AFTER FULL WAR SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17112, 18 March 1919, Page 7

AFTER FULL WAR SERVICE.

FIEST FIT MEN ARRIVE. MEMBERS OF MAIN BODY. AUCKLAND'S WARM WELCOME

ENTHUSIASTIC SCENES.

LONG-LOOKED-FOR REUNIONS.

The arrival of the troopship Hororata || Yesterday afternoon from ellington was i, an event of unique and historic interest, . j for she brought the first draft of fit men 1 of the Main Body to return from the front 1 1 after four long hard years of service. The < welcome, accorded by Aucklanders was one . of spontaneous joy and rare enthusiasm; , other returning drafts have been gladly ] and whole-heartedly welcomed, but yester- i day wae the greatest day of all, for it saw < the return to their homes and their loved ones of men who were first to answer the call to war, who had been spared through all tho perils of the battlefield, and having seen the struggle through from start to finish, returned unscathed as victors in the greatest of all the world ware. It was an occasion to which the thoughts of mothers 1 and fathers have turned unceasingly through years of torturing anxiety, and it brought the realisation of the dearest hope that life has held for many since first New Zealand men went forth to war. The unusual interest attaching to the arrival of the Hororata resulted in more elaborate "reparations for a public welcome than has heretofore been accorded returning drafts. Early in the afternoon ! a ferry steamer bearing a large number of I next of kin proceeded to Rangitoto ha-'i-nel in order to escort the vessel up the harbour. The great steamer entered the channel shortly after three o'clock and as she neared the waiting feny boat there ■was an outburst of cheerin". which, Wit the music of the band on board, Bounded across the water to the returning soldiers as' a token of Auckland's joy and pride> m welcoming home her loyal sons, tne cheering was taken up by crowds lining Cheltenham Beach and the lower slopes of North Head, until sea and shore rang witn the music of welcome. Overhead circled a seaplane, which presently dropped special messages of welcome from the Mayor and Mayoress of Auckland. Message lrom Devonport. Colonel H. R. Potter, officer commanding the Auckland military district, whe was accompanied by Lieutenant-Col J. E. Duigan, G. 5.0., boarded the vessel off Tiritiri, and welcomed the men home A message of welcome was sent by Lieutenant Roberts, R.N.G.A., on behal of people of Devonport, as the Horor.ta ] passed North Shore. The message was sent by Morse flag, from the roof of the bin on Council Chamber. Scbo*-, children waved flags and cheered fro the waterfront. The message " The people of Devonport send you a , warm welcome home, and Wish you a , happv meeting with your loved ones. All ' are croud of you and the name you hare made The Devonport school-ck^en ■ send a special message of welcome. ( Th y s have been waiting for you all day. ■ As the Hororata rounded North Head I the guns at the fort gave forth a sal i of welcome, and in response the ship ran [ ? flags. Thus gailj itTS fay launches, yachts, and J»e n« o. km boat, tho steamer entered tho harbour, and the soldiers lining the decks who had travelled so far and endured bo much, ' gained at last their first glimpse of home.

On the Wharves.

On vantage points overlooking the fore-1 shore largo numbers of school-children ST assembled, and enthusiastic cbeeK were given as the Hororata came into view. The harbour was en feta m honour of the occasion, the ships tying a wharves all being gaily dressed J[J fl af r S Ml the wharves were li.ned_wiUi P VJ" the .foot .1 Ku& Wta was an eager, waiting crowd. The n« of kin Who had not gone down the ha'hour waited in No. 2 shed, or at the end of t-XL*,. «■*« * L the harbour. Many of them had as Xlh« "Krif."" it was after four o clock. A parly 01 r uteres •*TL was a great waving of flags and ■m a nf came tne note of in® Harboiff Board syren, taken up instanUy hSralof the ships along the «terIn Tender and louder grew the u ,2 veritable din of welcome choius, until & Kv answerJonndod Iron, the.at,, ing cheers from the men on the

A Splendid Welcome,

JSS, w Ely visible,' and suddenly the tension I snapped. The waiting crowds surged out to the edge of the wharf, and with ta h ut Sii and shouts of "There he is ! a d calling of names, the friends and ieiatives of the men on board strove .J fittract the attention of the soldiers. Mothers and fathers saw at last the faces of the sons they had feared they never micht see agair., and with tears coursmg down their cheeks, waved and called, ai.a waved again until the soldiers heard and answered. And those who had known onlv loss, who might never hope to welcome home their own kith and km, wept and rejoiced openly with those to whom the day brought only joy and thanlc giving. So with cheering, and more cheerin;, and with the music of a Dand -.o brighten their welcome home, th*j "-hip came slowly to berth shortly .-.ft'ir Jive, o'clock, and the moment of reinim «as at hand.

