OVERSEAS DRAFT RETURNS

Southland Times, Issue 25564, 6 January 1945, Page 3

OVERSEAS DRAFT RETURNS

WELCOME FROM LARGE CROWD Looking very fit after their all-night journey from Christchurch, a contingent of Southland servicemen and servicewomen from the Middle East arrived in Invercargill hy the afternoon express yesterday. The station was thronged with people, those welcoming the soldiers and those waiting to go north by the Dunedin express. It was not long before each soldier was claimed by his relations, and the men were soon on the final journey to their homes. The Mayor, Mr A. Wachner, the president of the Returned Services Association, Mr Hugh Crawford, the Area Commander of the Southland Military District, Lieutenant-Colonel A. RCockerell, the area officer, Major I. O. Manson, Mr D. W .Stalker, chairman of the Invercargill Patriotic Committee, and representatives of the womens patriotic organizations were present on the platform to welcome the men. The Battalion Band, under Lieutenant A. McMaster, played martial music as the train drew in. Members of the Railway Division of the St. John Ambulance Association were also in attendance. The transport arrangements were under the control of the Automobile Association (Southland), and cars were placed at the disposal of the men. Country trips were handled by the Army authorities, but the afternoon bus and train services were used for the longer journeys. SERVICEWOMEN RETURN A nurse and two Voluntary Aids returned with the draft. They were Staff Nurse W. Bell and Privates E. Robertson and H. Rhind, of the W.A.A.C. All three have served with the No. 3 General Hospital for the past three years in Cairo, Syria, Tripoli and Italy. They were wearing their scarlet service chevrons, and in addition Sister Bell wore the Bth Army emblem. Another traveller as far as Dunedin was Miss M. Saunders, formerly of Invercargill, who has been overseas establishing clubs in the Middle East and Malta for the benefit of women in fnn Captain J.’ Little, D.C.M., represented Area XII, and acted as train conducting officer from Christchurch to Invercargill. The draft had had an excellent daylight crossing from Wellington, he said. Rain had fallen from Wellington to near Invercargill, but the returning men did not mind, as they were only too pleased to be off the ship and on their way to their homes. Wonderful receptions had been received at all stations and at Ashburton, Timaru and Oamaru both pipe and brass bands had met the train. The returning men had expressed special appreciation of the welcome they received at Palmerston. Here the women had gone to a lot of trouble to provide a meal as the train passed through at 3 am. The only untoward incident had occurred at Milton, where Sergeant P. B. Connolly had jumped off the train too quickly, slipped on the wet platform and fallen on the back of his head. He had been treated by a doctor and given permission to continue with the train. WELCOME AT GORE Members of the draft were given a warm welcome when the train pulled into the Gore railway station. The whistles of shunting engines in the yard were blown and there was a general rush towards the carriages in which the men were seen to be seated. No speeches of welcome were made, but as many men as possible were met individually by the president of the Gore R.S.A. (Mr A. Watson), the secretary (Mr G. L. Gerken), Mr T. L. Macdonald, M.P., and Mr L. G. Thomson, who represented the Mayor (Mr A. T. Newman) and the Borough Council. Ten soldiers were scheduled to leave the train at Gore and two at Mataura. Cars were placed at the disposal of the men by a number of Gore business persons.