THE HOME GUARD
RETENTION NOT SUPPORTED MEN CALLED IN BALLOTS (Special) WELLINGTON, July 15. Members of the Home Guard who are called up by ballot for general service in the army or full-time service in New Zealand or overseas arc not being permitted to remain with their units except in special circumstances. This applies to all ranks. Applications for the retention of officers, non-commissioned officers or men in Home Guard units are not encouraged. The fact that such applications have been made has given rise to a belief that officers and non-commissioned officers of Home Guard units may be relieved from the full-time service for which they have been called by ballot. That has led to concern in some quarters, and in one case a unit’s noncommissioned officers have made a strong protest against the reported intention of the Home Guard “ to make application to the Government for the retention of all Home Guard noncommissioned officers with their respective companies." In giving their reasons they stated; “We are of the unanimous opinion that such a request, if granted, would place the non-commissioned officers in a most humiliating position, being nothing less than an appeal against overseas service, and now that our turn for general service has come we ai - e all prepared to go and serve our country wherever we are required and not remain at home under the shelter of an appeal such as is proposed.” The policy of the army, it Is stated, is to permit the retention of the individual Home Guard officers in their battalions where it is considered that, on account of the difficulties of replacing them and the serious interference (hat would occur to the command and training of the unit, they should remain until such time as they can be replaced. If such action were taken in any other cases it would simply mean that men who have been called by ballot for full-time military service would be exempted from fulltime duty, and that is not desirable or equitable.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 24969, 16 July 1942, Page 4
Word Count
336THE HOME GUARD Otago Daily Times, Issue 24969, 16 July 1942, Page 4
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