NEW ZEALANDERS’ CHRISTMAS IN LONDON

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23387, 19 December 1945, Page 4

NEW ZEALANDERS’ CHRISTMAS IN LONDON

Dinner, Dances And Kiwis’ Game With Cardiff

By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyng.it

N.Z.P A.—Special Correspondent (7.30 p.m.) LONDON. Dec. 18. Dinner at the Fernleaf or Milestone Clubs in London on Christmas Day, then off to see the Kiwis play Cardiff on Boxing Day—that is the programme of a large number of New Zealanders here. Cardiff has not been beaten in 16 games and the opinion is generally expressed that, if any team can beat the Kiwis, it will be these Welshmen. There will be some 2300 New Zealanders in Britain for Christmas, of whom 500 are Navy personnel, 770 Army, including headquarters personnel of the club staff, those on bursaries attachments, and also 200 from Italy on leave, together with more than 800 members of the RJ4.Z.A.F, though these may have to be with thensquadrons on the Continent. Christmas dinner will be served at midday at both the Fernleaf and Milestone Clubs, where Captain R. C. Cooper and Captain R. A. Prebble are catering for 400 at each. The menu will include turkey, goose or chicken, Christmas pudding, ice cream and tinned New Zealand cream. There will be no charge for dinner nor for tire first half pint of beer. General and Lady Freyberg will pay a visit during the dinner. Holly from

General Freyberg’s home, Godaiming, will decorate both clubs—some mistletoe is also being imported—and with streamers and bunting they will be gay with colour. Dances will be held at the Fernleaf on Christmas Eve, Boxing Night and New Year's Eve. Tire game at Cardiff on Boxing Day can be expected to be fast and hard. In view of the Kiwis’ unbeaten record, men of the N.Z.E.F. on leave found that fewer persons will invest an odd half-crown against them, but many apparently see in this Welsh match an opportunity of recouping themselves. Several New Zealanders, who indulged in Christmas shopping, have been much impressed with prices. What most of them sought has been shoes, since there was no issue of shoes in Italy and only those on the staff get them in Britain. Coupons cause difficulty, with the result that there has been a minor migration of New Zealanders every Sunday morning to Petticoat Lane in London, where it is found that a few extra shillings will have the same effect as coupons. These who arrived from Italy with silk stockings have not found it hard to win popularity, though one Kiwi, who was offered seven coupons for stockings that cost 50.', was not impressed. After Christmas dinner, the only thing New Zealanders are looking for is to make the festive season complete with a victory over Cardiff. Nobody doubts they will be in good voice.