A GREAT RECORD

Southland Times, Issue 19506, 4 May 1922, Page 5

A GREAT RECORD

RAILWAYMEN IN THE WAR. HONOURS BOARD UNVEILED. There were 7529 railwaymen releawd for military service during the war. This is a great record; but it is doubly creditable, in view of the fact that there came a time when the service could not spare more men and continue to fulfil its duty of maintaining essential transport, services. Thus, many men who would have served were deprived of the opportunity of doing so. The men who laid down their lives for the cause of Empire numbered 446. The branches of the service to which these men belonged were:— Locomotive running 113 Locomotive workshops.... 80 Traffic 181 Maintenance 65 Head office 4 Store* 2 Last Sunday afternoon at Wellington the railway service fittingly recognised the sacrifice of these men by unveiling a roil of honour, on which their names are inscribed. The roll is a marble tablet bearing a plain record of the names of the fallen. It is impressive in its simplicity, for no decoration is wanted for such a record. The unveiling ceremony was performed by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey) in the presence of a large gathering of men who had served at the front. In the speeches of the Prime Minister and of the Aotmg-Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie), emphasis was laid upon the very honourable record of the sendee, as shown in a total enlistment of 7529 men. That these men performed valiant service, was shown in the record of 111 decorations won by them. The decorations, and the branches of the service to which the decorated men belonged at the time of their enlistment were:— Victoria Cross, 1, head office. 0.8. E., 2 traffic, 1 maintenance. D. 5.0., 2 traffic, 1 loco, branch. M.C., 5 traffic, 4 loco, branch, 2 stores, 1 maintenance. Bar to M.C., 1 loco, branch, D.C.M., 5 traffic, 5 loco, branch. M.M., 25 traffic, 29 loco, branch, 9 maintenance, 1 stores. Bar to M.M., 2 traffic, 1 maintenance. M.8.M., 4 traffic, 2 loco, branch, 2 maintenance. Croix de Chevalier of the Legidn of Honour (French), 1 loco, branch. Croix de Guerre (French), 1 traffic, 1 loco, branch. Croix de Guerre (Belgian), 1 traffic, 1 loco, branch. Order of Danilo (Montenegrin), 1 traffic. “The record is a’splendid one,” said the Prime Minister. “It is one of which we have every reason to be proud, and one which will go down in history. These men went to war and gave their lives for you and for me. They gave their lives on behalf of liberty and freedom, but they never came back to the country to which they belong, and to-day on our behalf their, grave® are scattered far and wide. They have paid the price, and it is for u* to aee that iKair lives wepe aoA-gtyoaiß vain.*