DISTINGUISHED VISITOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26636, 5 December 1947, Page 6

DISTINGUISHED VISITOR

GENERAL SIR ANDREW THORNE SERVICE IN BOTH WARS P.A. AUCKLAND, Dec.' 4. , Accompanied by Lady Thorne, General Sir Andrew Thorne, K.C.8., CB. C.M.G., D.S.O. and two bars, arrived at Auckland by the Waiwera from London on ,a ,visit to New Zealand. They were met by their son-in-law, Major Neville Wigram, M.C., military secretary to the GovernorSir Andrew and Lady Thorne will spend a holiday with their daughter and son-in-law and will also be the guests of the Governor-General and Lady Freyberg' at Government House, Wellington. . After a distinguished career in the British Army, with which he served in both world wars, General Thorne retired last year. He joined the Grenadier Guards in 1904, and during the First World War commanded the Third Battalion. For two years after the war he was military attache in Washington and later in Berlin. When he returned to Britain he. was appointed to the First (Guards) Brigade and also served as A.D.C. to the King. Then he became General Officer Commanding the London District and major-general commanding the Brigade of Guards. General Thorne recalled his association with Sir Bernard Freyberg between the two world wars. Both were officers in the Grenadier Guards. When the present Governor-General was preparing for his attempt to swim the English Channel they used to attend the same bath club and General Thorne remarked good-humoredly that while he was swimming two or three lengths of the bath Sir Bernard was covering dozens of lengths. The last command which General Thorne had was that as commander-in-chief of the allied land forces in Norway and head of the SHAEF mission.