IN ENGLAND

Evening Star, Issue 23690, 25 September 1940, Page 6

IN ENGLAND

DUNEDIN SOLDIER'S LETTER PREPARED FDR ATTEMPTED INVASION “ Five days out on field manoeuvres and two days of rest and leave each week—that appears to bo our programme for some time to come,” writes a New Zealand soldier from England on July 24 to his parents in Dunedin. “ Actually it is very enjoyable and is far more popular with everybody than remaining around camp. As you can imagine, after about seven months of camp 'life, p’ith only single days out and no nights, this is a welcome change. “ Last Thursday morning we . left camp in buses and travelled to our destination, about 20 miles from the south coast. There our platoon was camped in the grounds of a smallish manor house. The people were very good to us, giving us 350 cigarettes for the platoon, and hot tea.- 1 had a bath there. In addition, we could get as much water as we wished for washing. “We occupied a defensive position for two days, sleeping in the open under some bushes ‘at the bottom of the garden,’ with a ground sheet, a blanket, and a greatcoat each. One does not sleep all night, but gets a nap during the day. The whole outfit has to 1 stand to ’ and be prepared for an attack one hour in the evening and one hour in the early morning. “ We went to the actual coast, which is at present England’s front line,.for 24 hours. . . . Most of the bo.ys were sorry that Jerry didn’t make some attempt that night. The next day wo returned to the manor house. We route-marched for 1G miles of the way home. We rested for 2} hours and embussed at 9.20 p.m. I enjoyed the march very much, the people on the way giving us chocolates and biscuits. It certainly must have been a good sight to see the New Zealand brigades marching. . . . Since starting this letter it has definitely been decided that from Sunday to Thursday each week we are to do field work. On the other two days wc are to do our washing, and there will be a small percentage of London leave.”