ARTILLERY OFFICERS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 247, 16 July 1935, Page 15

ARTILLERY OFFICERS

Reunion in Wellington A reunion of New Zealand field artillery officers who served in the Great War with the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces took place in Wellington at the end of last week. The reunion, which has become more or less an annual affair, has been so successful on past occasions that it again attracted a large number of officers from various distant parts of the country —from as far south as Central Otago and as far north as Auckland. On Friday night a dinner was held in the Wellington Club, when more than 40 were present. Lieutenant A. S. Milne (Dunedin) was in the chair. As befitted such an occasion, speeches were few and brief. The toast of “The Regiment” was proposed by Major M. Tweed, N.Z.M.C., and responded to by Colonel F. Symon. ' The toast of “Absent Comrades” was proposed by the chairman and the impressiveness and solemnity with which this toast is always invested at gatherings of this kind was heightened when Lieutenant D. M. Eckhoff read slowly and impressively the names of those officers who had fallen in Gallipoli and France and those who had died in New Zealand since the war. During their stay in Wellington the visiting officers were entertained in various ways. Hospitality was extended by the Wellesley Club, and the visitors were also the guests of the Wellington Racing Club at its winter meeting at Trentham. On the last day they' were entertained by the president of the club, Mr. Eric L. Riddiford at a brief and informal little gathering, when he expressed his pleasure at seeing them present. One of the visitors expressed their appreciation of the club’s hospitality.