BACK FROM GALLIPOLI

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2515, 16 July 1915, Page 6

BACK FROM GALLIPOLI

A ROUSING WELCOME MOVING SCENE AT THE TOWN HALL THE OFFICIAL RECEPTION

.Wellington had a new experience yesterday. All aTo well acquainted with tho splendid feeling that lias marked the dispatch of Reinforcements for the front, but extending a. fitting welcome home to a battle-searred section of those who have faced the foe in a foreign land and have suffered thereby is quite ■ another thing. Behind all the shouting and, tho gladsome tumult that marked the reception accorded to the Willochra's wounded, thero was, at the sight of the maimed and halt in khaki, many ' tear-stained ' eyes, that spoke volumes for the kindly affection in which tho returned heroes of Gallipoli were held: •

The Willochra arrived •in the harbour at midnight on Wednesday, dropping anchor about twenty minutes later. Tho whole of yesterday morning was occupied in' an examination of the North Island men by the Medical Board, .whilst the Record Office, officials made the most of the time at their disposal to bring the records of ; those on. board up-to-date. There were 273 officers and men all told oji board, viz.:— j." : Officers, lien. Total. Invalids i 100 110 Wounded'B 155 163 12 201 . 273 :■ The full list of the, names of those on board liavo been published and the name,? of those who have been pronounced to bt "hospital cases" have also appeared. Tho names of those men on board belonging to the Wellington Military District are as follow— INVALIDS. ~ ... , .. ... .Officers. Colonel W. Will,", Director of Medical Services (formerly of Dunedin). Other Ranks. Wellington Battalion.—Crockett, W.; Merry, G.; Evans, E.; Wilton, C.; Diggle, D.; .Wyman, F.; Lyman. ' Wellington Mounted Rifles—Mneon, T.; Gower, A.;, Perry, R; ' ;New Zealand Veterinary Corps.—Borad, :P;-j 'Maroney;: Stevenson; Headquarters.—Cookson. Field ■Artillery- 1 Brigade.—Sawoll, S.j Turner, I).; Smith, A.; M'Cor.mbs; Casey ; Hensley; Robb, A.; Imrie, C.; Ch'allis," Ellicott, K. Field Company J \Engineers.—Kinte, A.; Bates; Walsh, A';';' Hamilton, W'.; Kelleher. , New Zealand Medical Corps.—Ridley, J.; Reynolds, W\; Howard, G. Army Service Corps.—Larkin, J.; Stapp, A.; Martin," L.; Scott, H.. . WOUNDED. Officers. Field Company Engineers— Capt. D. Simpson.', ' . ~ Wellington : Battalion.—Lieut, Bowlings. •Other. Ranks. • Wellington" Battalion.—Sim, G.; Tressuler, W.; Harlewich, F.; Muldrook, G.; Vickerstaffe;, Way, H.; W r ebb, W.; Emson.; Knowles; Miller; Hawke; Arcu6, E.; Mundal, W.; M'Conocliie; Reisima; Archer,. .T.; Fitzwater; Nyhane, G.; Price, F.; Allison,. A/; ; Falke, H.; Canton, - C.; Mackerell, H.;'Rands, G.; Hill, A.; Lee; OhriyensjTweedie, W.; Flo rev; Rowo, J.; O'Connor, F.; Hannan, V.; May, G.; Sewell, F.; Willacy, T.; Cock, G.; Nicholls, R.; BloDr, B.; Hodge; Higgins, W. Field Artillery Brigade-Wilson, W.j M'Kav; .Carson, F. . . I Field -'Company Engineers.—Otterson, G.; Thomas, A. Army Service Corps.—Sroith-Dickson, E.; Whitley,"H. : The Hospital Cases. The following is' a list of those requiring hospital treatment, and the hospitals to which they are being forwarded:— Wellington Hospital.—Pte. J; M. Bell, J. R. Sullivan, W. R. Treseder,_W. Webb. Bowen Street Private Hospital, Wellington.—G. E. Hunter, J. Pile, J. J. Regaldo, F. Sowell, W. W r . Tindale, A. Millar.Davis Street Private Hospital, Wellington—A. M'Pherson, 8.. H. Nicholls, F. 'Oswald, S. E. Yickerstaffe, T. Willacy. ■ Oriental Bay "Kiosk, "Wellington.—,T. W. Archer, Pte. Eames, Pte. J. T. Heron, Pte. Kelleher, Pte.-Kelly, Pte. M'Combs, C. Pitman, F. J. Price, Pte. W. Reynolds, Pte. Seymour-Grahame, J. H. Smith. Auckland Hospital.—Lieut. Rowllings, Pte. L. A. Beale, Pte. W. G. Brvdon, Pte. T. W. Burke, Pte. Clarke, Pte. De Vries, Pte. W. H. Dunn, Pte. V. C. Florev, S.-M. W. B. Gibbon, H. Way, J. R. Howlcitt, B. Meade.

