UNCLE SAM VISITS US. RATES "CHOW" HIGH.

Dozerdust, Volume 1, Issue 18, 16 October 1943, Page 2

UNCLE SAM VISITS US. RATES "CHOW" HIGH.

CPL Preston Charles of the l6let Signal Photographic Coy. who visited us several Sundays ago, is a journalist in civil life, -takes a keen interest in the ways of the . Kiwis and,in the following article , gives us his impressions.

HEAR Editor : Thanks for a very interesting day in your camp* Since you asked for my impression in five or six hundred words, I’ll go into the subject without further.- introduction# $ -J- $ Ilf day with you New Zealand boys left me with a burning ambition to spook bettor English# The impression was so strong, in fact, that I went for three days without splitting an infinitive* This* is the identical feeling a lot of Americans get when they associate with the Kiwis* The urge usually fades away after a few days, however, as there is a strong prejudice among Americans against speech chamolbns# ; : ; A thing that surprised me no little was the quality of your ” chow ’J Partly this was due, I suppose, to the signal honor of eating at the serge * ants moss# I had an idea that we American soldiers wore the best fed, best, housed, etc, in the world* Toget down to. oast/s, tho moat pie I had for evening '• chow ” was n dish that will ever be in my memory# The light noon mu al appeals to mu very much* In fact, I have already decided that when I get to be a two*-star general I shall urge the adoption of this plan in our army* g f J ASSUMING that I shall be

.a Joi'*" general some day, there is another custom I should like to introduce «•'.*•" morning and afternoon toe * Unfortunately, ten is- not generally considered strong enough for the rebloods d Americano I feel sure, however, that if we Ihnks could take a ten minute break in the morning and afternoon wo could even go for tea, While I’m thinking about it,' I’m making a note on this in ray little . black book, under the heading: .Things to Be Dona When I become a Major General ’1 ( At my present rate of progress this should be about 1980 )* ; • ; I used to think New Zealanders were fomal and reserved like the English* My visit to you indicated otherwise* My ideas along this lino quickly vanished when I joined in such an essentially undignified ceremony as passing round the bottle of beer* $ j « I was much interested in the ingenious washing and screening ma china your company made frun 1 salvage parts* Judging from this achievement, I should say a few New

Zealand construction battalions could equip their Army and Air Force thornselves given a few juris yards to pick over. ? • ; THE only feature of my visit that was not a hundred par cent was a bit of self-consciousness about speech I' was always afraid you wouldn’# understand our army slang, so I had talk ” straight ’£ After a . year or so in the army? a follow relies 00 much on slang that hp finds' it hard to talk unadulterated English. However?, I don’t believe I pulled t any ” boners ? or at least not one as bad as the time I anked the Nov/ Zealand bag-pipe ban& maestro if his boys ever played ” Waltzing Matilda ” : g ? WOW fail me at this point. I’ve written this piece < three times, trying to make it good, and each time it got shorter. 1 would like to say, though, that knowing you fellows are our Allies gives ma a very nice feeling, how that k I’ve got to know you. You’re all damn good coves, say I.