IN THE NAVY

Grey River Argus, 16 December 1943, Page 4

IN THE NAVY

NEW ZEALANDERS’ VARIED EXPERIENCES.

(N.Z.E.F. Official Correspondent) (By Air Mail). MIDDLE EAST FORCES, Dec. 14. Wherever the Royal Navy has gone into action ratings from New Zealand have been and have given a good account of themselves. They took part in the earliest operations in the North Sea, and also helped to man ships in the as yet unwritten epic of Cos. A New Zealander visiting any African port is almost certain to encounter his fellow countrymen in navy uniform. All are eager for news of home and .are keen followers of the fortunes of the Division. Some will admit that their greatest thrill in the African campaign was the knowledge that in the drive up the desert coast they were aiding the land troops of their own Dominion. All of these men have seen action in many waters and it is impossible to give even the sketchiest details of each man’s story. Some particulars of just a few taken at random from the many serve to illustrate the complexity of the sea service of the Dominion’s manpower. Pett-' r Officer Harry Anderson, of Auckland and Rotorua, now in Alexandria, bears the lowest New Zealand number and was in the first draft of naval ratings to leave Eingland afftet ’the outbreak of war. His service has taken him to within three hundred miles of th e North Pole, and while in those latitudes he had experiences of sunbathing at midnight. He took part in the evacuation of Spitzbergen and later helped to escort several convoys to Russia. While returning from such a convoy his ship fought a famous night action off the North Cape of Norway. Commanded by Admiral Vian, she had with her a small force of destroyers when she intercepted a heavily-defended German convoy. In the action which followed a German cruia'er .and three destroyers! were sunk. The British cruiser steamed fourteen hundred miles back to port after she had been torpedoed by a German destroyer. Anderson’s ship .also took part in the first commando raid on Lofoten Island. His service, which has been entirely in cruisers. includes the chase of the “Scharnhorst” and “Gneisenau” into Brest and the first convoy to get through to Malta without loss of a merchant ship. While ashore he is in charge of sports, for the establishment of which he has a verv sound Rueby team. Signalman M 'Jejikim '((lnvercargill) and D. Hinchey (Invercargill and Timaru) have been together since April, 1941 , when they . left New Zealand. In March, last year, they 'joined the destroyer “Belvoir.” Since then their service has been a round of convoys to Malta and Mediterranean ports. Their biggest shows so far have been the covering of main convoys to Sicily and Salerno. At nresent thev are “on course” .at a shore establishment. Leading Signalman E. L. Price (Aucklahd), first served in a cruiser. then went to the battleship "Warspite.” Among the actions which he has seen are landing’s at Madagascar and the bombardments of Catania, Reg-gio and Salerno, .and landings in the Bay of Naples. ‘