ANOTHER DRAFT RETURNS

Southland Times, Issue 24878, 19 October 1942, Page 4

ANOTHER DRAFT RETURNS

Sick And Wounded Soldiers (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 18. Reluctant to discuss their experiences, another large draft of sick and wounded men has arrived back in New Zealand from the Middle East, where many of them have seen nearly three years’ campaigning. They included an officer of a parachute unit and a soldier who made an escape from enemy hands and crossed the Mediterranean in a submarine. Several nurses returned with the draft after service in the Middle East. A welcome was extended to the men by political and civic representatives. The Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, conveyed the thanks of the country to the men for the honour they had brought it, and expressed the hope that those who suffered from serious disabilities would be able to overcome them. The Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C., president of the New Zealand R.S.A., said that in his opinion they had more than worthily upheld the great traditions of Anzac. He hoped they would soon resume their places in the civilian community for which they had fought so nobly and so well. The medical officer in charge of the ship expressed thanks for the tributes which were paid to the work of the staff. He stated that when the ship left Egypt there were 177 cot cases; when it arrived there were only 66 cot cases. These included 33 men who had lost a limb, and they were the most cheerful men on the ship.