THE LIGHTER SIDE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19378, 16 July 1937, Page 2

THE LIGHTER SIDE

CORONATION TOUR PM\ OUS PER SOX ALTTIES SIFJ A. OODLEY AND EGYPT "It is difficult to convey to you an idea of the warmth of hospitality with which the contingent was treated everywhere it went. Rank was disregarded to a degree probably without precedent when the New Zealand contingent was entertained at various institutions, and one of our main difficulties was 1o identify the famous personalities who took trouble and gave their time to seeing that we were thoroughly at home in Britain," stated Staff Sergeant-Major Stichbury, addressing a large gathering of territorials and members of allied organisations which last evening welcomed him and Company SergeantMajor H. R. Hciford back to their accustomed environment, after their tour abroad with the New Zealand Coronation Contingent. In the course of his speech, Ser-geant-Major Stichbury dealt mainly with the lighter side of the tour, detailing many of the humorous incidents which occurred en route and during the stay of the contingent in Britain. His example was followed by Mr. Heiford, and the gathering, which numbered well over 100, found a wealth of entertainment in the all-too-short descriptions which each of the contingenters gave of their experiences

Widespread Interest

Present at trie gathering, which was sponsored by "A" Squadron, Signal troop and band, Wellington East Coast Mounted Rifles, and Headquarters Wing and "B" Company, Ist. Battalion, Hawke's Bay Regiment, were Colonel R. F. Gambrill, Colonel A. Stoncham, Major A. S. Muir, Major G. Crawshaw, and Major W. Dunphy, Captain Morrison, New Zealand Engineers, Mr. Chas. Matthews, and representatives of the Gisborne R.S.A., Legion of Frontiersmen, Wellington Infantry Regimental Veterans' Association, South African Veterans' Association, and Gisborne Defence Ritlc Club, with other wellwishers of the territorial movement. Practically the whole of the evening's entertainment was supplied by the two contingenters' addresses, Major A. Blackburn explaining from the chair that' all present would wish to hear as much as possible of the experiences of Gisborne's representatives on the tour. "Make 'Em Run Again!" Typical of these experiences, apart from the official purposes of the contingent's visit to Britain, was an occassion on which the New Zealand troops were resting between two functions, and were approached by a number of wellknown public men who had personal connections with the Dominion. Sergeant-Major Stichbury related how he found himself in conversation with General Sir Alexander Godley, who after a glance at his medal ribbons, asked whether he had served in Egypt. "Well, there was one incident in Egypt with which the name of Sir Alexander Godley was associated in the minds of New Zealand troops in the Great War," said Sergeant-Major Stichbury," and naturally it came into my mind.

"Sir Alexander Godley saw me smile, and laughed heartily.'' 'I know what you are thinking of,' Jie said, 'and it is quite all right.' Sir Alexander is a rather different man to-day from the General Godley we knew in Egypt," added Mr. Stiehbury, amidst prolonged laughter from his audience, through which penetrated a voice saying: "Make 'em run again Alec!" Memorable Incidents Touching on the off-duty life of the contingenters, Sergeant-Major Stiehbury explained that offers of hospitality were so numerous that drill in barracks had to be sandwiched in between entertainments, and that there was a considerable amount of hard work in arranging responses to the invitations. The contingent was usually divided into groups so that simultaneous attendance at different functions could be registered, and the return of the men often brought up keen divisions of opinion as to which of the functions was most memorable.

On the same day, for instance, he continued, half the contingent went to Boots' factory at Nottingham, and were most hospitably treated, champagne flowing like water at a luncheon in honour of the troops, and each man receiving a gift of a razor as a memento of the occasion; while the other half went to Brighton to see the New Zealand tennis representatives play China in the Davis Cup tie. The Nottingham party returned entirely pleased with their outing, he added, but almost the only comment of the Brighton party on their return was: "You can have your razors!" Nottingham's Gifts Were Good

Having gone to Nottingham, said Sergeant-Major Stiehbury, he could only conjecture that there must have been some outstanding attractions at Brighton, for the Nottingham razors were good.

Later Sergeant-Major Heiford, in the course of his speech, also referred to the incident, but while he maintained that the Brighton guests did not envy the Nottingham party their razors, lie did not disclose their reasons. He took occasion to refer to Sergeant-Major Stiehbury as the one man in the contingent whose job he did not envy, for it was the most difficult of all, and he had made a wonderful success of it.

Included in Sergeant-Major 1 leiford's account of the contingent's experiences was a reference to the warmth of feeling evinced by the allied regiments of the Hawke's Bay Regiment at. Home, the South Laneashiros and the Berkshires.

Allied Regiments Welcomed

When the contingent's vessel was met by the pilot boat in the Thames estuary, he said, letters and telegrams lor the troops were brought aboard, and among them were greetings from the allied regiments to himself as representing the Hawke's Bays. Their welcome gave him a most agreeable feeling that he was thoroughly at home when he put his foot on the soil of England; and later, when he had opportunities of visiting the depots of the two allied regiments, there was no limil to the hospitality accorded him. Almost without precedent was the action of the respective commanding officers who invited him into the officers' messes of the regiments, a privilege which he fully appreciated. Among those who sought him out as a representative of Gisborne in the contingent, continued Sergeant-Major

Heiford, were the brother and nephew of Mr. J. V. Scott, secretary of the South African Veterans' Association, and Captain Sugden, well known here as a former adjutant of the Hawke's Bay Regiment, and now undergoing a staff course at Home. Many other experiences, including' a number of humourous incidents. were related by the speaker, and in voicing the pleasure of all the visitors privileged to be present, Colonel R, F. Gambrill commented that apparently both Gisborne representatives had made the most of the chance of a life time.