THE AFRICA STAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 January 1944, Page 4

THE AFRICA STAR

GRIEVANCE OF DESERT VETERANS. ONLY PERMITTED TO WEAR BARE RIBBON. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 5. Though the battledress tunics of the First and Eighth Armies are now glowing with Africa Stars, the real old Western Desert “sweats” feel that they are badly done by; declares the “Daily Mail’s” correspondent on the Italian front. These “old sweats” are entitled to wear only the bare ribbon because they were not in the line last winter. The trouble is the absence of numbers on the ribbon which would indicate that the wearer saw the Eighth Army through the difficult and heroic years preceding the great victory. The old brigade regard figures one and eight as the highest distinction. The feelings of some of those New Zealand, South African and Australian troops who were so proud of being in the Eighth Army and now, because they were perhaps wounded or sent home before a certain date, are not allowed to wear the figure eight, can be imagined. The best thing might have been to have had no figures at all. That would have avoided quarrelling and resentment betwee/i the two armies.