THIRD DIVISION MEN

Southland Times, Issue 25488, 7 October 1944, Page 6

THIRD DIVISION MEN

Overseas Veterans To Be Replaced INTERESTING POINTS ARISE (Special) AUCKLAND, Oct. 6. The Government’s decision to employ eligible members of Major-General H. E. Barrowclough’s 3rd Division to help replace veterans of LieutenantGeneral Sir Bernard Freyberg’s 2nd Division continues to pose questions which were not covered by the recent general statement of policy by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser. However, it is apparent that answers to questions which members of the 3rd Division are asking must come from Wellington. Under the new policy,- personnel of the 3rd Division who are now in camp or are on furlough are to be drafted to district mobilization camps. They will then become available for posting to the 2nd Division. ■

USE FOR ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY Not stated is whether the men will then remain in these camps until they are required for the 2nd Division, or whether any not immediately needed will be temporarily released to industry. Already numbers of the men have been selected for such essential industries as freezing works, although they have not yet been drafted to them, but it is not known whether any others who are not wanted for the first replacement draft will be similarly released.

Mr Fraser said that men eligible for dispatch to the 2nd Division would include 3rd Division men temporarily released to industry earlier in the year. He did not specify whether any released in industry from now on will also be eligible for the replacement scheme. Presumably, they will be.

A matter whch is exercising many officers of the 3rd Division is whether they will revert to the ranks when they are posted to the 2nd Division. If they are “invited” to relinquish their commissions they will be following a fashion imposed several times in the past on a number of home defence and Pacific garrison officers who were surplus to requirements. Warrant officers and other non-com-missioned officers of the 3rd Division are as interested in the future of their rank as are the officers.

GENERAL’S EXPECTED VISIT No instructions appear to have been issued on the point. However, it is possible that the solution will not be so severe as many of those concerned expect. Personnel in camp at Papakura have been notified by a special order that Major-General Barrowclough is to visit Lieutenant-General Freyberg for the purpose of discussing the disposal of 3rd Division officers, warrant officers and other non-commissioned officers. Not resulting from Mr Fraser’s statement, but of considerable importance nevertheless to many members of the 3rd Division, are two more points. One is whether they are entitled to wear the 1939-43 Star. It is believed that a decision on this question is now being sought from London. The other point arises from the leave which has been granted to various drafts as they have returned from the Pacific. Some of the men have been given furlough on the authorized basis of two days for every month overseas, but others clqim that they were placed on a flat rate of 40 days. These men complain that some of their- number benefited from this • arrangement and others lost from it.