MEN FROM WAIKATO

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21037, 13 February 1940, Page 6

MEN FROM WAIKATO

FAMILY LEAVE-TAKINGS SPECIAL TRAINS GO SOUTH CROWDS AT FRANKTON STATION Mothers, sisters, sweethearts, fathers, relatives and friends of the men of the first echelon who were drawn from the Waikato took their final leave-taking of the troops at home, for few could journey to Wellington. When the soldiers were home from the various military camps in New Zealand on their final leave at Christmas there were countless farewell parties before they departed. Private good-byes culminated in the rousing civic farewell accorded the men in Hamilton when the deputy-mayor, Mr F. Findlay, spoke to the soldiers. Scenes at Hamilton station when the men returned to camp, then later at Frankton Junction when they passed through on a. special train that went south on the eve of sailing from Wellington, are vivid recollections. On the Frankton Station that summer night relatives and friends had little time with their soldiers, because none was allowed to leave the train. Huddled in the opening of carriage windows however, the troops had their last words before the train pulled away in the dark for the capital city. Morning brought the soldiers to Wellington and the trains steamed right to the wharves so that the men could join the troopships immediately. Scenes In Wellington Friends and relatives of the troops from every corner of New Zealand had assembled in Wellington and Lyttelton to see the men depart. Farewell parades had been held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch earlier in the week, and military camps had been open to the public, but Wellington was crowded with visitors to see the embarkation and departure of the troops and the small party of nurses accompanying the first echelon. One of the liners sailed a day before the others for Lyttelton to pick up some of the South Island men.

The final farewell was from Wellington. With waving troops swarming at the rails, and in view of thousands of people who had driven to points of vantage around the harbour, the liners slipped quietly out toward the heads, to join forces with the remainder of the convoy at some secret rendezvous, before turning on their courses for war.

Cheers floated across Wellington Harbour in the hush of a fine summer morning to farewell the men of the first echelon. Led by the speedy Australian cruiser Canberra, liners that had become troopships at short notice slipped down the harbour one by one, their rails lined by figures in khaki. Bringing up the rear was the mighty battleship Ramillies, nearly 30,000 tons of fighting force.

More troopships had left Lyttelton, carrying the South Island men of the first echelon, with the cruiser Leander as escort, and somewhere in the Tasman, at a point kept a closely-guarded secret, the ships were to meet. Fast troopships, with three warships on guard, made up the first convoy of the present war to leave New Zealand.

Canberra Leads The Way A blast from the Canberra’s siren as she backed from her berth went ; echoing round the waterfront hills. ; 1 Cheers came from the troops as the '; cruiser moved slowly astern, and | high overhead a warplane circled the ships before climbing steadily over ! Port Nicholson. Another aeroplane came over, flying higher, and then | dived to join her sister machine. Six o’clock was striking as the ' Canberra slipped her moorings, and hundreds who had driven to van- ! tage points in the darkness of early j morning climbed slowly from their j cars to high ground overlooking the j harbour. From homes in every part of Wellington, from the motor camps and from city hotels, parties had begun j their drive to the waterfront as early : as two o’clock that morning. Some had brought breakfast with them, but there was no holiday or picnic | air among the crowds who waited. | Rather was there a growing tension, j Ramillies Guards The Rear As the Canberra passed slowly j down the line of troopships, cheer ! after cheer came from the troops | massed on the liners’ decks. A chvrus j of motor-horns from all round the j harbour was the immediate response. | Soon the leading liner swung he- j bulk to follow. Just as the big liner ; was passing Point Halswell. one of ilie inter-island ferries, inward-1

bound, passed close inshore, and her siren screamed a farewell to the troops. More cheers came distinctly across the water, and one by one the ships of the convoy lifted their anchors and fell into line ahead. In turn the liners moved slowly down the smooth harbour. In less than an hour the Canberra and the troopships had gone quietly on their way to war, and only the Ramillies was left. The crowd turned to watch the departure of the first modern British battleship to visit New Zealand. Silently the great ship backed out into mid-harbour and she, too, rounded Point Halswell and headed out to the open sea. The enormous strength of the Ramillies brought a comforting feeling of assurance to the crowds that watched her 15in. guns swinging.