KIWI’S FAREWELL TO LONDON

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21946, 14 February 1946, Page 3

KIWI’S FAREWELL TO LONDON

BRITAIN SOBER ENDURANCE HOUSEWIVES' HEROISM “MENTION IN DISPATCHES" Their work in the war areas completed. men and women of the New Zealand forces now discharged or homeward bound for discharge will remember with deep appreciation the warmth of hospitality extended to them bv the people of Britain in particular. Those whose duties enabled them to visit the "tight little isle" under stress of war conditions have brought away a picture of an enduring people who’ for all their own troubles found time and thought to spare for the welfare of the Dominion troops in their midst.

Flight-Lieutenant R. C. Sayers, a former member of the R.N.Z.A.F., is the author of an appreciation published in the London Evening Standard which will have the endorsement of every man or woman who served m or visited Britain in wartime. Under the heading, "Goodbye, London, I Shall Miss You," he wrote:— Nearly five years ago. on the day I landed in the island fortress of Britain, I travelled through the West County. Was it really England I saw or was I dreaming of the farmlands ot m.y native New Zealand? Love or England at First Sight Fields and hedgegrows, blending greens of pastures and trees, and grazing stock the placid country beauty of rural England. It was familiar, yet I was conscious of something even cosier, more compact and softer than my own countryside. This was love at first sight. Homesickness, which had haunted me for weeks, was dispelled and I realised why New Zealanders always had referred to the Old Country as "Home.”

Her people and my people were one, but during my service with the Royal N.Z. Air Force in this country my admiration for the courage of the British in the front line of war made me even prouder to be a kinsman. Now the time has come to sail from this England back to New Zealand. In these last few days, just as highlights crowd the mind when one leaves the arena after an exciting performance, the finest hours of the drama of Britain at war throng in retrospect through my memory. The stars were the ordinary men and women. Was there ever a people so indomitable? Inspired by a great leader, they gave courage to the oppressed world. Perhaps I have looked at Britain through spectacles tinted with the English blood in my veins, but foreigners shared this admiration. No Medals for the Housewife We had more offers of hospitality than we could accept; no effort was spared to make us happy and goodnatured; warm friendship pervaded our every leave. Through the years emerged the dominant character of Britain’s steadfastness and hospitality —the humble housewife. No medals for her. but she was mentioned in disnatches home of nearly every Dominion airman. I remember her grim determination and devotion to family well-being, queueing day after day in snow, wind and rain, during raids, seeking a morsel of fish to nourish the family rations: her sacrifice to feed husband and child better than herself: monotonous housework and tiring part-time war labours: her canteen service for those of us in uniform, and, above all, the charm and hospitality offered in her home to the men from abroad, regardless of the extra work, the extra mouth to feed. I shall remember, too. back through the years, (he man who suddenly appeared beside me at a restaurant cash desk and insisted upon paying mv bill; the one who escorted me around London when the capital was

strange to me; good-natured Cockneys; the waitress who served an extra portion “just for the Kiwi’; the skin, adaptability and comradeship of . the Service women; the London "Bobbies , and the cheery "cabbies," even tnougn later I could not compete with G.l.s for their favours. Saturday Night at "the Local ’ Broadlv defined the similarities of life give’truth to the adage that New Zealand is the most English of the Dominions. But, often far ahead m political reform. New Zealand is. incongruously. somewhat conservative and not a little Puritan in social habits. I am going to. miss the character and fellowship of Saturday night at the local and the charm and comfort of a country pub. I shall feel hide* bound when “Time, Gentlemen is called at 6 o'clock in the evening to conform with a New Zealand law which, bv promoting drunkenness, is the antithesis of its intention. I shall miss feminine company in a bar, although I must confess it seemed undesirable to me five years ago Gone will be the double-decker buses; no more underground railways with their scenes of human ants streaming in and out of the metropolis; gone the liberty of the smoking in theatres and cinemas and of enjoying alcoholic refreshment in a restaurant. There will be a spot, in my heart to remember the impressive architecture of Engand such as St. Paul’s and Salisbury: the historic significance of the Tower of London or the ruins in Dorrot of Corfe Castle; the quaint hamlets; the sleepy charm of a thatched cottage and the humour and fascination of county dialects and customs. I shall miss London—the only city I know which has a “soul. There is friendliness in the very street names which were never strange even to those of us who live in the far corners of the earth. London is the heart, the purse, the brains and the very sword

of Britain. , Scarred, but still majestic even though she cries out for a wash, brushup and a coat of paint. New Zealand’s Compensation®

The compensations? It will be grand to return _ to fresh, smokeless cities; an income tax of two shillings in the pound; no more "tipping"; one-penny telephone call-boxes; warm sea swimming for nearly six months of the year; streets in' which every house is a distinct design; the cheeriness of brightly painted wooden bungalows; a garden in every home; no slums, and a more open-air life. Awaiting me is the sub-tropical comforts of Auckland’s climate; the beauties of practically every known scenic attraction in the word—the winter playgrounds amid majestic peaks and the grandeur of snowy, mountain-bound lakes. There too, are the rich farmlands which have produced two-thirds of the butter consumed in Britain during the war. Britain bore the brunt of the war, but it was an Empire united which defeated the enemies. Now recondition ir.g itself, the Commonwealth will be on” the test-bench during (he next decade. Its strength must not be impaired. because not only is its survival indispensable to its own prosperity but also its influence is imperative in creating a constructive peace. Therefore I leave with you a plea for preserving a strong Empire. Let, Westminster ensure that Imperial Preferences are not cheaply jettisoned when tariffs come to international arbitration. We will look to the Premier to honour iiis promises during the debate in the House on the American loan that there will be "no unilateral surrender of preferences"; that they would be modified only "provided there is adequate compensation”; and of each country being "free to judge, in the light of offers made by all the others, of the extent of the contribution it can make." And now I must embark. For your hospitality, your example of fortitude and spirit, for making me happy and at home in the Old Country I say: Thank you—and God bless England."