FLYING MEN'S SPEECHES

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 55, 13 September 1928, Page 12

FLYING MEN'S SPEECHES

HARD TIMES BEHIND PROUD TO BE "BIGGERS" (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Bay. Great enthusiasm marked the proceedings at the smoke concert given by the Returned Soldiers' Association in honour of the airmen. In the course of his reply, Captain Kingsford Smith said that they wcro proud that'they were "Diggers," but they deprecated being regarded as heroes. Thoy were not heroes. "We aro not of the hero type," he said. "The night before last, when wo had a bit of trouble crossing the Tasman, I can assure you I had the ..'wind up' worse than I had ever had *when in France, and I had the 'wind up' there a few times. Lordy knows how we got here, but we are here." In America, when they had no money find few friends, they were- called everything, such as "damned fools," "snieido experts," "a disgrace- to Australia," and all sorts of hard things. They received cables from the Government, the people, and others, saying "Come home," "Don't bring disgrace cv Australia," and similar messages, but Ulm was determined to hang on, and they were helped by a great friend -fhey had made here. During their bad limes in America the only encouragement they got was from the "Diggers. '' Lieutenant Ulm said that since they Lad hopped off from America they had had a lot of receptions, and had listened to many nice things said about them, but they were always happier at "Diggers" gatherings. They had been called everything, from fools in the first place to heroes when they got to Suva, and pioneers when they got to Australia. All the kind words said of them were very nice, but what they liked most was to be called "Diggers." They were glad and happy when they decided to make the flight across the Tasman, because they were able to join up with the other part of Anzac. He did not regard himself as a hero. He was a hero when he landed on Gallipoli, but if it had not been for the water behind him ho would have been running yet. He had been called a licro when he landed here on Tuesday, but he assured them that lie had had the "wind up" pretty badly on the way over. Speaking of hard times in America, he said that he could truthfully say that the only moral support they got was from the "Diggers." Messrs. Litchfield and M'Williams itlso spoke. The latter acknowledged the support given to him by the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association when he made an ■application for the position of radio operator on the Southern Cross.