BACK FROM WAR ZONE

Southland Times, Issue 24548, 24 September 1941, Page 4

BACK FROM WAR ZONE

MAJOR COCKERELL RETURNS ■ FORMER AREA OFFICER IN INVERCARGILL Major A. R. Cockerell, D. 5.0., who has been appointed to the senior staff of the new command and staff school which is being established at Waiouru, arrived in Invercargill last night after almost two years’ service overseas. This new staff school is part of the general reorganization of the Dominion’s land forces. The Battalion Band was present at the station to welcome Major Cockerell.

Major Cockerell has now seen service in two wars. He joined, up soon after the outbreak of the Great War and served throughout with the Otago Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of 2nd lieutenant on January 25, 1917, and to full lieutenant on July 25, 1918. He was awarded the D.S.O. and was mentioned in despatches. Major Cockerell joined the New Zealand Staff Corps soon after the war and about five years before the start of the present war was appointed area officer for the Southland district. He left New Zealand with the Ist Echelon with the rank of staff captain. Major Cockerell was with the 4th Brigade in the Western Desert for seven months and was acting brigade major for five months. While overseas he was promoted to the rank of major. 11,000 MILES BY AIR The party of officers who are to form the senior staff of the new command travelled by air from Cairo to Auckland and Major Cockerell described the flight as one of his greatest experiences. About 11,000 miles were covered in 10 actual flying days, two days being spent in Singapore and one in Sydney. The party travelled on three flying-boats during the flight. An Empire Airways machine took them from Cairo to Calcutta and from there they flew by a Qantas flying-boat to Sydney, completing the flight by the Tasman Air Service to Auckland. The flight was without incident, although the monsoon was encountered over India and Burma. On loan from the War Office as commandant of the new school is Colonel V. F. S. Hawkins, M.C., an Imperial staff officer. The other members of the party were four senior officers of the New Zealand Staff Corps, Majors Cockerell, J. I. Brooke, J. BrookeWhite and F. L. H. Davis, and Major A. L. Hogg, New Zealand Artillery. The purpose of the command and staff school is to provide officers in New Zealand with higher training in modern methods of warfare. The senior staff officers brought back from the Expeditionary Force as instructors have all had experience of recent fighting. Major Cockerell is to report for duty on Tuesday and will leave Invercargill at the week-end.