Military Contingent for Coronation

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 17, 21 January 1937, Page 6

Military Contingent for Coronation

25 or 50 TO BE RETURNED SOLDIERS Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. A military contingent numbering fifty will form part of New Zealand’s representation at the Coronation in London during May. It will consist of 25 members with war service and 25 who are soldiers of tho post-war generation. In addition to the military contingent it is hoped there will be a de tachment of naval ratings from H.M.S. Leander which replaces H.M.S. Dunedin upon her arrival in England. It also is proposed that four divisions of the New Zealand Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) should each have one representative and there possibly will be one officer.

The Minister of Defence (Hon. F. Jones), to whom were left the details concerning the composition of the contingent, said to-day that its members would be made up as follows: New Zealand regular forces (returned soldiers) 3; New Zealand regular forces, I; New Zealand territorial forces (returned soldiers), 12; New Zealand territorial forces, 24; returned soldiers not members of forces, 10; total 50. Thus of 25 members with war service ten are being selected from returned soldiers no longer serving, while 15 will be men with war service who have carried on in either the territorial or regular forces, in order to make the representation as wide as possible each arm of the territorial force is being included, the numbers to be selected being proportionate to the strength of the arm.