MAIN BODY DRAFT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20057, 2 October 1939, Page 6

MAIN BODY DRAFT

OVERNIGHT START TROOPS FOR TRAINING KEEN PUBLIC INTEREST EARLY-MORNING MUSTER Proposals advanced by the Gisborne Returned Soldiers’ Association for farewelling the main body troops who will leave Gisborne overnight to join the Special New Zealand Military Force have brought an enthusiastic response from many sections of the public, and it is now certain that the departure of the draft will be marked by a suitable gathering at the Abereorn Hall.

The draft will leave at 2 a.m. tomorrow, and relatives and friends of the men forming the first detachment, who wish to farewell them on their actual departure, will hardly let the inconvenience of the hour affect their enthusiasm. Judging by indications given in several quarters, there also will be a large assembly of the general public.

The Gisborne Returned Soldiers’ Association has invited its members, and all ex-servicemen of the district, to muster at 1.30 a.m. in the vicinity of the' A'bercorn Hall, to give an appropriate salute to the members of the new main body, and it is expected that the response to this invitation will fully justify the executive’s proposal.

By arrangement with a sub-commit-tee of the Poverty Bay Women’s Central Representation Committee, light refreshments are to be made available for the departing troops at the Abercom Hall, and the R.'S.A. executive also has arranged with the ex-servicemen of Wairoa to have a light breakfast served to the Gisborne draft on the station platform before it entrains on the railcar there at 5 a.m. The draft will comprise 59 men, under a conducting officer, all being bound for Trentham or for Burnham, the South Island; camp where the machine-gunners and field ambulance men will be trained. To-morrow afternoon another and smaller draft will leave Gisborne for Wairoa, en route to Ngaruawahia, to train in mechanised cavalry and in field artillery units. The departure of this detachment has been timed for 3.30 p.m. The full ‘list of Gisborne and East Coast men called up for the main body and due for departure to the various camps to-morrow is as under: — Divisional Cavalry Troopers F. J. Donnelly, A. A. Davidson, E. J. Baker, P. J. Andrew and W. C. Sutherland. New Zealand Field Artillery Gunners! A. 'D. Humphrey and A. Beechey. N.Z. Rifle Battalion Lance-Corporal J. F. Forster; Privates P. R. Hockley, A. G. Dakin, R. L. McDiarmid, E. E. Cater, M. J. Rohan, S G. Schofield, H. N. Woods, C. Brown, D. C. Hayden, W. H. Gomm, L. J. Pickering, D. J. Robertson, J. L. Fletcher, E. E. Prestling, W. H. August, W. E. G. Hayden, R. Huston. C. J. Ratclift’e, A. W. Somers, N. Mal'con, I. (Bell, I. D. McCallum, B. C. B. Lockett, W. C. Aitken, L. Pearse, R. E. Goodley, L. Moloney, W. B. G. Hossack, J. R. Griffiths, F. ®. Porter, H. J. Burborough, A. J. Eastwood, N. Gordon, A F. Green, A. G. H. MacPherson, M. J. Pascoe, T. J. Foley, J. T. Sheehan, G. R. Hendry, M. D. King, J. Hough, J. D. McMillan.

N.Z. Field Ambulance Privates L. Burrows, J. M. E. Quinn, R. J. Monk, T. E. Doyle, W. B. Shaw, N. J. 'Sutton, ®. G. James, E. L. Baly and W. A. Shield. Machine Gun Battalion Privates J. C. Kelliher, T. F. Twisleten, J. A. Smith, T. C. Smith, J. K. Hislop, R. N. Ludbrook and S. Hyde. Divisional Signals E. R. MacPherson. It will be noted that the above list includes a volunteer for the Divisional Signalling Corps, this man having been transferred from the Rifle Battalion group. His place in- the Rifle Battalion detail has been filled by the selection of M. J. Rohan.