THUMBS UP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20526, 9 April 1941, Page 8

THUMBS UP

GREEK WELCOME MARCH OF N.Z. MEN ITALIAN CAPTIVES PASS | VOYAGE FROM EGYPT j WARSHIP AS TRANSPORT j (From the Official War Correspondent with the N.Z.E.F, in Greece.) (Rcccl. Aori! I). 1.4!) jj.ni.) ATHENS. April 3. Farewolled in Egypt. first .villi Hie ra: itv of heavy rain and then more iamiiiarl.v with one of the worst dust storms they had known, the New Zealand troops were cheered by the sight 0/ the preen hills of Greece as their ships threaded through the clusters ol I ill to islands which dot the sea approaches. Greece gave them a welcome whose warmth was roimniscciu 01 me iareweii parades m isew Zealand ciiies. ocveuu units inarched 10 miles from a port I.j a temporary camp along streets lined wn.it excited and applauding crowns. Children held llags and gins tmel-v (lowers wnile ine troops, whistling and singing as the., marciieci, \va\eu happily in reply. Secure in the efficient hands of the Royal Navy, the New Zealanders had made a sea journey that they will long remember. Not only did Uie navy sateiy escort big merchant, convoys laden with troops and equipment, bn. ■aiso carried hundreds ot men in its

own snips. \ A battalion of Wellington infantrymen with whom I travelled was transported, along with other units, with no more fuss and ti little more time than the mier-Isiand terry service, in sivm warships which included famous sister ships of the 'New’ Zealand cruisers.

Destination Kept Secret The voyage seemed an event in itself, yet. it was only a small part oi (he extraordinary and unprecedented transrer ot men and. material to tins new setting lor a display of the Empire's strength and determination.

As this is being written, no word has yet been announced of the expedition, which is a milestone in the progress of Britain’s preparedness to meet force with force even in the remote- l theatres of war.

Our troops arc only now beginning to realise the full significance of the regent advanced training and the relief of the New Zealand detachments from communication, transport and convoy \v.,rk in Libya. So well guarded were the expedition's plans that the iirst definite indication the men received of their destination was contained in an inspiring message communicated to them aboard the slfio pointing out the possibility of New Zealanders facing German land forces. The message struck a note of great confidence in their capabilities. The men, on their part, arc proud and elated at the opportunity to prove Ihemseives under probable arduous conditions and against a real enemy. Wait in Transit Camp

With few signs to indicate that the move was anything more than a manoeuvre whence they would return in a matter oi days or weeks, uni l after unit of the N.Z.E.F., fully equipped and ready for action, slipped quietly from the camp in the Niie Valley on an expedition cloaked with the utmost secrecy. The first stage of the journey ended in a transit camp within sight of the Mediterranean coast. Here the New Zealanders, side by side with English and oilier Imperial troops, settled down to wait while the colossal task of slinging the transport and equipment aboard the ships lying in a nearby port was steadily carried through. Every day saw laden trucks, guns and armoured vehicles speeding towards the coast in a seemingly - endless stream.

To the troops who hourly expected the order to follow their transport and equipment, this spectacle had an air of mystery and intrigue which increased when the first units were seen on the move—long khaki columns of men, weighed down with personal gear and equipment, trudging out of sight. Not even these troops knew definitely the destination and everyone left almost gave up speculating. Meanwhile the camp was busy with refresher training and normal routine, except that the programmes were planned only from day to day and ail were ready to move at the briefest notice.

Recall of Fighting Units*

The story of this new phase in the career of the N.Z.E.F. dates back to the recall of fighting units from no-louger-rcquircd defensive positions near Mersa Matruh for two months of special training. As the weeks passed the widely-scattered signals, engineer and transport companies which carried out tiro New Zealanders' limited part in the Libyan offensive returned one after another to the fold.

Hardly had the last, namely the reserve motor transport which splendidly served the British forces from Sidi Bar rani to Benghazi, reached camp than a new exodus began. Treated as the start of large-scale manoeuvres the move to the jumping-off point was soon quickly and quietly under way. In hail and a howling wind and sand storm the battalion to which I was attached shook the dust of Egypt from its heels in the march to the railway, the men carrying on their backs for two miles everything they possessed, even their base kit bags. An hour's journey brought us to a quayside where naval men led us aboard.

Travel in Ship of War No sooner were the last troops embarked than a warship swung out to take a position at the head of the naval column, with soldiers lining her decks in salute. The troops were thrilled beyond words by the chance to travel in a warship, particularly because they were given, as far at possible, the freedom of the ship. Some manned anti-aircraft look-out stations, while the rest sprawled on the sunny decks and chatted with the sailors or examined the marvels of the gun mechanism as the ships ploughed through the slow Mediterranean swell. The journey was so swift as to be almost unbelievable, lor after a night in which the battalion bedded dawn in every vacant corner of the ship the New Zealanders awoke to see Grecian islands close by. Disembarking at a quiet harbour, the troops were Jed by the commanding officer in reusing cheers for their na.nl friends, who replied as wnrml.v

and filled the air with shouts of "Good luck!"

A marines’ band played us off tiro wharf as we marched into a street lined with ever-growing crowds. The whole of the 10-mile tramp was like a victory parade, the spontaneous enthusiasm of the people expressing itself in handshakes, waves and welcoming cries. We figured in one of the most amazing scenes' I have ever witnessed for down the road in the opposite direction trudged a long silent column of Italian prisoners front the Albanian front. The contrast and significance of the spectacle tickled the Greek humour and the crowd laughingly gave us the thumbs-up sign, while they turned to the defeated Italians with thumbs pointing down. To-night, as we settle down on grassy wooded slopes awaiting the order to move to battle stations, we find wo have taken an unparalleled liking to this great little country fighting with all its heart and soul.