RECEPTION FOR MONTY

Chronicle (Levin), 19 July 1947, Page 6

RECEPTION FOR MONTY

■Pres& Association

— Further Tributes To Women Of Britain

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, July 18. Tlie Town Hail was erowded for tiic civic reception at noon today for Britain 's most popular forces leader, Eield Marshal Viscount Montgomery. Speeches of weleome were made by the Mayor, Mr. Appleton, and by Mr. Nash, Minister of Finance, on behalf of the • Government, and Mr. Holland for the Opposition. The Mayor announced that to marh Viscount Montgomery 's visit to Wellington, the Wellington furniture manufacturers were presenting him with two hgured rimu tallboys for his new home which he was inteuding to build by converting an old mill which he had bought and for which Viscount Mont- i gomery's admirers in Tasmania were supplying the timber for the tiooring. V iscount Montgomery tlianked citi zens for the weleome and for the two pieces* of furniture promised him which. he said, would be a very weleome nucleus for his new home. ' ' This weleome, ' ' he said, ' ' is not meant for me personallv but for the ■ men of the British Exnpire who fought in this war. " lie made particuiai mention of the calibre of the Maori Battalion in the desert and said he would always be grateful that New Zealandors had always done what he had asked, to the last word. Paying a tribute to Mr. Churchill, Viscount Montgomery said he would convey Mr. Appleton 's invitation that Mr. Churchill should visit New Zealand, and auded; "If he shows any douin about it, l'll come bacli and bring him inyseif. ' ' rie said he believed there were two seetions of people oi whom not enough had been lieard. One was the commoii soldlcr of the British Empire and the other was the womenfolk. In Britain tlie housewite linished the war very very tired. Uer lot, instead of bemg easier, was really rather hard. Bhe hui. rebuilt her world on the shattereo ruins of the old. The women of New Zealand should get credit for the fuct that production lu New Zealand went up during tiu war instead of down. VISIT TO "LIMBIES" TRAINING CENTRE A guard of lionour of 100 nien whc lost their limbs in the war greeted \ iscount Montgomery on his visit ti tlie Wellington training centre of tlio Disabled Servicenieu's Re-establishmen; League this afternoon. This was thc most intimate public functiou so far. Viscount Montgomery was received with cheers and siiook hauds with eacli member of the guard before niaking an inspection of the training centre and having a cup of tea with the coxnpaxiy in the cafeteria. "Can you do as well here with the men who have lost limbs as is done in Great Britain !" asked Viscount Mont gomery of Mr. J. Kennedy Elliott, sur ge'on of the centre. Mr. Elliott repiied that, at the risu of appearing to boast, ho thought so. Viscount Montgomery made a tliorough inspection of the i'aeilities oli'ered and spoke personally to most of the 59 men at present in training. He submitted his watch to disableu men learning • watclimaking. Une trainee vovved that the tiniepiece was 24 seconds out but "Monty" stood by its accuracy. He leamed that this sectiou of tlie centre was the largest watchniaking concern in New Zealand. Last year no fewer than 2U00 docks and watches were repalred. Oue trainee, instructor W. Grant stated, was an lniuate of the Hutt Hospitai suifering from a spine injury. A special bench had been constructed foi him. He could take down and re asseiubie a cloclt in bed. Unce a week the ceutre instructor travelled to tlie hospitai to advance the patient's studies. Viscount Montgomery will have occasion to remember the silversmiths and goldsmiths sliop. In it was made a set of New Zealand gold dress studs and sleevelinks with paua shell facings, all enclosed iu u case of native woods with an iuscribed \ lal of Waihi silver, which was presente 1 to him as a git't from Ihe League later in the afternoon. Viscount Montgomery found it diihcuit to credit that the paua shell, as seen in its rough state, could be transforined by skiiled iucapacitated soldiers into the beautiful sprays, bracelets, pendants aiid ornameuls sliown him. One nian made a personal gift of a silverbacked tiki to his interested visitor. Viscount Montgomery went fhrough all tlie departmcnts, pausing for an xnstant to study a niechanical saw in operation, swiuging a basket in his arm in the wicker section, and generally giving the iinpression of having a happy time and even a rest from his heavier duties in an atmosphere which was congenial to Him. In the cafeteria afterwards the Field Marshal was introduced to the company by the chairman of the Wellington branch of the League, Mr. J. Murray. The JDominion president, Mr. J. I. Goldsmith, said that six centres of the League througliout the Dominiori were employing 460 nien. Over 200 men of from 40 to 100 per ceut. incapacity had completed their training and Nmtered employment or been assisted to start in business on their own account. Viscount Montgomery signed the Centre 5s register which contains many naxnes of famous visitors. Another large crowd greeted Viscount Montgomery this nxorning when he visited the National Broadcasting studios to record a tallt for next Sunday night. Later he visited defence neadcpxarters and was greeted by the Chief of the General Staff, Lieut.General N. McD. Weir, and the Aeting Chief of the,Naval Staff, Captain J. D. Hewitt. He posed for several photographs with Lieut.-Genex-al Weir, then with the tlxree Chiefs of . Staff and Mr F. Shanahan, of the Internal Affairs Department. A large crowd waited outside ' thc Town Hall shortlv before noon when hr arrived for a civie reception. A rusli of people soon surrounded the car.