DIARY OF EVENTS ILLUSTRATED

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 82, 31 December 1940, Page 5

DIARY OF EVENTS ILLUSTRATED

Jan. 3. Official farewell to Ist Echelon, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which later proceeded to Egypt. (1). (Units of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. took part in the successful British offensive in the Western Desert which began in December). Feb. 1. Eucharistic Congress opened in Wellington. (2). Feb. 17. H.M.S. Cossack effected rescue of British seamen from Nazi prisonship Altmark in Josing Fiord, Norway. The rescued men were later landed from Cossack at Leith, Scotland. (3). Feb. 23. H.M.S. Achilles, which Look part in the victorious battle off Monte video, arrived back at her base port. Auckland. (4). Mar. 13. Russo-Finnish peace signed, ending hostilities which had been carried on in arctic conditons for more than three months. (5). Mar. 27. The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr. M. J. Savage, died in Wellington. (6 ). Apr. 4. Mr. Fraser, deputy-Prime Minister, confirmed by Labour Party Caucus as successor to Mr. Savage. (7). Apr. 9. Surprise invasion of Norway and Denmark by Germany. Troop's landed at ports stretching from Narvik (8) in the north to Oslo in the southeast. May 4. New Zealand Centennial Exhibition at Rongotai closed. (9). .May 10. Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg invaded by Germany’. Nazi troops swiftly penetrated Holland (10) and overran the Low Countries, outflanked the Franco-British forces in that area, but failed to prevent a successful evacuation from Dunkirk. May 10. Mr. Chamberlain (11), whose health had been failing for some time, resigned the Prime Ministership of Great Britain, and was succeeded by Mr. Winston Churchill (12). (Mr. Chamberlain died on November 10). June 10. Mussolini announces Italy’s entry into war. (13). (On October 28 Italy made an unprovoked attack on Greece following a three-hour ultimatum).

June 17. France sued for an armistice, which was signed in the famous railway carriage at Compiegne on June 22. An armistice commission (14) commenced sittings at. Wiesbaden on June 30 to settle details of the working of the terms.

June 20. Arrival in England of the 2nd Echelon, 2nd N.Z.E.F., a Maori battalion (15) formed part. - ■

June 30. Obit. Sir Walter Carncross, for mauy years Speaker of the Legislative Council in New Zealand. (16).

Aug. 17. Parade of the 3rd Echelon in Wellington (17). Its safe arrival at its destination was announced in December. Sept. 3. Agreement announced between Great Britain and the United States under which 50 laid-up destroyers of the U.S. Navy were transferred to the Royal Navy and a number of bases in British islands were leased to the United States. (18). Sept. 5. Disorders in Rumania culminating the following day in the abdication of King Carol. (19). Sept. 7. Concentrated aerial attack on Great Britain begins. Many famous buildings, including ' St.' Paul’-s Cathedral (20) damaged in this and subsequent raids. Sept. 11. R.A.F.’s first big raid on Berlin. Much damage was done in this and subsequent attacks. (21). First ship bringing British children to New Zealand arrived at Wellington. (22). Sept. 16. Nazi air losses reached their peak, 185 being brought down over Britain during the day. (23). Sept. 24. First ballot for men for the New Zealand military forces began in Wellington. (24). Nov. 5. President Roosevelt returned lor a third term of office. (25).