IN ENGLAND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 220, 2 October 1940, Page 5

IN ENGLAND

MANAWAHE SOLDIER'S LETTER AT WORK AND PLAY Of general interest is a ltetter received by relatives from Private Roy Rendall, of Maqawahe, who is in England with the II N.Z. Forestry Company. "We are having a great time here," he writes, "and at present ar<? at Jarvis Brook, Sussex, close to Tunbridge Wells and not 30 miles from London, "The Forestry Company has leave every night tilli 6 a.m« and every Aveek-end as well, so you can guess of the good time we have. I have already been to London three times and to Brighton, Tilbury and Gravesend for week-ends. "We are the onlyi New Zealanders in Sussex and I would need permanent leave to even try and keep up with invitations. "There is dancing 011 the local village green twice a week and once a week we play the Crowborough ladies at Softball, a game rather like cricket. So far we have been dished each time but will soon assert our superiority !! ! We play tennis, too, and we can almost forget that we are in the army. We finish work at 4.30, have tea, and are free till (5 a.m. "We were in Hampshire for two weeks and we are going to shift to Somerset and Devon pretty soonj Accustomed to the 'Planes. "We fall all manner of trees: oak, yew, elm, elder and holly, each day and rather surprise the authorities by our pace—on and off the job-# "We are pretty well,' used to the 'planes, both German and our own. A German 'plane dropped its 'eggs' j,ust two hundred yards from the camp last week and as they were 'screaming' bombs and released from over 30,000 feet, I can tell you that we were on our toes as we could see the bombs falling and they seemed to be heading for the camp. As this place is only temporary we have 110 air-raid shelters. We often see the Nazi 'planes but they are generally going 'hell-for-leather' home with the R.A.F. in hot pursuit. Sometimes we hear the explosions from dropped bombs. "Are You on our Side, Mister?" "The people here are very confident of ultimate victory. 'At any rate, we have reached the finals,' they say, and are well ready for anything.

''•Wherever we go we seem to b-J the objects of some curiosity. The felt hats are the trouble. The small boys follow us everywhere and this is how the conversation goes at times. One little chap asked: e Are < you a Boy Scout, Mister?' 'No, I am a soldier." 'Where do you come from?' 'New Zealand.' A thoughtful pause, then: 'Are you on our side. Mister?' Private Rend all concludes by observing that at the time of writing the troops had not received any mail from New Zealand and adds that he was accorded the privilege of a talk with Cardinal Hinsley in London.