Departure of Troops

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20254, 23 May 1940, Page 14

Departure of Troops

Sir,—As a reader of your paper both while in Gisborne and now in Trentham, I have always been keenly interested in the correspondence which has appeared on the above subject. While 2 a.m. is certainly a very uncomfortable hour for relatives and friends to sec their hoys off, I consider it for the best for the boys themselves, and they are certainly the ones who should be considered. In the case of the small drafts which leave Gisborne, it is certainly desirable that they should depart in daylight, because arrangements, can be made to have them billeted half-way and a two-day trip made of it, but in the case of large drafts this is impossible. All the troops who departed from Gisborne at 2 a.m. in the past have arrived in Trentham at about 5.30 p.m. and were able to draw their bedding, have a good meal, and be settled for a well-needed sleep early in the evening. Not so the last poor chaps! After being farewelled at, I believe, about 8 a.m. on Friday, they arrived in Trentham about 2.30 a.m. on Saturday, very tired and hungry. By the time they had had a good meal and got bedded down for the night it was just after 4 a.m. Now. sir, which do you think is the beUer hour for departure? If you wore to take a vote among the boys themselves, who really are most concerned, I think you would find that 90 per cent would be in favour of the early hour. lam sure that* the people of Gisborne would not mincl in the lc-ast turning out at 2 a.m. to see the boys off, when they know that it will add so much to their comfort when j they reach this end of the journey. L.A.E.