JACK TARS ON LEAVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20131, 17 December 1928, Page 13

JACK TARS ON LEAVE.

CHRISTMAS ON SHORE.

700 MEN FROM THE SHIPS.

ATTRACTIONS OF FARM LIFE. Over 700 men from the warships at Devonport are on annual leave on shore and the remainder of the. vessels' complements will follow in a fortnight. Leave amounts to 14 days. All the units of the New Zeal.and division of the Royal Navy are now at Auckland, this being the first occasion for some years that Auckland has seen the entire division in port at Christmas; previously one or more of the warships has either been at sea or at some southern port. The* release of approximately 1500 men from the ships within the next four weeks will help materially to brighten the Yuletide festivities in the northern city, as the great majority of the men will spend thoir leisure hours within its environs. The conspicuous blue uniform will add interest and colour to Auckland s streets this Christmas and citizens will take fresh pleasure in entertaining their visitors, especially as a great many of them, namely the new crew of the Diomede, have only been in New Zealand waters for three weeks.

Leave is being taken in watches, the men left behind being occupied with duties in connection with the refitting of the ships. Before signing off, each man draw 9 his pay, together with two weeks victualling allowance of 3s 6d a day, which gives him a useful Christmas box amounting to £2 9s, and those men who intend proceeding long distances to their holiday destination are given an extra day s leave as travelling allowance. Both New Zealand and Imperial ratings are taking a fortnight's leave between now and the middle of Januaiy, the balance of their annual leave of 28 days being taken in the winter months in the case of New Zealand ratings, while Imperial ratings allow the extra fortnight to accumulate each year until their return to England. They then receive a clear six weeks ashore.

Some of the Jack Tars travel far to spend their leave with friends. There are several cases of men proceeding to D'inedin, always a popular city with the Navy, and one man is going as far south as Invercargill. While the cities are usually the favoured holiday centres for men who go down to the sea in ships there is always a staunch body which pines for the country and life on a farm. For a sailor to amuse himself among the farmstock has always seemed an incongruous preference, but it is only another illustration of the human weakness tor contrasts. So anxious was one petty officer to taste the joys of the country that he advertised a few weeks ago for a fortnight's billet on a farm and it will not be many more days before he is in his element 'milking cows and trying his hand at * little late shearing.