FITTING END TO TOUR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25250, 31 July 1947, Page 8

FITTING END TO TOUR

Lord Montgomery At Auckland ENTHUSIASM OF RECEPTION (P.A.) AUCKLAND, July 30. Auckland’s magnificent Welcome to Field-Marshal Viscount Montgomery was a fitting end to a wonderful tour in which pakeha and Maori hadjoined to do honour to a great leader, said the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) at the civic reception to-day. “Simply terrific,” was the description given by Field-Marshal Montgomery to Auckland’s welcome. The doors of the town hall were opened at 9 o’clock, when about 40 persons were waiting in a queue. During the morning there was a steady stream into the main hall and the concert chamber, which were filled before 11.30 ajn. The field-marshal apparently had souvenir-hunters in mind when he refused to leave his black s eret in the Mayor’s room during the reception. “I always keep my hats with me; they have been known to get ‘pinched’,” he said, maintaining a firm grip on it. Accompanied by the Mayor (Mr J. A. C. Allum) and the Mayoress, FieldMarsha] Montgomery went first to the concert chamber to acknowledge the greeting of about 800 persons who were unable to find seats in the main hall. Cheering in Hall A burst of cheering greeted him as he entered the main hall, and the cheering grew in volume as he walked down the aisle to the stage. The Mayor referred briefly to the highlights in Field-Marshal Montgomery’s career, and recalled that von Rundstedt. after his capture, had said: “In my opinion Field-Marshal Montgomery is the best general who ever led a British army.” Mr Jones said it had been an inspiring tour. New Zealanders would always remember what Field-Marshal Montgomery and his country had done for the Dominion. A presentation of an inlaid chess table and a set of chessmen of New Zealand woods was made by Mr Allum. He said Ix>rd Montgomery was a keen chess player, but it was not known whether his ability in the game made him a great soldier or whether his ability as a soldier made him a great chess player. Chess with His Son

A confession that he had not played chess during the war because he had not had time and that he had given up the game when beaten at it by his nine-year-old son. then captain of his school chess team, was made by the field-marshal. “Wheri that happened I said, "This is the %nish’.” Field-Mar-shal Montgomery added. “However, I shall certainly take it up again on this table.”

Referring to the workmanship that had gone into the table, the fieldmarshal asked the Mayor to congratulate the craftsman responsible. In the evening of his days, and he was already in the late afternoon, he was determined to beat his son at chess, end on the Auckland table.

Addressing 4COO ex-servicemen. Lord Montgomery told them, “for the first time in public, why Germany lost the war.” The enemy, he said, made two big mistakes. First, in attacking Russia. because “it’s such a long way to Moscow.” and second in persuading the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbour. After Pearl Harbour the war was “a Bitter.”

Lord Montgomery said that if Germany had forgotten about Russia and reinforced Rommel in Egynt. almost the whole of the Middle East could have been Germany’s for the asking. But instead. Germany attacked a country with almost limitless resources.