SECOND ECHELON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 September 1940, Page 5

SECOND ECHELON

HELPING TO MAN RAMPARTS OF BRITAIN OCCUPATION OF FORWARD POSITION. PLANS TO STRIKE QUICKLY & HARD. (From the Official War Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces in j Great Britain). LONDON, September 24. The function of her European army in this most glorious fortnight of Britain’s civilian history has been to watch and wait —to line the ramparts of England, ready, if the foe should come, to strike him a blow from which he will never recover. Though a very small unit among the million and a quarter men thus standing to arms, the New Zealand Second Echelon has been honoured with an important forward position and in the last, week has further improved its plans for striking quickly and hard when the call comes. British public opinion on the possibility of an invasion remains divided, but with growing might against it. None the less, the preparedness already unparalleled in this island’s long story of hard-fought freedom is being intensified daily. It is distasteful to be, as it were, idly standing by while the Air Force and Navy do all the work and unprotected women and children bear much of the brunt of the vicious and merciless attack, but it is a part which the needs of the moment require of the soldiers. Meanwhile, it is an unforgettable privilege to be here and to gather inspiration from the incomparable valour of our airmen and the magnificent courage under assault of the common people of Britain.