AFTER HEAT OF EGYPT

Southland Times, Issue 24822, 14 August 1942, Page 5

AFTER HEAT OF EGYPT

Southland Weather Welcome Southlanders sometimes complain of Southland weather with its plentiful rainfall and grey skies, but when they are in countries with drier and hotter climates they may experience a strange longing for the climatic conditions of their own province, just as the Scot in tropical countries sighs for the caller air and misty hills of his native land. So when it was suggested to Signalman A. McD. Meldrum, of Invercargill, who recently returned home after two years’ service with -the 2nd N.Z.E.F.,, that the weather, which was unpleasantly cold and wet on the day of his arrival, might well have given a warmer welcome, he replied: “After the heat and sand of Egypt I think that weather like this is fine. The thermometer there sometimes touches 127 degrees in the shade.” Signalman Meldrum spent most of his time overseas' in Egypt. He took part in the first Libyan campaign and had the misfortune to be blown up by a bomb. After months spent in hospital and at the base, his condition had not improved and it was decided that he should be invalided home. He paid a visit to Syria and found it a pleasant change from Egypt, but the most pleasant change of all was to get back tp New Zealand. . . “Of all the countries I have seen it is the best, and to me Southland is the best part of New Zealand,” he said. He added that they had had a good trip back on the hospital ship. The sick and wounded men had been well cared for by the staff of the ship. IMPORTANCE OF TANKS Speaking of the fighting in the Middle East, Signalman Meldrum said that the character of warfare had been entirely changed by the tank. Trenches were no good against tanks. They could not be stopped with rifle and machine-gun fire. Tank traps, too, were not generally effective. The best way to stop tanks was with other tanks or with anti-tank guns. The General Grant, an American tank, was good, but he doubted whether it was the equal of the latest German tank, . which, among other improvements, included air conditioning. This kept the men in the tank cool, no matter how hot it might be, and was naturally a great advantage in a country with a climate like that of Egypt Air support was also necessary m modern warfare, and in the Middle East the British had air superiority. They were assisted by American airmen, but he did not know whether there were any American troops in Egypt, though he had heard rumours of an American Desert Division. There were, however, a large number of American technicians in the Middle East for the purpose of assembling the tanks, planes and other mechanized equipment from the United States.