RETURN OF SOLDIERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14610, 21 May 1918, Page 6

RETURN OF SOLDIERS.

w^. Another draft of returned soldiers arrived by tihe Arahura this morning from Wellington, via Napier, consisting' of nine men, all of whom bear honorable marks of hardships borne m service rendered for their country. The men were met by Messrs. G. C.Munns and F. R-. Ball, representing the Citizens' r Defence Committee, and were welcomed back to Gisborne. One soldier expressed pleasure at being met, m spite of the'awk-, ward hour, by representatives of the townspeople and welcomed to their homes. ' Those who arrived were as follows : — Pte.-Wirihana, 16/208/ left with the Main Body and took part on Gallipoli, later returning to Egypt.- He was one of the Maori force that landed at Suvla Bay. He went, to France and contracted enteric at Marseilles and left for home on March, 20. Ptc. Ratcliffe wag a' member of the 7th Reinforcements, and was m, Egypt for a time, later going to France. In the Sorame he lost his left leg as a result p£.a shell.. With the use of his. artifi^al leg his linip is hardly perceptible; thus proving the perfection that experts m this Line have attained. ' Lance-Corpbral O'Connell left with' the 7tli Reinforcements, a.nd was m Egypt and France. He was wounded twice at Ypres- 1 and Messines respectively. On September 9th he was blown up by a shell, and ultimately invalided home as the result. ■ " ' ' Sergeant Onion joined; the 7th.. Rednfprceinents and Avas m both Egypt and France. He sustained shell shock ■at Passchendaele, and spent some Av.eeks m hospital before being "boarded" for home. I Pte. Oswald left with the 20th Reinforcements and went direct to France'i He was wounded m the head and leg at Ypres. ' : . : Private Pohato was ai. member of ihe 12th Reinforcements and left with th"c 4th Maori Battalion. He J' r w,as inEgypji' and France, and sustained shrapnei wounds m th e left ankle" at Ypres. \ »t. .Cars were placed' at •conveniehce of the soldiers by Messrs. J. Blair, Wi' lies, and R." Caulton. _ • Private Gordon .Jones,, who went on' to Wellington from Auckland by trdin, returns to/ Gisborne on Thursday morn- 1 ing, accoinpained by his mother.: