WAR-TIME EXPERIENCES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20624, 27 May 1935, Page 7

WAR-TIME EXPERIENCES.

Address to Businessmen’s Club. Further war-time experiences in the \ .M.C.A. were recounted by Mr J. L. address at today’s lucheon of the Christchurch Businessmen’s club. Mr P. O’Connell presided. After dealing the resourcefulness of New Zealanders and Australians, Mr Hay went on to refer to spy-catch-He related one incident during which he thought he had been instrumental in catching a spv but found that the suspect was Onlv a soldier searching for his unit. The speaker followed this with a description of his experiences when he himself was under suspicion.

Mr Hay said that he was in a small village in which there were only four New Zealanders. One night the place was bombed and on the next night, on hearing strange noises near his hut. he went outside and was surrounded by French officers, who accused him of spying. Fortunately he was able to satisfy the Frenchmen of his bona fides, but again on the following night he came under the suspicion of some British officers. Once more he managed to secure his freedom, but ascertained that the cause of the trouble was the fact that on the evening of the raid the blind in the hut had inadvertently been raised, allowing the light to show. This the authorities had suspected of being a signal to the German planes. Mr Hay concluded his remarks by paying a tribute to the part played by the New Zealand Division in halting the German advance on the Somme in 1918 and eulogising the services of Major-General Sir Andrew Russell. He declared that .no public tribute adequate enough had been paid to Sir Andrew by the country which owed him so much. General Russell would be remembered not only for his leadership of the New Zealand Division but for his human qualities, which had been expressed in so many ways. The speaker was accorded a vote of thanks on the motion of Mr F. W. White.