WARRIORS' RETURN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2605, 29 October 1915, Page 6

WARRIORS' RETURN

HOME-FROM GALLIPOLI WELLINGTON'S ROYAL WELCOME STORIES pur THE FRONT : . The weather yesterday .morning was clear and sunny, with n light northerly breeze, when the ferry steamer Mararoa, witli somo 250 returned wounded soldiers from Gallipoli .on board, steamed ■up tho harbour. Owing to delay at jLyttelton, the vessel ,was over one hour .•'late m leaviug the southern port. COll- - frequently, she did not reach Wellington until neatly half-past ten o'clock. Long before :-that timo the ■ soldiers' next-or-ikin, who had been''provided 'with wharf passes, began to gather at tho barricade 011 the King's Wharf, where : the -Mararoa was to borth. Others of the public also collected,' and some of th'em toiind seating and standing accommodation on the piles'of heavy timber stack'ed near by. From those points of van:,tago a good view of the wharf and of .'the,harbour could be had.. A,few anxious ones remained, clustered about the barrier, where police and Harbour Board officials stood on guard to 'keep the .wharf clear until tho steamer had berthed and her civilian passengers had landed. . , The Mararoa Sighted. After .more than an hour of cheerful waiting, the Mararoa was seen to swing round Point Halswell,and the word was passed l round "Here she comes!" Some ■ of the peopje descended from their high perches to join the crowd at the gates, but the majority remained, knowing that a good deal of time would be occupied in berthing the steamer and landing the passengers. Among those who waited was the wife of ono of the returning men who ■ had • in : her arms a chubby little child. " To someone who admired the little girl she said that the child .was born after her husband left for Egypt, and in his letters he had said •lie was overjoyed and excited at tho prospect of their early reunion. As soon as,the steamer Was alongside a friend escorted her to the guardians of ,tho barrier, arid when the story wa3 told to them they and the front rankers in the crowd agreed that hers was a special case; She was allowed to enter and to wait inside the barrier so as to cbe among the first to reach the ship's '■side when the signal was given to let .'the-people, pass in. It was as well for 'her that this was done, for when the ? police gave the word the press-of people crowding into two tortuous gateways \ made it difficult for women with children to progress at .all. , The courteous ' police and officials did their best to as- . sist, and lifted all" children .over the ' rail. But some . strong opinions I w.ere expressed by the crowd regarding the ; form of barrier adopted, one man describing it as worse than a sheep race.

! The Happy Warriors. ' Once inside, with the clear expanse .of wharf before them, .the people for'got all else save their ha6te to reach the' Mararoa, which was hidden from view by the shed. As soon as the corner of the building wa6 passed, the ship and her interesting passengers was seen. All along the upner dock, sun- • burnt faces and pale, thin faces under huge pith helmets, made a smiling line. On the lower deck also tho returned inen wore gathered. Here and there among the khaki could be seen the grey and red of the uniforms of tho nurses who had accompanied the men to New Zealand. The meetings at first were tantalising to both soldiers and tlieir loved ones and friends. . But there was • wealth of affection and joy in the words that were spoken across, the'intervening space. , .

"Bob, Bob I" cried an excited girl to one of tho row. She had her eyes 60 fixed on his face waiting for him to catch her eye that she nearly , fell over the railway metal.' A man saved Lor by catching her arm, and then 'Bob caught her eye and she radiated joy. So did Bob.

.Two gangways were provided for the men to pas 6 down, and opposite eacli one of the motor-cars provided by members of the Wellington Automobile Club ■and by other owners of cars was always waiting until the whole lot had been 'disposed in tho vehicles. A few cabs were also used. It was when the men reached the wharf that they were seized .upon by their relatives;

' "What is Callipoli- Like?" Just to watch 'the happy reunions brought. a lump to tho throat; 1 t the thought of those who will never come iback was so persistent. Yet these returning men, for the most part, intend ■to return to Gallipoli. A young soldier .of tlia Eighth Reinforcements, accompanied by his sister, hailed one of the ■ returned men with: "Hullo, Mac!" Mac was glad to see him, and they 'shook hands lieartiiy. "I'm going with the next lot," the youngster said, "What's it like in Gallipoli ?" "It's fnn," said Mao, with a grin, as ho was hurried into his car. • Rather different was; tho opinion of a Gisborne man who was wounded in the lighting on August 8. In reply to the saule question, ho said: , ■ "It's dynamite—very sudden and very • lively, but we'll get through all right ■before long." ' .'."This is very kind of the Wellington people," another man said.' "It's the ,'third bia reception we've had." • "You'll be glad to get home, "'though ?"• he was asked. "Home is a. good place," was his ■ quiet ■; answer. ■V ' ; v Through the Streets. To: be strictly accurate, tho first outburst of cheering was given to a squad of men from the south, who were bound for .Trent-ham as n.c.o.'s for the llt-h Reinforcements. Soon after the.steamer Jberthed they marched off the wharf, and as most of them wore uniforms tho crowd- cheered vociferously as the men passed out of the flag-bedecked gateway.- -They smiled and tho people laughed at'their mistake. There was no mistaking the tried heroes,' however. Headed by, the Salvation Army Band, which accommodated on a motor lorry, tho procession of cars passed through 'tho cheering crowd at tho gates, and .proceeded by Waterloo Quay and Bunny ; Street to Lambton Quay, along which .it passed at a fair pace, and by way of .Willis, Manners and Cuba Streets to , the Town Hall. Bunting was displayed along the route, and the cheering' was whole-hearted, even if it was thin in some places. Many of tli3 soldiers wore recognised by friends in the roadway, ■who. called cheery greetings to thorn. Christian names, short and crisp, and nicknames were banded to and fro, with broad, happy grins on the men's faces. , At tha Town Hall. The cars pulled up in a long line, with the leading one at the Town Hall - steps. Here a clear spaco had been kept and! there were two Red Gross nurses in waiting to help any crippled men up ■the'steps. Most of the men shyly declined their aid. One big Maori, however whoso limp was noticeable, was taken charge of by the nurses in grey and' white nniforms and helped up the steps.- Ho had an apologetic grin on his face, but evidently appreciated the attention. As each car was emptied of ' oeeupants it moved oil, and another camo un. There was a constant stteagu

