FORCE FOR JAPAN

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 148, 20 December 1945, Page 9

FORCE FOR JAPAN

YOUNGER MEN KEEN

VETERANS NOT IMPRESSED

While some of the younger men in the 2nd N.Z.E.F.* are enthusiastic about the prospects of going to Japan with the New Zealand force, the older hands of the Division have not been so keen to volunteer, and are more interested in the prospect of getting home, according to Major the Rev. J. S. Somerville, M.C, one of the bestknown padres of the 2nd N.Z.E.F., who returned today on the Mooltan. "With the cessation of l/stilities there is a tremendous difference in the Division," he said, "and time hangs heavily on the men's hands. On the whole, the spirit has gone out of things, and the men are not looking forward to the prospect of an Italian winter.

"Quite a bit of enthusiasm was shown by some of the younger men for the trip to Japan," said Padre Somerville, "and they are making their preparations always with the hope that their stay there will not be too long and that the volunteering in New Zealand will be fixed up very soon so as to enable them to be relieved in the not too far distant future. They are train-; ing keenly and hard, and the officers particularly are on the job. A number of the men are looking forward to the experience of seeing something new, but the older men would not have it on at any price." ATMOSPHERE CHANGED. .After the Division left Trieste, he said, the atmosphere changed. Trieste was the most civilised and attractive place they had been in for a long time, and it had marked the Division's final victory in the European war. Now the men had really nothing to do, and there was a good deal of talk about getting home. To counteract the boredom many different courses and attractions had been instituted, and one of these was the Chaplains' Leadership School at Riccione, to which he had been attached as lecturer. It was run under Divisional auspices, and was started in June of this year. "Men of all ranks and from all units attended the school," said Padre Somerville. "We took them through a course on the modern approach to Christianity and discussed the problems which would face them on their return to New Zealand today. The purpose of the school was more or less to get hold of people who had the qualities of leadership, and anybody was invited to go along and get an idea of Christian citizenship. We ran the school for about five months and put through about 450 altogether. Lectures along the same lines were continued on the ship, and were very well attended."

Padre Somerville was attached to an armoured regiment, and won his decoration in Italy. Before the war he was Presbyterian minister at Tapanui, Gore.