BONDS OF SERVICE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21809, 4 September 1945, Page 4

BONDS OF SERVICE

EMPIRE’S UNITS COMRADESHIP RENEWED STRENGTH OF UNITY The strength of bonds formed during war service was demonstrated on Saturday evening when veterans of the South African war, the 1914-13 war, and the Second World War gathered under the joint auspices of the South African War Veterans’ Association and the Association of Imperial Ex-Servicemen for the annual reunion of those bodies. The celebration took the form of a dinner and smoke concert, and many references were made to the fact that the families of South African veterans and of the Imperial men long settled in the Dominion had contributed to the strength of the New Zealand expeditionary forces in the last two wars.

During a roll-call conducted by the chairman, Mr. J. Hurrey, it was found that most of the New Zealand contingent in the veldt campaign were represented, and also many of the most famous British Army regiments. The gathering included former members of the Grenadicr«Guards, the Dragoon Guards, the 11 ill Hussars, the Highland Light Infantry, the Black Watch, the Cameronian Highlanders, the Durham Light Infantry, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the “Gay Gordons,” the Manchester Regiment, the Bedfordshire Regiment, the Inniskilling Dragoons, the Scots Guards, and King’s Own Scottish Borderers, and the Royal Army Medical Corps, among others. The Roval Navy was also well represented, and the Royal Flying Corps had ?. survivor among those present. Tribute to Association

Several veterans of past wars brought to the gathering sons who had served with the New Zealand forces in the present conflict, and a warm welcome was accorded to these newcomers to the veteran classification. Several speakers touched upon the necessity for the younger men to organise, under the aegis of the Returned Services’ Association, with a view to securing full performance of the pledges given to the men who went to war. One speaker for the South African veterans recalled that his association had been formed long after the close of the veldt war, and that as a consequence it had taken years longer than, should have been necessary to secure justice for their claims, and more particularly for the recognition of Imoerial veterans’ rights tn the same orivileges as New Zealand Contingent members.

Occasion was taken by Mr. 1. Birchnail, a member of the Gisborne Returned Services’ Association executive, to refer to the relations between returning servicemen and that association. 1-Ie agreed that the newcomers should get together and discuss their difficulties, but urged that they should use the organisation already available for bringing their proposals before the Government. This system was already in existence in Gisborne, he said, and almost all the remits referred to the annual conference of the New Zealand R.S.A. had been originally suggested by the Kiwi group.

Responsibility Too Early

Mr. Birchnall paid a tribute to the work of the older men who had founded and maintained the association, and expressed the hope that the growing strength of the Kiwi group would not result in a premature transfer of responsibility from the Diggers to the younger men. It was essential, he believed, that the Kiwis should establish their capability to run the huge organisation successfully, before the transfer of control was effected. The programme included tosats to the King, proposed by the chairman, the South African Veterans’ Association, proposed by Mr. H. N. Wilkins, and responded to by Mr. Hurrey; the imperial Ex-Servicemen’s Association, proposed by Mr. A. J. H. Kirkham ancl replied to by Mr. Wilkins; the Gisborne R.S.A., proposed by Mr. J. Armstrong and replied to by Mr. G. C. Jones; the Kiwis, proposed by Mr. I. Lindon and replied to by Mr. I. Birchnall; absent comrades, proposed by Mr. R. D. Kelly; kindred association, proposed by Mr. W. Turbitt and replied to by Mr. W. L. Beil. Songs and other items were given by Messrs. W. Turbitt, J. Armstrong, Owen Pritchard, A. Bignall and W. Hughes, Mr. .T Vagg providing the accompaniments.