Families Reunited,

But those last few moments before dis- ] embarkation passed al' too slowly for | those on board and those ashore, and one venturesome soldier who let himself down by a rone from the lower deck and sprang oil to the wharf, was warmly cheered by the. waiting crowd. Soon the gangway was in place, however, and the men were [hurrying ashore. Then at last came the | treat moment. Everything was forgotten in the joy of reunion. Fathers and mother? pressed forward with inarticulate 1 cries, and claimed their sons with that joy which only parents can know. The hearts of men spoke for them louder than all the promptings of convention, and with tears of joy they embraced and kissed beloved brothers, rejoicing openly in their reunion. It is a rare and wonderful moment, one of those in which repression and reserve at last cease to hold their thrall, and the natural emotions which lay at the heart of all men and women come nobly into their own.

The Women's Welcome.

Accompanied by their friends and relalives, the soldiers swiftly filed into the wharf-shed, where the Ministering Committee of the Women's Patriotic League presided over an ample display of refreshments. The majority of the men, however, were too eager for home to wait, and passed right through to the waiting cars beyond. A large number remained, however, and were lavishly served with refreshments, fruits, and cigarettes. Customs Street, from the wharf to Queen Street, and in the latter thoroughfare as far as to Fort Street, was lined with densely packed people. As the cars I made their' way through, the occupants were loudly cheered ill a whole-hearted manner. "There was an air of excitenieut and enthusiasm extant everywhere, and the spontaneous manner in which the men were greeted proved irresistible to them, and they too ,vere carried away with excitement, It was indeed a hearty welcome. Auckland had bestirred itself, and judging by the general expressions

of approval, the citizens had revived theii! soldiers in the only maaiior thoroughly -AJ appreciated by the men. That they were £ glad to be home once more admits of no • doubt. They just wanted to meet those -.0 dear to them and get to tLeir homes as ' soon as possible. _ • £ The business premises of the city were i decorated with flags and bunting, which, combined with the general feeling of gladness in the air, tended to give the city an appearance of a gala day. About 450 men were brought to Auckland, and many of these wore ribbons of distinction, which denoted deeds of vaJour on Gailipoli and ui France. Des:.nto their four and a-half years of war they all bore a remarkably healthy appearance; in fact, they looked fit. There were no cases of sickness or of severe wounds.

Among those who expressed heartfelt joy at being homo once more was a member of the Tunnelling Corps, which left Auckland in December, 1915. "Of the 500 original members there are now only about 80 left, he said, " and I feel myself very lucky to be one of them !" The tunnellers, lie said, did a great deal of mine work in connection with the great Arras push in 1917. In March of last year they left. Arras ami went to the Somme, where they did important bridge-building work at Avrincourt. Novelles, Maubeuge and other centres. They followed the great advance to Mons, where they were when tbo armistice was signed.

Motorists to the Fore. A special feature of the reception was the arrangements which were made by Mr. A. A. Martin to huve the men conveyed to their homes in cars -rovided by citizens. Or ' ' cure ;:;.j volunteered, and these wi ; .u'.v J. corn ted with flags and bunting, . inning a pretty sight as they were lined along tt;> King's Wharf. As the men filed off the steamer and through the Harbour Board shed they were met by Mr. Martin and his helpers, and, together with their next of kin were despatched to their homes in an especially expeditious manner; so much so, that all had been dealt with in less than 40 minutes. This arrangement was the subject of much favourable comment by all concerned.

WELCOME BY AMERICANS. BANQUET IN PANAMA ZONE. The Hororata l?ft London on February 1, and eighteen days later reached Cristobal, Panama, where she remained for thirty-six hours for coaling purposes. During this time all the men were given general leave, and the American citizens and the Y.M.C.A. tendered them a banquet, and generally made their short stay a memorable one. With the exception of one week in the Atlantic, when strong winds and the consequent heavy sea prevailed, the voyage was made under good weather conditions.