special thanks to Major Mitchell of- the 23rd Battery, Major J". P. E. Veale. and Major L. W. .Tosswill.

MENACE OF GERMANY

LITTLE NATIONS OF THE WORLD

* GENERAL FREYBERG'S VIEWS

ADDRESS AT CIVIC WELCOME "There must be many thoughts going through your heads: How long is this war going to last, is it going to be a long war ■or a short war?" -said Major-General Freyberg, V.C., commander, of the New Zealand- Special Force, when addressing the public at a civic welcome extended to him on Saturday morning. "But I can assure you of this: there can be no peace possible while Germany is a menace to the little nations of the world. The great need of the present time is wisdom and common sense. You have been told that we are hot righting the German nation, but to overthrow Nazism. That is a dangerous way to talk. Those who know the German nation have a great feeling of distrust in having anything to do with them "Tried to Avoid War" "Never has a nation tried harder to avoid war than Great Britain, and never has a nation gone into war with a clearer issue and a clearer purpose. "As far as the Allies are concerned, the war has not started yet," he said. "The fate of Poland was inevitable, but in a great many ways we are more favourably placed than in 1914." Major-General Freyberg went on to pay a tribute to the formidable character of the French army and defences. He - had been in France at the army headquarters three weeks ago, and he had never before been so impressed as with the .confidence that existed and with the kindness and good feeling towards the people of Great Britain. The co-operation between the two great democracies had never been firmer or better. Every night German propaganda agents were broadcasting to the French, telling them that while the French had one man in eight in. the army, the British had only one in 40: the French, they said, were doing the fighting with an army of 4,000,000. supported by only 200,000 British. Britain's War.Effort "This is a subtle form of propaganda, but it is untrue," he said. "The feeling in France is that Great Britain is a solid nation. Great Britain has made an enormous effort during the last two years. She has settled down to the task of turning- the whole country over on to a war-time basis. The air raid defences are second to none: London is the most highly-fortified town in the world. The balloon barrage makes low-flying attack impossible. In the, industrial' areas in the north., &e- ---! fences have been built up at a cost of | £30,000,000 or £40,000,000 during the ' last 15 months. "Industry has been turned over from i a peace-time basis to a war-time basis. All the munitions wanted by ourselves and our allies will be coming forward in the way that was anticipated. The country is advancing this programme by expenditure from the heaviest taxation that any nation has ever suffered, and they are doing it cheerfully." He then paid a tribute to the women of England. "They have gone into every industry and every service," he said, "the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force." After praising the work of the Mayor of [ Christchurch and the 'recruiting committee, Major-General Freyberg said that everywhere he had been he had been asked about the New Zear land forces. Both the British and French army commanders had shown the keenest interest in the men-from New Zealand, that were to join the allied troops. 'They had all said the same thing, that in the last war New Zealand troops.were among the finest -divisions-in the line, and that they felt the greatest admiration for the courtesy the New Zealand troops had shown in the hack areas. "Nobody realises more than I do the responsibility of the task as commander of the second New Zealand force. We have enormous traditions, and we shall have to do our utmost to maintain -these traditions in the field. "I have the utmost confidence in the youth of the present day. What their fathers could achieve there is no reason why the sons could not achieve equally well."

GENERAL MEETS FRIENDS

two reunions at .-';■

WITH DEFENCE ENGINEER

The engineer in charge of the building of Burnham Military Camp and other defence works in Canterbury, Mr J. E. Anderson, is a friend of long standing of Major-General T3. C Freyberg, V.C., the commander of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The general recognised him instantly when he was crossing from a parade ground at the camp on Saturday, - and they chatted for several minutes.' The general and Mr Anderson, tirst fbecame ' acquainted in Wellington before the former sailed for the United States and drifted to Mexico to begin his soldiering career. They met again in theYpres sector in 1918. when Mr Anderson, then an acting lieutenant-colonel, was working on the army battle zone with the Bth Army Corps commanded by General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston. Major-Gcneral Frevberg was then commanding one cf the brigades of the 29th Division, and, when in reserve, he worked on the army battle .-zone. Major-General Freyberg and Mr Anderson became very friendly there. Mr Anderson, who was in Canada at the outbreak cf the Great War, served throughout ■ with the Imperial Arrr.y and was after the Armistice transferred to the East for two years, being in Mesopotamia in -the 1920 Arab rebellion. While at .Burnham, Major-General Freyberg also met Mr G. E. F. Kingscote, who was major of the company in which the general's brother, Paul. was a lance-corporal. Paul Freyberg was killed at Ivlessines in 1917, when Major Kingscoto was on service in Russia.