RETURN OF 2ND N.Z.E.F.
Mr. Doidge Calls Statement Mischievous GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE CRITICIZED Dominion Special Service. CHRISTCHURCH, January 27.'
“A most mischievous statement has been made by a Minister of the Crown, Mr. Sullivan, in the course of this byelection. The Minister has disclosed that it is the desire and the intention of the Government to return our Division from the Middle East as soou as it is possible to do so,” said Mr. F. W. Doidge, M.P. for Tauranga, speaking in the Civic Theatre, in support of Mr. M. E. Lyons, National Party candidate, in the Christchurch East by-elec-tion.
“Professing to deprecate'any attempt to win political support by advocating the return of our men from the Middle East, the Minister straightway proceeded to dangle before the electors of Christchurch East the hope of the division’s early return," continued Mr. Doidge. “The Minister told his audience that Parliament in secret session had' been fully informed of the interchange of cablegrams between Mr. Fraser and Mr. Churchill. “In telling so much, Mr. Sullivan told less than half the story. Having gone so far, he should have gone further. The people of New- Zealand have a right to know what Mr. Fraser asked of Mr. Churchill, and what was Mr. Churchill’s reply. “We all want our boys back home. It will be a day of great rejoicing when that happens. But would the mfn of the New Zealand Division in the Middle East welcome the opportunity of returning at this moment if the opportunity were offeredthem? For three years they have fought against desperate odds in Lybia. Now they have Rommel on the run. Would they thank us for robbing them of the chance of being in at the kill? “And what of the 9000 New Zealand prisoners of war? Will the men of the New Zealand Division be content to leave 9000 of their comrades behind the barbed wire of the enemy prison camps? If they think that, Mr. Fraser and his colleagues have small understanding of the quality and temper of the men who make up the New Zealand Division. Question of Shipping.
“Again and again Mr.' Churchill has told us the crying need of the United Nations at this hour is for ships. . It took 590 ships to land tlie North African expeditionary force. Even if they left all their equipment behind them, the return of the 'New Zealand) Division would involve the use of a considerable number of ships. Nor could they return without escort. It is unthinkable that such a large body of men would be permitted to face the journey, through submarine-in-fested waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean without adequate protection. Is this the time to make such demand upon the Royal Navy? “Since the public has been told so much, they have a right to know the full substance of Mr. Fraser’s proposal to Mr. Churchill. Did he ask for the return of the division so that it might remain in New Zealand 1 or did he promise that it would go into service in the Pacific? “Our men in the Middle East have been trained in the desert warfare. They know nothing of jungle fighting. They are inured to the climate of the Middle East. They would have no resistance to the fevers of the Solomons. Such a transfer would mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Our men need a respite, but not one of that kind.”
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Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 106, 29 January 1943, Page 4
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578RETURN OF 2ND N.Z.E.F. Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 106, 29 January 1943, Page 4
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