A Convalescent Home at Auckland, to be arranged by. District Health Officer.— Pte. J. 11. Cook, Gunner Ellicott, H. Henderson, C. L. Nisbit, G. A. Sim, A. Stafford, A. E. Wheeler, J. D. Dicker. Waikato Sanatorium.—Pte. W. M. Gamwell, Pte. D. O. Faithfull, Trooper InnesJones. '

: Maslterton Hospital (after . 7 . days .at | ; home).—Pte. .V.- Arciis, R. W. Perry. Dannevirko Hospital.—Pte. E. W. Bloor, Pte. J. B. Reisiina. Kotorua Hospital (after one month at home).—Pto:-'-W.-E. Fitzgerald; , Napier Hospital.—W, M. Tweedie. Wanganui Hospital—R. W. Hodge, Pte. J. Itowe. ■ - ■ • • ChristchnTch' Hospital.—G. A. Herbert, A. J.iNortlieott. Dunedin Hospital.—Pte. F. Harliwick. .'Nelson Hospital.—o. !(..■ Haase. . Blenheim Hospital.—H.E. J. Lambert. Invcrcargill ; Hospital—Giinner . A 7. E. Chalis.' ■' Berthing the Ship. •At 10 a.m.-the Minister of Defence (Hon. •T.as. Allen), the Assistant Minister of Defence (Hon. R. JJ. Rhodes), accompanied by Brigadier-General A. W. Robin, paid a visit to the Willoehra in the stream, and conferred ivith Major D. B. M'Kenzic, the military officer commanding, and Captain G. J. Mitchell (medical officer-in-cliarge). On board there was .intense excitement aniong'the. men, who were naturally just as anxious to see their friends as their friends were'to see them. Bundles of letters and stacks of telegrams arrived on board from time to time, and a common sight to be seen was that of men getting into quiet corners to non ever the con-, tents of a letter or a telegram. .7At 12.30 p.m.- about thirty representative members of the Press went off to the troopship in tlie Janie Seduon. The Prime Minister (Hon. W. F. Massey) and his'secretary (Mr. l'\ Thompson) also went out. As the Janie Seddonswung up to the gangway, Mr. Jlassey called for three hearty cheers for the returned soldiers, which were heartily given, a compliment that was responded to by the smiling welcome given to one and all by warriors who crowded the mam deck. In less time-than it takes to write it, the pressmen scrambled on hoard, and weie scattered from one end of the main deck to the other, fastening on to the men who have dared, all .for King and country. None were loath to tell their storv, and each had a little story, to tell, and whether he had been amongst those who stormed the 'heights at. Aclii Baba or Cape Helios,-or; who had suflered illnesses in a torrid climate";'each man s story was interesting: ; He, *qt . least, , had lobked onstrange plaies with new eye., and had a- "more accurate idea of what war actually is in a \vule*^.oi kl sense.- , Among tlio men were those who, haprfg: nevcr.before ventured beyond ftew Zealand waters, .now 6poak glibly and with confidence of the characteristics of the Rod Sea, the Suez Canal 7Ane, the valley of the Nile, and the rocky raniparts of Southern Turkey. They havo in the past few months gathered vivid impressions that can never fade—that nre ju is. tktir jni-nda aa.

