SIGNPOST JOKES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 19 October 1942, Page 4

SIGNPOST JOKES

HUMOUR ON JUNGLE TRACKS Somewhere in New Guinea, Oct. 6. At q little camp on loribaiwa ridge where the Japanese had their advanced headquarters only a week ago greenuniformed Australians have erected a rough signpost bearing the legend "Unde: New Management.” It is just one of the many amusing signposts along the muddy, back breaking jungle track and supply road testifying to the unquenchable humour of the troops. Near the end of the motor road, if jou can use the word road to define a twisting, tortuous, mud-covered, and unbelievably narrow switchback which tunnels through the green forests, three painted signs have been erected. The first reads, “To next stopping place—by air three miles, by foot three months.” Fifty yards farther on appears, “Sorry, no taxis. All drivers called up.” The final notice reads: “Gel your priority here.” At the end of the read, where only a narrow, slimy foot-track spills itself almost perpendicularly down a slippery wall of red clay, is a crudely built cookhouse, considerably less pretentious: than even the average Army cookhouse.

This is the already famous “Cafe de Kerbstone.” A small tent farther back along the track carries the name “Allnight Diner.” Talk of troops along this narrow track is as refreshing as the signs. Yesterday I spoke to men moving up for the first time, men coming back after weeks of hunting the elusive Japanese, and men going up \o “have another smack at Tojo.” "They’re shrewd liUle devils,” said one man who was going up to the line for his second spell in action. “We struck one using two machine-guns, and he was 100 yards away from both of them. He worked them with wire leads, not shooting at anything, just smacking out a few bursts every now and then to confuse us. I think he was more confused when an Australian grenade was dropped on him."