LADY FREYBERG

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 212, 7 September 1945, Page 5

LADY FREYBERG

MANY CONGRATULATIONS HOPES TO RENEW MANY OLD FRIENDSHIPS (Special Correupondent—N.Z.P.A.) Recd. 6 p.m. London, Sept. 5. Telegrams, telephone calls, and flowers have been flooding in to the Fernleaf Club all day congratulating Lady Freyberg on the appointment ol General Freyberg as Governor-Gene-ral. The announcement has given deep pleasure w to New Zealanders here, while it has’ been featured by the British Press, which recalls the general's distinguished career. Lady Freyberg, who has not yet been to New Zealand, declared she was delighted at the prospect of meeting many friends. She, of course, is known personally to thousands of New Zealanders lor her work first in the New Zealand Forces’ Club in London, which she supervised in the early days of the war, later at the New Zealand Clubs in Cairo, Bari, and Rome, and now at the Fernleaf Club. ACCOMPLISHED SPEAKER.

Her welfare work has been widely appreciated and she is genuinely liked and admired. She is always approachable and devotes all her time and energy to the club activities. At the Fernleaf Club, in addition to supervising the voluntary workers and helping to direct the social activities, she has also been responsible lor an excellent library and arranging visits to places of interest for servicemen. Lady Freyberg’s many accomplishments include the ability to make a good speech which she prepares thoroughly and delivers with the polish of a practised speaker.

She will continue her work.at the Fernleaf Club for the time being particularly as there is apparently still the likelihood that a proportion of the New Zealand Division may visit England, in which case it would be one of the main centres.

An indefatigable worker for the welfare of New Zealanders overseas, Lady Freyberg, wife of the next. GovernorGeneral of New Zealand, has become known to countless servicemen and servicewomen during the war years, as she has had an active interest in the organisation and running of forces’ clubs and leave centres for Dominion personnel.

Soon after the Second Echelon arrived in the Middle East from England, the first club, the N.Z. Forces’ Club, was established in Cairo. Lady Freyberg who was largely responsible for organising the club, has been connected with this work ever since. She was in charge of the women workers there and subsequently at other centres, including Rome and Florence. At nresent she is at the Fernlcaf Club in London, where repatriated prisoners of war and New Zealand service personnel are finding a warm welcome. As Miss Barham Jekyll, daughter of the late Colonel Sir Herbert Jekyll, K.C.M G.. she married 'first, the Hon. Francis Walter McLaren, M.P. and was subsequently left a widow. In 1922 she married Sir Bernard Freyberg. There is one son, Paul. Lady Freyhorg was awarded the 0.8. E. in 1943.

MESSAGE FROM REICH

MONTGOMERY DELIGHTED

Reed. 7 p.m. London, Sept. 5. “I am delighted to hear that my old friend General Freyberg has been appointed Governor-General of New Zealand," said Field-Marshal Montgomery. “He has been mv comrade in many battles. He and his gallant men from New Zealand fought with me in Africa and Italy. “Nobody who served in the Sth i Army will ever forget the New Zealand Division and its gallant commander. All of us here in Germany who fought with lhe Sth Army send greetings to General Freyberg. We hope he and Lady Freyberg will have every success and happiness in th? great work to which they are called.”