THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS HOME ON FURLOUGH

Southland Times, Issue 25704, 13 July 1943, Page 4

THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS HOME ON FURLOUGH

MEN FROM FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD ECHELONS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 12. Bronzed, fit, smiling exuberantly and glad to be back, some thousands of Main Body New Zealand soldiers today returned on a well-earned furlough, fresh from active service on the North African fronts. Of the soldiers who left New Zealand with the First, Second and Third Echelons (the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Brigades) all the married men have been given leave and the quota has been made up of single men from these echelons who decided their lot by ballot. The weather was typical of a Wellington mid-winter day with a cold southerly drizzle beating in from the sea, but it did not in any way dampen the enthusiasm of those who streamed to the wharf to greet friends and relations. Once word got around that the ship had arrived and the soldiers were coming off, a veritable pilgrimage started, and if the soldiers were glad to be back their relations were doubly so. People shouted themselves hoarse as they picked out a familiar face on the packed deck of the transport, and excitement grew as the men began to come off with their packs. Personal greetings were touching and emotion was given free play as husbands, sons and fathers embraced in the rain. They stopped anywhere, and in the middle of the road there were little groups of people who had found each other again. Passers-by smiled indulgently and hurried on to seek their own kith and kin. It was a day of days and a reward for years of hope and prayers and patient longing.

The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Peter Fraser, announced today that the Government was very pleased to wel ■ come home a large draft of officers, men and nurses who had been brought back to the Dominion on extended furlough. Mr Fraser said that as soon as it became evident that the campaign in North Africa was drawing to a successful close, negotiations were opened with Lieuten-ant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg and the United Kingdom Government for the return to the Dominion of as many members as possible of the First, Second and Third Echelons and their transportation to New Zealand. The Government was very pleased it had been possible to make arrangements for such a large proportion of the first three echelon men to come home.

The Government had requested Lieutenant-General Freyberg- to give preference to married men and with the exception of some married officers, senior non-commissioned officers and specialists who could not all be spared at the one time, this had been done. Single men included in the draft were selected by ballot, and the Kiwi concert party accompanied the draft for the entertainment of the troops. When the members of this celebrated party had had a short period of leave they would reassemble and tour New Zealand, giving public concerts, the proceeds of which would go to the national patriotic funds. It had also been possible to arrange for a number of officers and men who had ties in the United Kingdom and Australia to spend their furlough in those countries.

FULL PAY DURING FURLOUGH Mr Fraser added that it was hoped the future operations of the 2nd New Zealand Division and other circumstances would permit an extension of the furlough scheme to other men with long service, particularly the remaining members

of the first three echelons. Officers and other ranks in this first furlough party were being granted extended furlough on full pay and allowances, together with a free pass on the railways during the furlough period. In the case of married men (including those who married during furlough) the railway pass would include their wives. On the termination of their furlough the men would return to their units overseas.

Mr Fraser said the Government would have liked very much to arrange—and no doubt the general public of Wellington would also have welcomed—a grand parade of the whole party in Wellington. Very full consideration was given to the proposal that such a parade should be held, but it was found that as there were no facilities ashore for rationing and quartering such a large body of troops, and as the men could not disembark with their baggage, if they were to march through the city the time required for disembarking and re-embarking the troops, together with other factors, would have meant a delay of nearly 24 hours in dispersing the men belonging to other parts of New Zealand. Bearing in mind that the men as well as their relations and friends would desire that the men should get to their homes with the least possible delay, it was decided not to hold a parade in Wellington, but to leave a function of this nature to be held in the very near future in the cities and towns where the men lived after they had had their family reunions. SECRECY NECESSARY

Mr Fraser mentioned that for security reasons and in the interests of the safety of the members of the draft, the ships and their crews, it had been necessary to keep secret the movements of the party to the utmost degree. This had necessitated withholding information from the next of kin until very near the eve of arrival, but he was sure those concerned would not mind this and would be thankful that the voyage had been safely accomplished. Mr Fraser said the best possible arrangements in the circumstances had been made for the notification of the next of kin, and he hoped everyone would appreciate the efforts that had been made in this direction and for the rapid transport of the men to their homes by the Army authorities, the Post and Telegraph Department, the Railways Department, the shipping companies and many other organizations and individuals who had cooperated in the big task. Mr Fraser, in conclusion, said he hoped the members of the draft who had so well earned a respite from active campaigning would enjoy their stay in New Zealand, and that when their furlough came to an end they would rejoin the division refreshed and ready to play whatever part was allotted to them in smashing the enemy under their great leader, LieutenantGeneral Freyberg, who, during his recent tour of the Dominion, was given such a well-deserved and overwhelming welcome wherever he went. WELCOME EXTENDED

The welcome home speeches, carried through a loud-speaker system, were brief and to the point. Mr Fraser said: “We owe you a debt we cannot adequately repay and hope your furlough will be a happy one.” He paid tribute to their deeds and said that all who had returned deserved the very best the country could place at their disposal. Others who spoke were the chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board, Mr Mayer, Lieutenant-General E. Puttick, Mr Tai Mitchell and the Hon. W. Perry, who expressed the pride of the old “Diggers” in what the new “Diggers” had achieved. The master of the transport paid a special tribute. “You carry a good reputation which is known all over the world, the reputation of brave fighters. I consider it an honour to have brought you home,” he said. The National Patriotic Fund Board has asked provincial patriotic councils to issue scarves and mittens to those in the returning draft who require them when they arrive at their destinations.