MOOLTAN ARRIVALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 December 1945, Page 4

MOOLTAN ARRIVALS

WELCOME AT WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON, December 20.

. Nearly 4000 New Zealand members of the forces returned to the Dominion by the Mooltan to-day. The draft, comprising Navy, Army, and Air Force personnel, together with some representatives of the forces of other countries—including the Fighting French —and some wives and fiancees of New Zealand servicemen totalled 3846, of w’hich number 2423 had North Island destinations..

The official party which welcomed the draft included the Acting-Prime Minister (Mr. Nash), the Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones), the Minister of Rehabilitation (Mr. Skinner), and Lieutenant-Colonel J. Ferris, who addressed the Maori members in thenown language. The sum of £B6/11/-, representing charity money raised by the men during the voyage to New Zealand, was handed to the Returned Services’ Association representative (Mr. W. E. Leadley) in the official party for the benefit of the blind servicemen’s institute. BRIDE FROM CRETE.

WELLINGTON, December 20. Accompanied by his 25-year-old Greek bride, whom he married only two and a half months ago, Corporal Edward Nathan, of the Maori Battalion, was a member of the draft which returned to-day on- the Mooltan. His romance began in Crete, in 1941, when he swam ashore after his hospital ship was bombed after leaving Suda Bay, and was given succour by his future wife, Katina Torakis, the schoolmistress of a little Cretan village. For months after he and Katina had separated in Crete, . because Nathan was apprehended by the Germans and narrowly escaped being shot as a spy, neither knew whether the other still liVed. Corporal Nathan now speaks fluent Greek, and on hisreturn to Crete recently he was attached as an interpreter to the Greek party that' participated in the dedication of the British cemetery there. For 14 months Corporal Nathan lived with Katina’s family, but eventually he was caught in the hills by the Germans, and the Gestapo decided that he should be “bumped off” as a spy. Fortunately, through friendly guards, he was able to have his identity disc smuggled into the civil prison. “It was then that they began to get really nasty, and beat me up with rifles and boots—not for being a soldier, but I would not disclose how I obtained the disc,” said Corporal Nathan. Transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Athens, Corporal Nathan escaped within a fortnight, but was recaptured, and spent the next two years in Upper Silesia, where he acted as interpreter for Cretan prisoners. He was subsequently repatriated to England, and after unsuccessfully attempting to communicate with his fiancee was given leave to go to Cl Meanwhile, Katina’s family had suffered: her father had died as a consequence of German persecution, and Katina herself had been imprisoned. His arrival brought the romance to a happy ending, and they were married on October 3 last. The bride and groom then travelled to England, where they caught the Mooltan JoiNew Zealand. Before the war, Corporal Nathan was farming in the Dargaville district, and he and his wife intend to settle there.

FRENCH NURSE’S AWARD. WELLINGTON, December 20. Wearing the Croix de Guerre, awarded for bravery under bombardment, General de Gaulle’s Medal of Resistance, created in 1940. and the Medal of Honour, awarded for special services to the French Ministry of Health, Lieutenant Maadi Gobray returned by the Mooltan to-day after three years’ interesting and at times dangerous experiences as a nurse with the Fighting French Forces. A French girl, she came to New Zealand from Tahiti to take her nursing training at the Oamaru Hospital. She enlisted for overseas service on completing her training, and was the only woman to go from New Zealand to serve with the French forces, which she joined in Syria. She landed in the south of France with a field hospital unit of the Ist French Army, and then moved into Germany. She was stationed at Alsace for some time, and it was here that she earned the Croix de Guerre. With 20 other nurses she was among the first Frenchwomen to cross the line.

SCENES AT LYTTELTON.

CHRISTCHURCH, December 21.

The Mooltan was an impressive sight as she steamed up the calm stretch of Lyttelton harbour early this morning, carrying 1381 South Island servicemen and women from the United Kingdom and the Middle East. The weather was almost the best that a Summer day could offer and was a foretaste of the warmly enthusiastic welcome that awaited the Christchurch men at the railway station. The Mooltan disembarked approximately two-thirds of her complement at Wellington and to-day just on 1100 Army personnel, 147 Air Force personnel from the United Kingdom and the Middle East, 111 Naval personnel from the United Kingdom and Ceylon, and seven civilians. It was a happy, uneventful trip and with the exception of a few airmen who complained that the living quarters were crowded, the troops were loud . in their praises of all that was done for them on board.

The senior Army officer was Brigadier I. L. Bonifant, who was particularly joyful because he was home in time to celebrate his wedding anniversary. Other ranking officers on board were Colonel D. J. Fountaine, Westport, and Lieutenant-Colonel D. G. Grant, Christchurch. Four years ago last October 30 girls left New Zealand to staff the New Zealand Services’ Club in Cairo. One of them, Subaltern (Mrs.) C. I. Webb, formerly Miss Joyce Gilmour, Invercargill, returned on the Mooltan. She had Served in Cairo, Italy and England, and found time to marry a naval officer whom she plans to rejoin at Singapore as soon as shipping facilities are available. WELCOME AT GREYMOUTH

There was a large crowd at the Greymouth Railway Station this afternoon to meet over 40 returning West Coast soldiers, sailors and airmen who travelled by special railcar from Christchurch after disembarking from the Mooltan at Lyttelton this morning. The party, which included Colonel D. J. Fountaine, D. 5.0., M.C., M.1.D., of Westport, was under the charge of Captain A. R. Curtis, of Greymouth, and arrived at Greymouth at the scheduled time, 2.10 p.m. The Mayor, Mr F. A. Kitchingham, called for three cheers for the men, who were then greeted by relations and friends and escorted to cars arranged by the Automobile Associa-

tion to convey them to their respective homes. The Hokitika men continued their journey by railcar, the 2.5 p.m. railcar having been held. A further 20 men for destinations on the Westport line are travelling by express from Christchurch and will transfer at Stillwater.

ATHELING PASSENGERS. •• ARRIVING CHRISTMAS DAY. The following West Coast men are included in a list of naval personnel returning to New Zealand on H.M.S. Atheling. The Atheling is expected to disembark North Island personnel at Wellington on December 24 and South Islanders at Lyttelton on. the morning of December 25. Carmichael, John D., A. 8.; mother, Mrs. C. M. Carmichael, Runanga. Clausen, lan D., N/Air2/C; mother, Mrs. E. E. Clausen, Hokitika. Crawford, Trevor C., A. 8.; mother, Mrs. A. Crawford, Greymouth. Davis, Dennis L., Ldg. Sea.; mother, Mrs. M. A. Davies, Granity. Gray, Horace J., Sto.; mother, Mrs. M. J. Gray, Westport. Laing, Alan F., Sig.; father, Mr. J. E. Laing, Greymouth. McLean, Duncan, Ldg: Airman; father, Mr. P. J. McLean, Greymouth. Mosley, Richard K., A. 8.; father, Mr. R. H. Mosley, Barrytown. Neilson, Robert J., Sto. II.; mother, .Mrs. A. M. Neilson, Hokitika. Phillips, Arthur J., A. 8.; mother, Mrs. N. M. Phillips, Cobden. Shrives, Jack, Sig.; father, Mr. F. J. R. Shrives, Westport. Strachan, Colin M., Ldg, Airman; Mrs. D. Strachan, Westport. ... Williams, Burnard S., Sto. I/C.; mother, Mrs. F. Williams, Taylorville. Williams, James W., Ldg. Tel.; mother, Mrs. E. Williams, Reefton.