HOSPITAL SHIP ARRIVES

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 March 1946, Page 2

HOSPITAL SHIP ARRIVES

DRAFT OF WOUNDED AND SICK I ,

WAR BRIDES ALSO ON BOARD (P.A.) WELLINGTON, March 20. Every sick New Zealand serviceman who was at the time; of departure in England, Italy, Egynt. or Fremantle was embarked on the Maunganui which arrived this morning. She brought also a large number of wives and a tew fiancees ■from England. Although the vovage as a whole was uneventful the Maunganui struck one of the most terrible gales in her career in the Channel and Bay of Biscay, reneating the experience encountered in the Mediterranean on the way home.

The service personnel numbered 218 sickness, accident and battle cases and the dependents consisted of 118 women and 30 children. Owing to the closing of the hospitalsin England and Italy, the ship, also brought a small number of Medical Corps personnel. The ship was full. Lieutenant-Colonel F. O. Bennett, O.C. troops, said that all the patients had shown considerable improvement in health. Colonel Bennett said that the gale in the Channel drove hundreds of ships to shelter in the mouth of the Thames, but the normal precautions were liken and the Maunganui suffered no damage. On the way home a terrific gale was experienced while the Maunganui was fuelling at Algiers and several times when trying to leave the wharf the .towline brojee and the attempt had to be abandoned until next day. When she did leave port one of her first duties v/a.S to stand by a Greek vessel in distress.