ARRIVING TO-NIGHT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 89, 13 July 1943, Page 5

ARRIVING TO-NIGHT

MEN FROM MIDDLE EAST / TWENTY-FOUR LOCAL BOYS SPECIAL HOME LEAVE Here's news ! Like a unex- . pec ted bomb shell, the thrilling news of the arrival in this country of large numbers of men from, the Ist, 2nd and 3rd' Echelons gained circulation throughout town and l district over the week-end. Telegrams to the vari- • ous homes of the men who were due to arrive, were the first sure indication that this home coming was considerably more than the ordinary arrival of men by occasional hospital' or troop ship from the war zone. How carefully the sccret of their long voyage had been kept, and how close a censorship w T ns maintained on their movements may be ; gained from the fact that prior to the official information not one hint or rumour had been heard of locally. Batch of Twenty-four The men concerned are from the Middle East and have, seen active service for the best jart of three . years and upwards. All told there are twenty-three who will arrive at the Whakatane West and Taneatua S,tactions by this, evening's Taneatua express. This number will be added t<i rljv men who Avill be stopping at stations en route, Matata, Edgecumbe -and Awakeri.

We have been handed the list of imcn arriving at Whakatane West find at Taneatua," but in many instances it was impossible to get the -Initials with certainty. Here they arc: — Whakaiane West -Akuhata • Conolly Cummings, M. 'Grant Hume, D. • Kinnaird Miller, S. Pearse Price, ,F. Col. Prideaux, F. Patterson, N. Rawson Shaw Stewart, C. Stewart, J. 'Tong Waterman. Wharewera, T. Wharewera, W. Taneatufi Denham, J. ' Hayward l Moody Rawson Tereana Civic Reception Plans are. already in train for a -.special civic reception to be held in the Winter Show Buildings on :S a turd ay next. I

In conversation with the Mayor, JVIr B. S. Barry, we the informed