NEW COMMANDER ARRIVES

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25449, 22 March 1948, Page 6

NEW COMMANDER ARRIVES

SOUTHERN MILITARY DISTRICT

BRIGADIER C. E, WEIR “I am not one of those people who international siwatipn is senous and requires the yigflupce pf W te W that it does not deteriorate, but I thinje it is possible , for the Russian system and our own democratic system tp Hye togptejfr.” This statement was made by Brigadier C. E. Wpir, C. 8.. C. 8.?., D.STO. 3i)d bay, wbp bas arriveji Ip Christchurch to take over the command of Southern Military District from Brigadier E. T. Rowllings. in an interview yesterday. ' ■ Bpgaffier Weir, w |ip copies from Ptago, was chosen in 1922 as onp of the three cadets to go to EnglaP<* ter traipipg for the New Zealand Staff Corps. After spending several years at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich he returned to New Zealand to join the Royal New Zealand was stationed in turn at Christchurch, Wellington aris Auckland? . and left New Zealand m 194 D with the rank pf lieutenant-colonel as officer commanding the 3rd Echplpn. IY as With the 2nd New Zealand Division in the Middle Jsast until' July, 1944, wbto to Wto appointed persopal liaison officer to the headquarters of the 21st Army Grqup commanded by Field-IJarthal Montgomery, gnq the Bth Army, commanded by General bir Oliver Leese.' After the campaign in Greece he was promoted to the rank of brigadier and was the youngest officer to hold the rank in the New Zealand forces. He was awarded the D:S.O. during the campaign''arid' was awarded a bar to trie jjurffig the Libyan cariwaigri. ma B ifW JKFkB" RW Corps and recalled to capunand the New Zpateph Division when General Freyberg was injured in an plane accident. T|e commanded the British ipfaptry division which yzps fighting alongside New Zealanders in North Italy gnd went to Athens with the division at 1944, when disturbances brpke put. Jrl March he returned to Italy ' and teP& part in the last fey? says Of the capiPSjign.' Hg fben wept to East Austria with the Rjitjsb occupation force, where he remained for 18 months after the war was'over. Bp returned to England in October, 1946, to attend the Imperial Defence College, but became ill and has just returned to duty. Asked about the pattern qf fptiipe warfare. Brigadier Weir sai<j that many cfiscoveries were ’feeipg made and' that it would he impossible to preffict what wpuld fitopeh or IB years tom now- “'Any tors we fight an the npxt few years, however, will pe pp traffitjppal imps with tee §dditipn pf atoffi lG and guided air he ? pid. x Brigadier weir said that a considerable amount of rehabilitation -work had bfeen carried out in East Conditions Had been enprmously difficult after the war had ended whpn eyery T ti?ipg 'had been ffisltofttefi, but tfte transport system had since beep restored and a good deal had been done tpwards ffie i-ehabihtpti°n of the poultry. -