WELCOME IN NEW YORK

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 233, 2 October 1943, Page 4

WELCOME IN NEW YORK

TO MARCH THROUGH STREETS Recd. 10 p.m. New York, Sent. 30. I Six hundred New Zealand and Australian Forestry Troops attracted wide , attention to-day when they were., driven in open trucks through the , streets to a large drill hall where they were entertained at lunch. New Yorkers w'ere very interested : in the New Zealand pointed hats and the Australian slouch hats, which were the first seen in New York during present war. The troops range from men in the early twenties tn I others who served in the Great War and have sons fighting in New Guinea and elsewhere. All said, they were very glad to be returning and hoped they W'ould get into action against the Japanese soon. The men faced a barrage of newspaper photographers, and later a small representative group, including » Major Austin and Sergeant Burt, both • of Rotorua, and Sapper Seymour, ot Christchurch, told the Press some of their experiences in England and Scotland, where all have been since the middle of 1940, engaged in forestry work such as falling and prepar- i ing timber for British defence w'orks. The troops established all-time records for forestry production. The men said that 85 New Zealanders and 120 Australians married English and Scottish girls. They would not see their wives until after the war, because “w'ives are very low on the priority list.” The New Zealanders and Australians were later entertained at the Yankee Baseball Stadium, where they met players in the game between, the Yankees and Chicago White Sox. Many entertainments are planned for the troops before they march through the streets to-morrow.