RETURNING SOLDERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 March 1919, Page 3

RETURNING SOLDERS.

HORORATA'S arrival 'WELLINGTON EN FfiTS. ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION TO MAIN BODY. COLONFX CHARTERS 1 STORY. By Telegraph.—Presa Association. Wellington, March la. The troopship Hororata berthed at - o'clock this, afternoon and disembarkation proceeded without delay. The returning soldiers were greeted bv a large crowd, who accorded them a most enthusiastic welcome. There was a plentiful display of bunting on the ships and in tho city. Seven bands took part in the general rejoicings The Hororata >ails for Auckland this evening (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Wellington, Last Night. The whole of Wellington was en fete to-day for the arrival of the M.iin Body draft by the transport Hororata. Some difficulty was anticipated as to whether the ship would be allowed to deliver her freight of anxious warriors and much anxiety was felt toy the hundreds of relations who had come to Wellington to receive their own back again The whole city turned out, and business was at a standstill.

The troops on the ship were exceedingly bright, and pave little evidence of the interna tlicy had been through. Lieutenant Colonel A T* Charters, CV.G., T>.PO. wa? fa charge, snd he gave your corrcsnondent a verv brief description of ilie peril? he and his comrades had been throne!', although he wiv-- most reticent throughout. Oolnnel Charters went away with the 2nd Reinforcements in charse of the ina-; mn-ior. Ho was connected with 'he Otago b:\llnlion throughout. He fir=t went to Egypt and from tl'.ere t.o Franco wber* he wit engaged in evprv e-i"?wmf'iit. ir. which the division tonkin rt T'»» Colonel did not by any means eseepo the perils of irp.r He wi» pxo;sed to everv danger thronsrhnnt his Ioni" service and wa.s <rao»ed p? the T/9 Tf«J>iitern(«. Having recovered. he ro- ' i'lirivf hi-' re<ri*nent. but «hortlv lft«Twnrds ws unfortunate enou"h to be u-mspd Ho survived the second attack of t'v» Hives' poison, but !pt"r v, •!>••• wounded bv a liirrh explosive -'he') ,nt T.e HobnferTio again. The Wtor | has not hid anv serious nßect, !-i the Co1on«l The fi"ht.s it *vmon- ! t'eres fin which the Yew ZO.l larders sho'ie so eor*soieiionslv). the £omme, AfpMiiies in 1P1". and the later T,a battle were al, 1 "one through by ih" Colonel He went through the TMs'•'"rdaele assault, where the New Zealenders w-- called upon to face ahnost impossible odds, and fill a breach which had beeen made by the Huns in the Allied line.

The Allied commanders were greatly | impressed (as lias been told in the tv.bles) by tlie magnificent manner in which the New Zealanders held their end up and prevented the line from being shattered absolutely. Commendation of that cfTort has ; been voiced throughout thp world Oil ]V.-:«mber 3. the Xew Zcalamlers arrived at Lc Chateau, just in time to prevent another rush bv the Huns. They dnlv v-compli-shed their task, although t'lo toll was heavy. Colonel Charters j -nnd his division were engaged from the time they arrived in the battle zone, right up to the time of the signing of j thp armistico, ; n fighting the ITun. Tn all the fights described the veterans of the Xo\v Zealand division, many of whom took part in the perilous and historic campaign, against the Turk on the lcnc and forever memorable shores of Gallipoli. where no nnnv of the flower of our countrv fell and now lie. A striking feature of the landing of the troops to dav was the number of men of nij sections of the forces who wore ribbons of distinction, ribbons whieh denoted acts of valrr both In Ga'lipoli and France in which those who bad been rewarded had risked their lives to preserve those of their comrades. Tn IV* latter days of the New Zealand livisionV work in the war area garrison duty was assigned. They wont from Belgium to the Rhine where the ivmains of t'li-< Defeated Htm were nii>t. The braceadocio of the people in the occupied area had quite disappeared, and humility reigned The Germans were very quiet and humble. Far from showing any ill-will to the invading army, the Germans treated them as liberators, and particularly so was that in thp cjufi of the non-combatant-?. In fact, the general feeling of satisfaction displayed bv the inhabitants of each village at, the cessation of hostilities made more impression on the Xew Zealanders than anything else. The pinched pale and aeneinic features, of the Germans depicted a story of privation and misery, and, in the words of Colonel Charters they obviourlv had had quite enougn of the struggle.

The Colonel had nothing but praise for the manner in which the troops had conducted themselves during the voyage from Knsland. Although 'the men had seen years of war, and knpw that the horrible orgie of strife and Woodshed had ended, they were still. a? they had alway? been, excellent British gentlemen. T'ners was nothing on the voyage that was not strictly militaryThe accommodation on the ehip was quite <jood. and there was no complaint about the fool Anv complaints made at "11 were made in the rifflit spirit and the reaponsible officer* responded a,ccordinErlr. Although there is no reason to mention the matler. it should he satisfactory to know that there was nothing in the nature of a demonstration throughout the vovage