ESCAPING FROM WAR HORRORS

Southland Times, Issue 24229, 12 September 1940, Page 6

ESCAPING FROM WAR HORRORS

BRITISH CHILDREN AT WELLINGTON

MAKING LIGHT OF AIR RAIDS MANY ARRIVALS NOT EXPECTED (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 11. Escaping from the horrors of war, 170 British children arrived at Wellington today in a liner from England. They did not come under the Government scheme for the evacuation of children from the United Kingdom to other parts of the British Commonwealth: their passages had been privately arranged. In most cases they were accompanied by mothers or other relations. One or two were young New Zealanders returning home, but the great majority had been born and bred in the Old Country. Most were coming to friends or relations in the Domin-

They were met at the wharf by Sir Harry Batterbee and by representatives of the British Children Reception Committee. The latter ’ gave advice about transport and accommodation facilities, and where necessary assisted arrivals to establish contact with their friends or relations ashore.

From Cook Strait this morning most of the children and their mothers had their first glimpse of New Zealand — an impression of high hills, bright sunshine and biting wind. After some hours in the stream the vessel berthed and the rails were crowded with eager young / faces, bright-eyed with excitement at their first impressions of their new homeland. The crowd gazing down from the liner’s rail was predominantly composed of women, young mothers and uniformed “nannies” and children between the ages of five months, and 15 years. On the wharf stood a knot of expectant relations and friends who had learnt of the impending arrival of the party. Most, however, saw no familiar faces smiling at them from the wharf and there were one or two who wept at finding themselves left out of the emotional scenes of welcome and reunion when the gangway was let down.

UNHERALDED ARRIVALS Very many arrived quite unheralded and the first intimation that friends in New Zealand farms and cities received of their safe arrival was a surprise telephone call this evening. Although one or two were holloweyed and- anxious-looking, most were cheerful and gay and showed no out■ward signs of whatever ordeals they might have undergone in the war zone. They v»ere loath to speak of what they had setn of warfare; indeed, it seemed almost a point of honour to make light of the air-raid experiences. One woman, however, who was expecting a baby within a few weeks, said that between the time when she left home and that of the liner’s departure from England her home was destroyed by an enemy bomb. Another said she had no idea where her husband was or what he was doing. She had expected to find a cable waiting her on hei' arrival, but no such cable had been delivered. Small boys described proudly and almost boastfully how they had jumped out of bed on the screaming of the sirens and had seen the flash of anti-aircraft shells bursting against the sky as they raced for the shelters. The voyage out, they said, had been almost wholly free from anxiety. After some delay in getting away from the British coast they spent three uneventful days in convoy and thereafter the voyage was a rest-cure for them all. A week out from New Zealand they were told there was a raider at large in the Pacific but they were not worried. NO SICKNESS ON BOARD

There was no sickness or trouble of any kind on the ship. The officers and staff did their utmost to assist in making the trip a happy one. They arranged entertainments and kept an eye on the youngsters to see they did not clamber up the masts or tumble overboard. Although the juyenile passen-t ger list was almost unprecedentedly large, little difficulty was experienced in feeding or otherwise managing the children. It was stated that for the first fortnight they were models of good behaviour, but after that time they relaxed somewhat. >

As they came ashore it was seen that many of the mothers had exercised considerable ingenuity 'in arranging simple methods of transporting their families. A young baby was carried in a canvas box open at the top with a handle amidships, another was slung in a special chair from its mother’s shoulder’ so her hands were free for carrying luggage and shepherding other children, a third infant was carried in a sort of laundry-basket by two women, each holding a separate handle.

The youngsters were remarkably healthy-looking, browned with the sun of the tropics, but distinguished by English mannerisms and politeness. They showed remarkable diversity of dress, ranging from a party of kilted young Scots to a toddler in brown battle-dress with an airman’s helmet.