CZECH DRIVER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 140, 11 August 1941, Page 5

CZECH DRIVER

IN NEW ZEALAND UNIT

NEW FREEDOM

A native of Czechoslovakia and now a driver in a New Zealand ambulance unit in the Middle East.

This is the story told by a youn& Czech who found in New Zealan<| a haven of freedom which he had previously not dreamt possible. He is 29 years of age, and was born m Prague, where he received a good education completed by two years at King Charles University. He speaks a soft, gu)ttural English, but svitli easiness and aptitude. Front university he took up a position as i clerk, and then he was called up for the Army.

In the'army of pre-Munich Gzechcv. Slovakia, he attained the rank of sergeant-cadet, which is equivalent to our own Officers' Training Unit. Then came the Nazis sweeping through his country like a scourge, and with them came the demobilisation of the splendid Czech Army.; There was only one thing to do—toout. He had heard of New Zea.land in a far-off sort of way, and he determined to make his way there. The army had been demobilised on December 13, 1938. He left his couik try on the 31st of the same monthi and arrived in New Zealand on Feb# ruary 20, 1939.

In Auckland he obtained a posi-* tion as a driver. With September came the outbreak of war. limine* diately he enlisted for service with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, but on grounds of alienship he was refused. His third attempt at enlistment proved and he arrived in the Miiddle East in a rifle battalion in the third contingent to leave the country, time after transferring to his present unit. This young Czech, w r ha speaks with fluency in English. Czech, French, German, and all Slav languages, including Russian, has picked up a fair quota of New Zca* land slang.

"Too right I like the New Zealand, irmy," he said. "It is not nearly strict, and a lot more pleasant tha|t any other army I know of- It's not so tough to be in. They're all good, chaps. Yes, it'll do mel"