i this great war will bo in the history of the world. I At Close Range, At 1.30 p.m. the weighed anchor, and making a sweep towards Oriental Bay swung round and was soon (comfortably berthed at the Glasgow Wharf. As the troopship' moved slowly up to the wharf a very big crowd of people 011 the Railway Wharf sent up volleys of cheers, as they, descried with' increasing clearness the soldierly figures on the vessel's decks. Tickets had been issued to a couple of thousand relatives and friends who were located in a given space oh the Glasgow Wharf, whilst opposite the gangway tho band of the Salvation Anny played "Rule, Britannia" in fine style. On tho wharf were BrinadierGeneral Robin/ Colonel Gibbon, and other officers, members of Parliament and their wives, and Government officials. As soon as tno gangway was extended to the.landlng stage the W r illochra's men began to hie off to the accompaniment of cheers, and on the wharf tlioy were accommodated at once "\vitk seats 121 motor-cara provided by the Wellin«jt6ii. Automobile Club. There were about a hundred cars provided, but not until all the men available accommodated .did the cavaloado of cars move off. Through' a dense "crowd of eager-eye<l people the cars cut a lane to Lamb ton Quay, • and from, tho Governnient Buildings rigftit through the main streets of the city to the Town Hall the procession was a triumphal one. At short notice a really wonderful display of bunting was noticeable all along the route; every window was filled with faces and from every point of vantage white handkerchiefs fluttered a welcome. The air was rent continually with cheers—cheers with Teal heart in them—and from every large building and hotel in advance of the hend of the procession the cry of "Here they come!" was followed by the heartiest of demonstrations. One of the most striking displays on the line of was a device bearing the words 'Welcome home. We are proud of you."

Flowers All the Way,

Along the streets young ladies showered flowers on the returned soldiers—beautiful bontonierres of violets and snowdrops, and dainty nodding narcissi were either handed or thrown to tho men in crurn'pled khaki who had looked at death and .flinched not. The writer-was shown one of tho button-holes at the Town Hall. It had attached to it a card on which was neatly written:

"Welcome back to New Zealand, tho land you have honoured by your service. We heartily greet you, and aro proud to belong to a country that can boast such men as you."

There was no disguising the fact that streets. It exceeded anything they had anticipated, ai)d they frankly said so: There was a dense pack of people at tho main ontrance of the Town Hall to watch the. men pass in from the oars, and so; great was the crush that a number of City Council officials, and others had to lock arms in order to give tho men the narrowest passage room. Within tho big hall, the scene was a remarkable one.. The galleries were packed, and had been eo for an hour before the soldiers arrived. Each, group of soldiers as they appeared were given a great reception. The sight, of a bandage or an arm sling worked like magic on the emotions ,of th« crowd, and when three "Tommies" hobbled in on cratches many of the women wept outright; whilst the male section of the audience sent up stentorian cheers. Many caine in supported by their Women-folk—some wore the wives, the mothers, .sisters, and sweethearts of the wounded.- It was a deeply affecting sight. The afternoon tea,- served at small.tables, was a great ideo. It answered the purpose of diverting great heart issues to the contemplation of conventional trivialities and greatly relieved the tension.; Mr. Bernard Page made glad music at the organ, whilst tho troopers were entering, which' also served as a digression. The Town Hall was elaborately decorated with bunting without and within, and tho Central Fire Station, tho shipping in port, and the various Government, institutional, and commercial buildings were richly beflagged. Amongst the steamers which donned full bunting was, the Remuera, which liner fired a salute of two gnns, as she swung round the Willochra en route to London town.