WAR WORK AT HOME

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10957, 20 July 1921, Page 6

WAR WORK AT HOME

INTERESTING EXPERIENCES LIFE IN OLD COUNTRY DURING NATION’S TRIALS. BIG SHELL PRODUCTION. Mr J. Pearce Luke, son of Sir John and Lady Luke, and formerly district manager for Messrs James J. Niven and Co., Wellington, returned to this city by the midday Main Trunk express yesterday, after an absence of some six years in the Old Country. S’ir J. P. Luke, who had gone up to Auckland to meet his son on his arrival by tho Paparoa, travelled down with him, and at the Wellington station yesterday Lady Luke and a number of other members and friends of the family were prepent on the Wellington platform to welcome them. MAKING PROJECTILES. Interviewed by a -“Times” representative yesterday, Mr J. Pearce Luke gave an interesting of his warwork in the Old Country. “I left Wellington in October, 1915, for England for health reasons (he" said), and from the beginning of 1916 to the beginning of 1917 I was .one of the en--gineering staff under the Minister for Munitions, being chiefly engaged in the shell production department in Lancashire and the Midland area. For a good deal of the time I was in Liverpool, and for part of the period J, was connected with one of the largest national projectile factories in Lancaster. At the end of 1917 I took oveh the managership of the Rochdale National Shell Factory, and during the year I was there I was engaged in the manufacture of large calibre shell. SHIP-REPAIRING. Then, on the doctor’s advice, I had to take -a lighter job, involving less responsibility and not entailing such long hours; and at the end of 1917 I volunteered for service with the ship repair department of the Ministry of Shipping. But in the interim I went to Messrs Cromptons, Ltd., of Chelmsford, Essex, as assistant., manager' in their lamp-shop. Most of that time I was engaged in the manufacture of searchlights and arc-lamps for searchlights, both Tor military and naval purposes. A good many of the searchlights, Vere for use in connection with the aerial defence of London by the anti-aircraft batteries. During that period we were right-in the line of the outer barrage of the civic London defence, and right in the track of the German ihvading aeroplanes, from the coast towards Harwich and Maldon way. My family and I wore in all the air-raids from the beginning of 1918 to.the end of that year. During the time I was in Crompton’s we made the new searchlights for -H.M.S. Melbourne and H.M.S. 1 Sydney. These lights were equipped with a new type of lamp. ( SENT t)UT TO PORTUGAL' In October, 1917, the Admiralty sent me to Portugal, as technical adviser to the Ministry of Shipping in the ship-repair section. I was there for a period <>f six months fn charge of all the ship-repair work .that came along in connection with any disabled vessels or vessels, in need of refitting that happened to (Same into the Douro river to. Oporto, or into the Tagus river to’ Lisbon. In that period ‘ there were some interesting revolutions in Portugal for- the overthrow of the republican regime and tho re-establishment of the monarchy. Tho northern portion of Portugal, which, strongly favoured the monarchy, was %or a- time successful; but, the republican forces gained the upper hand. It was just before this came about tti#it I was recalled to London, arriving there at the end of February, 1918. For the next few months I was doing a certain amount of work as a consulting engineer, and till the end of March, 1920, I was in business in the north of England as a consulting engineer. TWO MONTHS IN WARSAW. During this period I went out to Poland, and was in Warsaw in October and November of th'afc year, establishing connections in the country with , a view to future business operations. l At that time the exchange prospects looked very favourable; but, almost immediately after my return to England, the Polish offensive against the forces of'•Lenin was launched, and the exchange went sky high, arid nothing in the way of business could bo done. 1 then joined the staff of the «English Electric Company, Ltd., and was with them up till the time I left for New Zealand at the end’ of May last. While I was with this company I was in various parts of England for them, including Preston, Stafford ’ and Rugby; and for the last eight months I was m their London office; “I returned) in the Paparoa, via the Panama Canal, calling en route at the Azores and Newport News. I arrived in Auckland on Friday last, and left there 1 for Wellington last night. I have come back with, the intention of taking up mv permanent residence in New Zealand.” '