Second Parly of British Evacuees

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 236, 5 October 1940, Page 6

Second Parly of British Evacuees

Arrival at Wellington Last Night NARROWLY ESCAPED TORPEDO Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Oct. 4. “A very happy welcome typical of New Zealand awaited the children,” stated the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. W. E. Parry) referring to-night to tho second party of British children to arrive in the Dominion under the Children’s Overseas Reception Scheme. Complete arrangements, he said, were made for receiving the children along the lines of the organisation used when the first party of British children arrived at Wellington a few days ago. ‘‘The children, who came ashore to their new homes to-day,” Mr. Parry added, “resembled the young womanhood and manhood of the future so noticeably appreciated in the hoys and girls from Scotland who formed the first party. It is an inspiration to meet these little ones and talk to them of their experiences at home, of the voyage to New Zealand and of the pictures their alert little minds formed of our country.”

Of 113 children on the liner to berth to-night between 45 and 50 of them have as yet no specific allocs tion, but the remainder have come to New Zealand under allocation.

All evacuated from parts of England which had beeu heavily bombed, 51 girls and 62 boys between the ages of 5 and 15 arrived at Wellington to-day under the Government scheme. Most were coming to friends or relatives by whom they had been nominated. The others, however, go to strange fosterparents who had offered homes in answer to the recent appeal. The party was in charge of Miss P. M. Redmayne, assisted by Mrs. Anno Best, of the Salvation Army. Rev. H. A. Hayden, vicar of St. Nicholas, Warwick, and Father J. P. Murphy, S.M., were chaplains to the party. Dr. Mary Jennings was medical officer. There were also two qualified nurses and eight o*ther escorts.

They were met at Wellingeon by the Prime Minister and Mis. Fraser, Hon. W. E. Parry, Hon. H. G. R. Mason, Sir Harry Batterbee, the Director of Education (Dr. C. E. Beeby), Mr. J. W. Heenau (Under-Secretary of the Internal Affairs Department) and officers of tho Overseas Children's Reception Committee.

Miss Redmayne, wlio is a Quaker, said she had for a numoer of years taken a keen interest in child and peasant welfare work in many parts oi the world. She had worked in Russia and Greece where she and three others rented the little island of St. Nicholas for £4 a year as a holiday resort. At the time of the collapse of France she was occupied in refugee work there and escaped to England when the German invasion took place. She said with the exception of hectic days in the danger zone at the beginning the voyage had been uneventful. There was no serious illness of any kind and the children behaved excellently.

Among the escorts were several trained teachers and the childrcu were given lessons every day. At Panama they were given a great reception by the Americans there and greatly enjoyed the thrill of going ashore in a foreign aud tropical land. They rushed about the exotic gardens, were driven round on army trucks and given ice creams. Many of the Wellington children came ashore to-night, but those bound for other parts of Now Zealand remained on board the liner and will disembark to-morrow. Awaiting the arrival of the ship was Mr. H. G. Dickie, National M.P. for Patea, who had nominated the sou of a friend in England and had come down to meet the young traveller, Robert Ashley, of London, aged 11.

The children were a fine heal thy - iooking lot and appeared in excellent spirits. The Prime Minister and others who met them went among them as they had tea in the liner's saiotm aftd chatted to many of them. They weri not sby but were eager to inako frienus with the people of their new country. Also travelling on the liner were some 50 other children accompanying parents or evacuated by private arrangement.

Missed Torpedo by 20 Yards At the outset of their Journey the convoy in which they were travelling was scattered by a submarine attacx. A torpedo passed within a few yards of their vessel and struck another carrying 300 children bound for a sister Dominion. They saw the stricken liner going down and the passengers and crew abandoning her but had to hurry on and leave the rescue to the escort vessels. They did not rejoin the convoy but carried on alone. Afterwards they learned that of the 900 passengers on the torpedoed ship not a single life had been lost. The sole casualty was one of the ship *8 officers who was killed when he missed his footing climbing into a lifeboat. This was tho liner reported to have been torpedoed on the way to Canada several weeks ago and cabled accounts of the rescue of tho children appeared in New Zealand papers at the time. The children behaved extremely well when the alarm took place. Most of them believed it to bo only another of the frequent lifeboat practises carried out in the early days of the voyage. The attack took place late iu the evening, stated the escorts travelling with the children. They wero awakened by gunfire but at first stayed in their beds thinking it to be an aeroplane attack. This opinion was strengthened by the rattle of a machine-gun. Then tho stewards came to send them to their muster stations wearing lifejackets and ready for any eventuality.

From on deck they could see the torpedoed ship now. brilliantly lit up

and with lifeboats being lowered down the side. Bhe appeared to bo settling slowly on an even keel. Many passengers said they had heard the sound of the torpedo which had passed within twenty yards of their own hull. ‘ 1 The children were really wonderful, ” said Miss P. M. Redmayne, who was in charge of the children, in an interview. ** They showed not a sign of fear or excitement and behaved just as if it were ordinary practice. For three nights while we were in the danger area they slept in the lounge in their clothes. “Captain Holland was most thoughtful and did everything he could for the children’s welfare. Even then it was touch and go and he must have been meted with wofry. He saw to it that the children were served with hot milk and biscuits.”