of .men and their relatives passing along the corridor to the main hall. This corridor and the stairway oil each side wore lined with people, who cheered each lot of men. Sometimes one man would come hobbling along. Tho cheering made him self-conscious, and ho would hobble his hardest to reach tho crowd in the main hall. One man carried his violin in its caso, which was scratched'and battered by long service.' When the Maori soldiers camo along the cheering rose in volume. Some of the soldiers carried their children, while the mother walked happily alongside. Oho such group included the m,other and little girl whom the police allowed to be first upon tho wharf.

A Gay Scene. The floor of tho main liall presented a gay scene. In tho space between tho door and the stage a number of comfortable chairs were i.rraiiged about tables, on which refreshments wero set. There were also settees and chesterfields for the men to rest on. From end to end and from ceiling to floor the hall was decorated with the. flags of Britain lind her Allies, the American flag being included in a place of honour. Tho stage was also decorated with flowers and greenery, while tho gallery, which was . packed, was bright with ' many colours in the drosses of the ladies. Presently the organ played the National Anthem, and His Excellency the Governor entered in uniform. 8.0 was accompanied by tho Prime Minister, the Mayor, Sir-J. G. Ward, Hon. W. H. Herrios, and Hon. J. A. Hunan. "The. Old Hundredth" was then sung with fine effect, all present joining in. ... Speeches of Welcome. Tho Mayor, on De'half of the citizens of Wellington, welcomed the soldiers home. He said he counted it an honour to meet these boys, who had been lighting for tho Empire and for the people of New Zealand. Tliey had gone away lit', and had come back manned, and their countrymen, honoured them for the work they had done. Our hearts had gone out to thoso whose homes had oeen darkened by the shadow of death. He wished tho men a speedy recovery. To the nurses who had come with the men, the Mayor also extended a hearty welcome.

His Excellency the Governor, who was received with cheers, spoke briefly. After welcoming the men home, he quoted a passage from a letter he had received from General Sir W. Birdwood, which ran, "Your New Zealand men have done splendidly, and I don't want to command a better lot of troops anywhere." His Excellency said he had replied saying that New Zealand was sending many thousands more of-such men. He was sure the returned men would quickly recover, for whichever district they were going to would be the sunniest in New Zealand. Ho had been assured of that wherever he had been.

The Prime Minister said there was no doubt whatever that the New Zealand soldiers had 1 done well in their sphere in the war. From many reliable sources the word had come, and he therefore spoke by the book. Ho hoped the example <uid incentive coming from them would not bo lost' on the young men of this country. Although many of them had been slow in coming forward, he was sure they would all do so and would give a good account of themselves. It was everyone's duty to see that tho crimcs of the Germans did not go unavenged. Sir Joseph Ward endorsed the welcomes already extended to the. men. Tho greatest asset to a nation was the character of its people, and it was because of the character of tiie men who had orossed the seas to fight for the fiag that stood for freedom and justice that they were honouring the men for the deeds they had done. The one feeling throughout the war was that the British and tlieir Allies would -never give way until victory was complete. The same feoling existed hero 13,000 miles from Europe as prevailed' at tho centro of the war.

The Hon. W. H. Horries's welcome began with the Maori greeting, "Haere-ma-i, Haeremai, Haereinai." The Mayor had already referred to the gallantry of the Maoris. The speaker referred to the deeds of the Maoris of old, \vho fought with the pakeha. These returning Maori soldiers were noble descendants of these fine ancestors. He wished them all a speedy recovery. The proceedings concluded with' cheers for the soldiers, the Maori soldiers, their mothers, wives, sisters, and sweethearts, and the sinking of the National Anthem. •

, Tho Auckland men went north by train yesterday afternoon, and the Wairarapa men also left in tho afternoon, file Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth, and Gisborne men will leave for their homes this morning, • The hospital car was put on the special train by which the Auckland men were dispatched home, but -there was not a single cot case on the train. All the men were convalescent and able to travel in. ordinary passenger coaches.