“THEY ARE GRAND"

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21156, 4 July 1940, Page 7

“THEY ARE GRAND"

NEW ZEALAND TROOPS TRIBUTE BY NOVELIST DEFENCE OF BRITAIN (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, July 3 “I have seen something of the New Zealanders in London during the pas! week and I must say they are grand,’ said the distinguished novelist and literary critic, Sir Hugh Walpole, in a broadcast address from London. Sir Hugh said his father was the vicar of St. Mary’s, Auckland, and Sir Hugh himself was born in a house close by the church. He left New Zealand at the age of five years and had never been back. He was to have visited his birthplace this year, but Hitler had prevented this. He had always thought himself a proud New Zealander. He was as happy as he could be when he saw the New Zealanders at the Adelphi Theatre, in the Strand. The novelist said he had accompanied a party of 50 New Zealand soldiers on a trip on the Thames to Greenwich, on which they passed historical buildings, such as St. Paul’s, and docks and warehouses. He had been prepared to illustrate all these with anecdotes in history, but he soon found that his companions already had a good knowledge of these parts. On the way boys shouted and waved as soon as they saw the New Zealand soldiers. Greenwich, the observatory, the hospital and the marine school made a climax to the voyage. The New Zealanders were thrilled with Greenwich. Calm and Cheerful The New Zealanders, Sir Hugh continued, had brought with them some of the sunshine of their country. They were wonderfully calm and cheerful. They were in Britain to defend that country. There was no splitting of hairs and argument from their point of view. In Britain there was a job well worth doing and which would have only one result. “We Englishmen have been accused 1 before of a certain amount of social ! snobbishness,” said Sir Hugh. “Some iof my companions, who have been 1 here before, told me that they have j noticed a change in us—that now we I have no airs and graces. This is a good thing because we have no time for that.” Sir Hugh concluded by saying that he hoped to see plenty of the New Zealand soldiers. The New Zealand High Commissioner in London, Mr W. J. Jordan, has expressed New Zealand’s gratitude for the kindness that has been shown in Britain to the Dominion’s forces.