REFERENCE TO THEIR PART IN FUTURE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 116, 11 February 1944, Page 6

REFERENCE TO THEIR PART IN FUTURE

The recent homecoming of the second furlough draft takes its place, with the going of the first echelons and the return of the first furlough party, among those wartime events within New Zealand which have made the deepest hnntession on the people. When men moved through the lanes in the wharf shed to foin their kith and kin outside, women of all ages wept openya he si"bt of them, and in relief of the pent-up emotions they experienced waiting for their own sons, husbands, brothers and sweethearts. Some of 1 <•' men were welcomed by children who were babes in arms who" ’ tft al ; after four years, were able to speak to their Dads f6t the 111 st time. Many vonmr women were there to embrace the men to whom they have given loyalty which from the men’s own accounts, will soon be rewarded by the permanen Xtafto" f « were .thee men ’J’« and friendships broken up by the inescapable separation and encumstances ° f "The draft consists of the balance of the first, second and third echelons, with few exceptions, plus some railway construction personnel, nurses, sailois, and ar(? tQ be inedienlly examined within a fortnight, and their three months’ furlough will date from then. a nnero Thev have fought in battles from Greece right up to that of the bar g; River hi Italv. Those who had fought in. Italy were few, as the furlough arraiwementswere such that most of those due to return were brought back o toe before the Italian campaign started. A large number however, had been up as far as Tunisia. None of them made any seciet of the fac. that for the time being they have had enough of fighting.

Welcoming the draft on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand, the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, said the Government had been pleased to arrange furlough for another draft of those who had seen lengthy service. “I hope,” said Mr. Fraser, that the. members of the draft who have so well earned a respite from active campaigning will enjoy their stay in New Zealand and when their leave period ends they will be thoroughly refreshed and ready, to play whatever part may be allotted io them in the future course, of the war, consistent with the announced conditions of their furlough leave.” They were being granted full pay arid allowances, puts a free railway pass during the furlough period. The railway pass would include wives of those now married and those of men who married during their fur-

lough. ' . ’ ’ „ , , • „ The journey back to New Zealand was uneventful and they arrived in a former luxury liner. Messing, quarter? and shower accommodation was reported as good. , , „ “We’ve been bombed, mortared, shelled and' machine-gunned and even had our trucks blown up underneath us, but we're here again,” said a group of A.b.G. men including one who, as part of an advance, guard, left New Zealand four years ago to the day. : _ The Italians, as enemies, are-past history to the men, but they hold poor opinions of them as soldiers. . But the Germans were tough, they said, and hard to shift. Their machine-gunning was

first-class while one of their mortars, a six-barrelled weapon called the Nebelwerfer, firing 5.9 shells, created the impression of a Stuka raidThe “Tribe of Wakatipu.”

The draft which has returned has been christened the tribe of Wakatipu. ’lbis is how one of 'their humorists described the home-coming:— . “And it came to pass that a 1 tribe ot Freyberg’s warriors became browned off by the‘sun in the Land of Phardah.' Unto these warriors and Amazons was appointed a leader of great vision, Patriarch Harding (Col. R. W. Harding, officer in charge of the draft), who spake unto his •followers, saying: 'Henceforth, because of thy valour in all fields of war, ye 'shall be known a.s Wakatipus, and I have been commanded to lead you out of the land of Egypt unto'a land flowing with beer and skittles. Will ye follow me.’ And with one voice, all tire tribe answered, ‘Too blooming right’. . . Great were the trials and tribulations of the Chosen as they languished at Ease, lashed-by the biting tongue of General Rumour. • • “Amidst great rejoicing, however, did the tribe embark on its crusade in a great shin like unto the Ark. And so it came to pass that they were shepherded southward to that land of sweet desire. Ao-tea-Roa.” ■„ ■ As it was expressed when home was nearer: “We are getting used to long ocean voyages. But this one is different from all (previous trips; we are going Home. Our pioneer grandfathers and grandmothers made their way hopefully to their southern homes in much smaller ships than these in which we travel. Their fresh water supply was even less than ours and the salt pork and ships biscuits made very monotonous meals. But history tells us tjiat they always looked forward cheerfully to their new homes. After leaving the Old Land, they gathered aft each day and, looking back down the vessel’s wake as they prayed, and sang their nymns, their thoughts were of the loved ones they had left behind. But once having crossed the equator a new spirit manifested itself. They stopped looking backward, and henceforth every morning they gathered at the bow and said their prayers, looking hopefully to the new home. So today we look toward our native land. Closing our eyes io the watery waste around us we see our welcoming loved ones, green fields, white sandy beaches. We can almost smell the scent of the manuka.” Surrender in Truck-loads.

Amusing incidents of the surrender ot Italians after the first week following the break-through at El Alamein were told. Italian transport drivers with 10-ton trucks and similar capacity trailers would drive up loaded with men for surrender, unload them and return for. another lot. It was like a non-stop passenger service. The only time the Italians seemed to fight well was when they had their backs to the wall at Takrouna—the wall was the Germans behind and the Allies were in front. ■ ’' • • ' A Maori artilleryman had a remarkable run of luck from Greece to the Sangro River. his worst knocks having been re- / ceived in Rugby matches. On Crete, ■' though urged to surrender, this Maori and his companions stuck to their arms and got away in an old barge. They were six days at sea, the last without petrol and drifting, when they were sighted by Indifin patrols 25 miles from Solium, toward Sidi Barrani. Up to Tunisia, this Maori and his friends thought the Indian Division the finest bunch of fighters they had met. t Mud and Blood. “Mud and blood” was how the Maori described the Sangro lliver battle. They had had tougher lighting, but the conditions were atrocious and German minefields so thoroughly ' laid that headway was hard and dangerous. When this particular artillery regiment crossed the river on a trestle bridge the vehicles had to be towed 150 yards on the other side because of the depth of mud. There was no question of sleep except in snatches at fighting positions. Uniforms soaked and dried on them according to, the weather and dry boots were unknown. There the regiment got its worst smack of.the whole war. The. disembarkation arrangements, appeared good. For relatives and men belonging to the port of arrival areas were placarded with the various suburban districts’ names to allow them to meet without confusion. Men from other parts were got off to their homes quicker than might have been thought possible with the present rail restrictions. An interesting observation by the Rugby enthusiasts of the draft —and most were—was that the road of the New Zealanders from Cairo to Tripoli could be told by the trail of fields and goal--*osts.