HOME GUARD DIRECTOR

Southland Times, Issue 24888, 30 October 1942, Page 4

HOME GUARD DIRECTOR

Reasons Given For

Resignation

An explanation of why he resigned from the position of director of No. 12 Home Guard group was given by Lieutenant-Colonel W. Bell at a function held in the Taramoa public hall last night, hi a message to all Home Guardsmen in the group Lieutenant-Colonel Bell said: “Keep right on to the end of the road. We have got to see this thing through. The Home Guard is greater than any individual, even if he is a group director. New Zealand is not yet out of the wood. A great deal depends on the battle now in progress in the Solomons.”

The function was organized by residents of Taramoa in honour of Lieu-tenant-Colonel Bell and of Mr C. S. Mclntyre, a member of the Taramoa Mounted Troop of the Home Guard who is leaving the district. Presentations to the guests of the evening were made by Mr W. E. Hazlett, who paid a tribute to the work that Lieutenant-Colonel Bell had done in organizing the Home Guard in Southland. Lieutenant-Colonel Bell said he had set his face against making any public explanation of why he had resigned, but during the past week a statement had gained currency that if he had not resigned another position would have been found for him. Further, he had received a large number of inquiries about why he had resigned and he was, therefore, taking this opportunity of making a public statement. , “I think that when you have heard what I have to say,” Lieutenant-Colonel Bell said, “you will agree that I could not have done otherwise and retained my self-respect. FIRST INTIMATION “The first intimation that I received of changes that were to take place m the Home Guard was a telephone call from the District Director in Dunedm, telling me that zone commanders were to be appointed, some on part-time and some on full time. The positions were to be paid. The District Director asked me if I would be prepared to accept a position, and I readily agreed, but expressed the opinion that I never seemed to be lucky where there was a job with pay attached. The District Director replied that he was seeing the officer commanding the Southern Military District the following night. He also said he was sure that the group directors would get the jobs if they wanted them, especially after the work they had done for the Home Guard.” Lieutenant-Colonel Bell added that the District Director promised to telephone him the result of his interview with the officer commanding the Southern Military District, but as he did not hear from him for two days he telephoned the area commander in Invercargill and asked if he knew anything about the changes. The area commander said he had had a ring from headquarters, Christchurch, asking him to let the group directors of the Home Guard know that their jobs were finished before the statement by the Minister of Defence on the reorganization of the Home Guard appeared in the Press. The area commander added that the officer commanding the Southern Military District was coming to Invercargill and that he would probably have some information after seeing him. After the visit of the officer commanding he had occasion to go to area headquarters, and in conversation with the area commander was told that his name had been mentioned. “NO USE TO ARMY”

“I was told that the officer commanding the Southern Military District had asked what I did in private life, and when he was told that I was on a disability pension he remarked that I was of no use to him,” LieutenantColonel Bell said. “I then told the area commander that I would get out, and I added that I would go round the group and tell officers of the Home Guard why I was resigning. I think every fair-minded person will agree with me that that was the only thing I could do. It was a case of getting out before I was pushed out. Any talk of finding another job for me is a piece of thin camouflage which will not mislead the public, and certainly not any member of the Home Guard in Southland.” OFFER OF SERVICE

When he took charge of the Home Guard in No. 12 group more than two years ago, he knew that the position was purely honorary, and he had no complaint to make on that score. He was in the same position as other guardsmen. Next to the men who had gone overseas and who were in training for that purpose, no class in the country had made the same sacrifices, both in time and money, as the Home Guardsmen. He would not like Home Guardsmen 'to think he was walking out on the job. Several months ago he wrote to the proper authorities in Wellington offering his services in any capacity, anywhere in New Zealand, in uniform or out of uniform. He had stated that he was not concerned with rank or pay, his only anxiety being that he should be of service to the country. He had received a reply asking him to remain in his position as group director as the position was being clarified. “I appreciate very much the way the Home Guardsmen stood by me during my time as Group Director,” Lieuten-ant-Colonel Bell said in conclusion. “I have not become rich as a result of being Group Director, but I have made a host of friends. The success of the Home Guard in Southland is due not to me, but to the hundreds of men who have given their services to the Guard.”