GREEK RESOURCE
ACTION OF GENDARME ENGINEER OFFICER HELPED N.Z. OFFICER'S EXPERIENCE The London policeman is apparently matched by the Greek gendarme for resource and efficiency. In a letter to a friend, a New Zealand engineer officer in Greece states he was anxious to ascertain the location of a trig station in order to take bearings with his theodolite. When he attempted to obtain the information in a village street, he was immediately surrounded by a rapidly growing crowd whose lack of knowledge of the English language was as complete as his ignorance of Greek. Matters were at a deadlock when a gendarme appeared. He clearly understood only Greek, and he ignored any attempts to promote an understanding. Instead, he took charge of the theodolite and field note book and bundled the New Zealander into a taxi. The New Zealander was persuaded that he was under arrest as a spy, and this idea appeared to be correct when the taxi stopped outside a police station and he was taken inside. The gendarme went to a telephone, arid after a brief conversation called the New Zealander to the instrument. Ail English voice came over the wire: “I understand, old chap, you want to know the whereabouts of the trig station. The gendarme grasped what you wanted to know, but didn’t feed competent to make you understand his directions, and in any case he thought you’d be happier if he look you clear of the attentions of the crowd." “The gendarme knew his countrymen when he took the course he did to get me the information,” added the New Zealand officer in his letter. “On other occasions, attempts by me to get information in the streets have been followed by small riots. Passers-by have scuffled among themselves for the apparent honour of taking charge of and directing a British soldier, and I haven’t always relished being in the centre of the affrays.”
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Bibliographic details
Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20486, 21 February 1941, Page 11
Word Count
319GREEK RESOURCE Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20486, 21 February 1941, Page 11
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