LOYAL RESPONSE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20040, 12 September 1939, Page 4

LOYAL RESPONSE

GISBORNE RECRUITING LARGE NUMBER OFFER FIRST DAY’S ENROLMENT 1914 RUSH RECALLED Scenes recalling the experience of 1914, when on the opening of lists for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force scores of men of the Gisborne district fiocked to register their names at the Defence Office, were witnessed this morning at the Abercorn Hall, when lists for the special volunteer force for service within. New Zealand or abroad were opened.

Again there were scores of young men, of all occupations, ready to give their services in any capacity in which they might be called upon, and keen to he among the first enrolled.

Throughout the morning a queue was forming more quickly than the volunteers could be handled by the clerical stall' on duty, and a notable feature was the presence of several Maori youths, no less eager than their European friends to enlist in the special force.

Among those who sought enrolment were many sons of N.Z.E.F. men, who whiled away the time of waiting in discussions as to where and how the special force would be used by the New Zealand Government or the Imperial authorities.

Veterans Among the Volunteers

Not a few of those who attended at the Army headquarters in the district to-day were men who had seen service with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force between 1914 and 1918. They were not encouraged by the army authorities in their hope of seeing service once again, for the present demand is for young men, physically fitted to withstand exacting demands, and without dependants to complicate their departure at short notice.

Moreover, the supply of young men will be sufficient, judging by to-day’s enrolments, to fill the immediate requirements of the Army headquarters over and over again. The call is for G6OO men of all ranlqs, and on a population basis Gisborne and the East Coast will not be asked to provide more than 200 or 300 at the most; the quota may be very much smaller, if the preliminary enrolments ih other districts are on a scale similar to that in Gisborne.

The formation of a special force naturally raises the possibility of reinforcements being required later, however, and those not selected for the main body will have this consolation. : Their services may yet be called upon,* according to their reading of the situation, and if their offer is not accepted in the first place they hope that early enrolment will entitle them to first consideration if further calls are made.