The Gisborne Herald. IN WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1945. HOMING INSTINCT OF N.Z. TROOPS.

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21854, 26 October 1945, Page 2

The Gisborne Herald. IN WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1945. HOMING INSTINCT OF N.Z. TROOPS.

WELL-I.rallied citizen soldiers bare proved their prowess in warfare. It is'doubtful whether professional warriors ■would have done much hotter. But where, the regulars or men trained for the permanent forces have a distinct advantage over their amateur comrades is in the sphere of garrison duty or any tasks calling for reconciliation to long periods of peacetime discipline and camp routine. ; The New Zealand Division has done well in battle; authorities who should know say none'has done better. . Nevertheless our citizen soldiers, as a body, would never make satisfactory garrison or base camp units, Most of them, drawn from careers in which they have taken an interest and shown initiative, can think of so many things they would sooner be doing than languishing m an army waiting for demobilisation and their return to a country that" compares more than favourably with the lands they have seen in the course of their active service. All of which explains why tile men still in the Mediterranean area are discontented with their lot. They have given of their best. Their main task has been worthily finished and now the homing instinct is strong in them. If it be asked why our troops overseas fail to understand that, on account of the scarcity ot shipping, they simply must await their turn for transportation, the answer would seem to lie in the inadequacy of the information made available to them through routine camp publicity.

Less Need For Secrecy

Perusal of the reports of the House of Representatives debate on the subject leaves the impression that the Prime Minister and Ins Minister of Defence are not unsympathetic with the men’s attitude. It is known, too, that General Freyberg lias always favoured a policy of taking his troops into his confidence. At least that was so during military operations as far as was consonant with the. demands of security. Now that the hostilities are over and there is a much less urgent need,for secrecy, it would he hard to believe that the general would encourage a black-out on news of intense interest to his division. Clearly a misunderstanding has arisen somewhere —maybe a short-circuit in liaison between Wellington and the overseas bases. If so, every effort should be made to correct the defect, because if the later reinforcements are not to be back in New Zealand before March or April a good deal of time might be left for grumbling among uninformed soldier circles.. Rather remarkable is the comparison drawn between New Zealand’s so-called democratic army and the forces of Britain and America. . These latter, it. is stated, have the advantage of being able to write to their service papers and “blow off steam,” whereas the New Zealand service journal Avill not accept letters from the Dominion’s troops. This particular matter could be satisfactorily adjusted by instruction from Wellington. The Government could at least order a new freedom of the press for its troops still abroad. There is, however, another side to the argument—one that will be appreciated by many men of the earlier reinforcements who, after spending most of their time, overseas in tough campaigning, have had to return to New Zealand before seeing parts of Europe, including. Britain itself, most favoured in normal times by the ambitious sightseeing traveller. The Second Echelon saw England and so did the airmen who served in Europe and most of the ex-prisoners of war. A fair proportion of the land forces who served in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy, however, have returned without having been far beyond the confines of the warstricken Mediterranean theatre.

Pilgrimages to Britain

These will be tempted to ask wliat the later reinforcements have to grumble about, for it is certain that between now and next March a large number of our troops will make the pilgrimage to “Blighty” which, from all accounts, offers the added attraction of a drive through the beautiful South of France. If the position is put before the discontcndcd ones in its proper perspective, chiefly by means of adequate publicity from Government-inspired sources, there should he little further trouble. Complaints over troopship accommodation are growing more common. The deficiencies are most likely due to the same cause as the long retention of the forces in the Middle East—the shortage of vessels available for returning large numbers of impatient Allied soldiers to their native lands. The choice seems to lie between an early passage, with the certainty of cramped conditions, and a later vessel with, quite likely, slightly more elbow-room. In their present mood most New Zealanders seem to have been willing to risk the former. The Government would be well advised, however, to investigate the possibility of having more satisfactory arrangements made on behalf of troops from the southern Dominions, who have to travel long distances, partly through tropical waters.