TWO YEARS COMPLETED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 178, 10 November 1941, Page 5

TWO YEARS COMPLETED

FITTINGLY CELEBRATED

REUNION HELD

A Desert Camp, Oct. (5

The completion of two years service in the N.Z.E.F. and the beginning of the third year has been fittingly celebrated throughout the desert this week-end by surviving members of the first contingent to go into camp In New Zealand for overseas service. Many of these veterans of the N.Z.E.F. are still' with the units they first joined in Octobei 1939, but others have been scattered throughout the expeditionary force. Wherever they are; now stationed, however, the occasion was appropriately celebrated and social gatherings were to be found in almost any unit of the main body contingents.

It was only to be expected that a real comraderie was manifested at these reunions. Two years sharing of trials, hardships and successes, as well as the experiences of Greece and Crete have welded, these early volujnteers into a strong brother hood. Their units are possessed of as fine a community spirit as any unit in the Middle East may claim. They were the pioneers in the camps in New Zealand and had of necessity to assume the same role on their arrival in Egypt. Anything they now enjoy they themselves laboured vigorously to obtain.

Most of the reunions took the form of a "spread" or high tea in the evening, followed by an extra Dortion of refreshments. Many of the groups were joined by officers, some of whom have won their commissions since those first days in camp in 1939. Here and there, for miles around, small groups could be seen in the, open enjoying a song 01 contenting 'themselves with a little refreshment while they recalled many of the incidents that been packed into their lives in the past two years. Perhaps the most unusual form of celebration was that adopted by one party of soldiers. Taking their refreshments to a ridge affording them a fine view of the desert for many miles around, they assumed the role of spectators to a fireworks display provided by British anti-aircraft units as they beat off enemy bombers with a barrage lasting nearly two hours. These celebrations were preceded a week earlier by gatherings smaller in number. They were the survivors of the advance party to tlie first contingent which went into camp in the last week of September *1939.. They are now mostly officers and non-commissioned officers and their messes served as the meeting places for the celebrations.