SAVING THE TRAINS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 10, 30 September 1942, Page 8

SAVING THE TRAINS

N.Z. RAIL SERVICE UNIT

RAGE FROM MATRUH

At dawn on a Saturday that has become famous in New Zealand military history, the last trains steamed out from Matruh. At the controls were drivers of a New Zealand railway operating company that had recently been hauling precious war materials as far west as El Adem on a long desert line that New Zealand railway construction engineers had laid at astounding speed. Now they were bringing the last seven trains; out of Mersa. Not far to the west the dust was already rising from Rommel's advance transport. Down the narrow strip of bitumen that was the main highway vehicles were crawling in a column six deep, steadily like a procession of ants. Painfully slow, the trains heaved and spluttered down the coastal track. On them were motley, hurriedly bundled cargoes of men, equipment and. stores. lit was not till four o'clock in the afternoon that they rolled into Fuka. That night.-in a cutting just outside Daaba, one of the trains was bombed. Most of the occupants were sleeping, and thej 7 awoke to the deafening blast and the shuddering of the compartments. There were no direct hits. The following day was a succession of stops and jerks. T,t was a thirsty journey along the scrubland of the coastal plains. At- the group of makeshift hovels that go to make up Daaba, great crowds of Bedouin refugees went scattering across; the desert at the approach of the trains, fearing perhaps that they would encourage the attention of divebombers. Thence for an hour and a half the group make fast progress. At a lonely signal-box a cheery New Zealander exchanged banter with the now weary travellers. The train finally came to rest at midnight. At an aerodrome a few miles bac'k flares were hanging in the darkness. Then came the rumble if bombs, followed by staling of the traffic on the road. One of the trains had two of its carriages crammed full with bombs guarded by Indians who sat noncliantly on their perilous cargo. Then a whistle blew as the enemy planes swept down. There was a sudden scurry for shelter as the machine guns blazed lead at the long lines of carriages. Next day the rest of the journey was completed. The.total time taken for its accomplishment was considerable, but seven valuable train loads of men and material had been saved.