GERTIE THE HEN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 72, Issue 7, 12 May 1944, Page 4

GERTIE THE HEN

INTENDED DINNER NOW PET BERT NORMAN'S DESCRIPTION Many and varied are the pets and mascots bought, bargained for, or just "collected en route" by the New Zealand boys overseas, but one, we think, which comes near to topping them all is a hen, rejoicing under the name of Gertie, which originally intended for the pot, has now become, the pet of a unit of the Army Service Corps on active service. A graphic description of Gertie and her wanderings and meanderings comes from Bert Norman in a letter 'to his mother wherein he states that' their cackling companion is now safe forever from being converted into a first class dinner.

Bart Norman will be well remembered by football l'ans of the district for his association with the sport, and it can be seen that, despite the period at Bardia when he was a prisoner of war, he is still keeping up the old fighting spirit he showed on the field at home. Introducing Gertie to the family at home, Bert says 'that shortly after their arrival in Italy they "procured" a poor miserable scarecraw of a hen from an old Italian. The idea, he says, was to feed her up till nice and plump so they would be able to feed themselves up till also nice and plump. Naturally as they were spending so much time on the move, Gertie spent most of her time being caught, flung uncerimoriiously into a box, and bundled round from one place to another on the back of the truck. P'ortunately for the. future dinner, however, after several of these moves, she became something of a pet, and it developed into a solemn rite that Gertie must always be caught and taken along wherever the boys went. Somehow a further attachment was formed for her also after she had Ipeen through shell fire with her lords and protectors-. However, it appears that the attachment was not all'man for beast, but that beast (or rather bird) reciprocated some of the loving kindness lavished upon it. Probably it was more in the interests of itself and in keeping up a constant supply of filling matter for its stomach that caused a -sudden rush of cupboard love than any deep rooted affection for its masters, but sufficient it is to say that something must have stirred within Gertie to move her ito the performance of the ■ following feat. Quoting from the , letter, Bert states:— .

"We were to move on an hou3| after dark, for various reasons, one being that "Jerry" co'uld see- us. Anyway, owing to the hurried rush and moving after dark, Gertie was forgotten and then coukl not be found, so we said "She's gone this •time," and-forgot about her. We set off in the dark over an extremely rough road; up hills, through streams, and across the river, then through thick mud and deep potholes finally arriving at our destination about midnight after having clone some 20 miles. We. pulled up, and started to settle down for the night when one of the lads said to me, 'What the hell is that under your truck Mac?' We had a look

and lo and behold, there was our old pal Gertie. She had apparently got under the. truck to roost at dark and been there when we pulled out. Now as all who have had dealings with them, know there i:s not much room even for perching under a three-ton truck, and apparently not even enough purchase for a sparrow to hang on, let alone a hen. How Gertie managed to exert enough will power to stay on her peroh over the rough going, through water and mud, is a mystery. The only conclusion we can arrive at is. that she must certainly have great personal magnetism. Anyway, when Gertie came out from her roosting place, she sure was a poor bedraggled bird."

"From then on," the letter continued, "Gertie has always been collected *early on the day of a move." Apparently- Gertie is one, of the stay-at-home type as she never wanders away from her own lines to anybody else's. Perhaps it is just as well as other Kiwis would probably have no compunction whatsoever in converting her into a dinner. "In all," the letter states, "she must have travelled hundreds of miles with us, and is now laying rej gularly, and we each take it in turn to have an egg for breakfast." . From these extracts dealing with Gertie, something of the indomit- j able spirit of the Kiwis can be. seen. It is this same fighting spirit so itypical of the New Zealanders that drove the Axis out of North Africa, and it is the same unconquerable attitude that will lead the Allies to final victory.