AN INTERESTING TOUR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 234, 28 June 1921, Page 7

AN INTERESTING TOUR

R.S.A. DELEGATE RETURNS FROM SOUTH AFRICA EARL HAIG HOt’ES TO VISIT NEW ZEALAND Mr. 11. J. Knight, one of the New Zealand delegates to the Empire conference of ex-soldiers held at Cape Town some time ago, arrived in Wellington by tho s.s. Ulimaroa yesterday. His return to this country had been somewhat delayed by the fact that the Aencits was held up for about three weeks owing to a shipping strike in Glasgow. After tho departure of his colleague, Mr. W. E. Leadley, from South Africa, Mr. Knight accompanied a party, which included Field-Marshal' Earl Haig and Lady Haig, to the Victoria Falls. He also visited some of the most important battlefields of the 1899-1902 Boer War. At Sanna’s Host, outside Bloemfontein, the party met Pretorius, the Boer who guided tho Boer commando into tho spruit where General Broadwood’s column was cut up. Pretorius expressed to Field-Marshal Haig his pleasure at meeting the man who had led the "Rooineks” so well in the late- war. Mr. Knight saw such celebrated places as Ladysmith, Wagon Hill, Spion Kop, Lombard’s Kop, and Elandslangte. At Harrismith Field-Mar-shal Haig was escorted by a body of mounted Boer burghers. On tho Aeneas, on which Mr. Knight made the first part of his homeward journey, wore the members of the Springbok football team which is shortly to visit New Zealand. Mr. Knight found them "a fine, sporting lot of fellows.” One of tho outstanding players in tho back division was Van Heerden, who represented South Africa in jumping events at the last Olympic. Gaines. He had tho reputation in South Africa, Mr. Knight said, of being a great scoring back, as he was a powerful runner with a tricky swerve. Tho forwards wer£ a fine, even lot, the heaviest, being about IR stone. The team was confident that it would be able to extend the best New Zealand team that could be put into the field. Before leaving South' Africa, Mr. Knight received from Field-Marshal Haig a letter in which the latter stated that lie hoped to visit New Zealand shortly and meet NeV Zealanders who had fought under him at the front.