ARRIVAL AT DUNEDIN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17286, 29 September 1916, Page 7

ARRIVAL AT DUNEDIN.

CHATS WITH INVALIDED SOLDIERS. D.S.O. AND D.C.M.’s ABOARD. [Fjiom Our Coiuujst'ondknt.] DUNEDlN,.September 28. - Tiro troopship Willochra, convoying sick and wounded soldiers, reached tho. Heads at i a.in., but, owin<£ to fog, did nqt berth at Port Chalmers till 7 a.m., whon every effort was made to expedite the military and medical work and allow the northern men to leave at midday. The. men are finder the charge of Lieutenant-Colonel G. F. Hutton, who gained distinction on Gallipoli, receiving tho D. 5.0., and was twice wounded. Major C. E. Andrews, N.Z.S.C., is second in command. He has seen service on Gallipoli, being' at the landing, and, was also on the west front. He was second in command of the Ist Otago Infantry Battalion.

, It is understood that nearly fifty men received their discharges to-day, being deemed physically unfit - for further military service. ‘ PERMANENTLY UNFIT. , [From Our Correspo.vdxnt.] DUNEDIN. September 28. 'The outstanding feature as regards tho appearaiicq of the returned soldiers by the Willochra is the conspicuous tab of red on the shoulders ot tho tunic denoting the fact that they are listed as “ P.U.j’s.” permanently unfit. As one cheerful invalid said, “We aro a boatload of ; crocks.’” The position is hardly as bad as that, although there is a fair proportion of men who have been permanently maimed. Quartermaster-Sergeant Langley, of Papatoctoe. was buried under a building in France as the result of a high explosive shell, -and the nerve of one eye lias been completely destroyed, and the sight of the other impaired,, and hois suffering severely from,, shell shock. Private Potter, of Auckland, has lost one log just below the kneet Corporal M’Donald has lost an eye, Private Fraser nneve, Trooper Middleton an arm and Private Holoway his right arm. There is only one cot case, Sapper A. C. Steele (Auckland), who is suffering from pneumonia. BRITISH HOSPITALITY. , Many of the men have been in the British hospitals for a considerable time, and they havo come homo'with grateful memories of the generosity of'the people of The Old Country. “I was a month in Edinburgh,V said oiio man, “ and never again will i permit anybody to say that the Scotch people are cold. 1 had a great timo, and my experience was that of all New Zealanders at Home.”' Tho-men speak in' highest terms of praise of the manner in which .the people at Home strive to provide comfort and pleasure for-the colonial soldiers. They state that it is not an exaggeration to say that New Zealanders are treated with special generosity in the Homeland, beihg admitted to oven what in ordinary circumstances are the . “ most exclusive homos. Tho war haS democratised the aristocracy of England. , *■ ARTIFICIAL LIMBS. “ Wliat do you think of my hew hand?” queried an Aucklander who was unable to use his right hand in greeting a friend. The question prompted an inquiry and led to a most interesting story -as to tho remarkable manner in which the majority of tho man with limbs partially amputated have been equipped with the , very, latest of modern appliances; This soldier, who by the way whimsically said “-I went to tho. war with twrf hands and I have ’ come back home with : three,” has had a very practical experience of tho remarkable work of the makers of artificial limbs. DISTINGUISHED. SOLDIERS. Several on board have been rewarded for notable service. Tlie first of these is the Officer Commanding the ship, Lieutenant-Colonel G. F. Hutton, He camo to New Zealand in-1912 as aide-de-camp to Lord Liverpool. Ho left the Dominion in charge of the 10th (Nelson) Squadron of Canterbury Mounted Rifle Regiment, . and led his men on the peninsula until August, gaining a reputation for 'cooT leadership and-for bravery. He received the D.S.O. LieutenantColonel Hutton was wounded twice, and returns home invalided. Included among the men are two recipients of tho D.C.M.S The first is Corporal Norman Clarko (affectionately known ay “ Nobby ”), of Lyttelton, who before the war was well known as an engineer on coastal trading vessels. When the war broke out he was on the lonic, but immediately volunteered for uctive service, going to Egypt with tho British section of tho New Zealand forces. Ho is an .artilleryman. * j The other D.C3I. man is Private Lena's Orawford-Watson, of Waikato, who is attached to the Medical Corps.

'Now Zealand members of the ships’ companies on tho Pyramus and Philomel, invalided home, will return to Lyttelton by the Winunera on Tuesday morning, and arrangements are being made by the Mayor of Christchurch and others to give them a recop lion.