TOUGH & READY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 December 1940, Page 4

TOUGH & READY

NEW ZEALAND TROOPS IN EGYPT SIR JOHN DUIGAN’S VISIT. RESULTS OF CONFERENCE AT DELHI. (From the Official War Correspondent with the N.Z.E.F. in the Middle East). CAIRO, December 2. First-hand knowledge of the activities of the Expeditionary Force in the Middle East has been gained by the Chief of the New Zealand General Staff, Sir John Duigan, who paid a brief visit to the force after attending the Economic Conference in India. Troops in a base camp paraded ceremonially in his honour and he inspected training work before leaving to visit well-seasoned troops in the field. He was impressed by the splendid ceremonial display provided by the troops on parade, and told them he could see that the New Zealanders were becoming hard, tough, and ready to meet any possible emergency. Sir John added: “It looks as if you will get a chance to meet the enemy later, and I am convinced that he will then realise that he is fighting soldiers for whom he should have the greatest respect.” Sir John said he hoped to be home by Christmas, and would take back greetings on their behalf to those who wished them well,, and whose thoughts were constantly’ with them. “A spirit of complete co-operation was the keynote of the Empire Conference held in India recently to discuss the problems of war time production and supply,” said Sir John Duigan, when interviewed here. He added that the conference laid plans for mobilising the whole of the resources of the countries forming the eastern bloc with only one objective in view, namely, the defeat of the common enemy. He said he could not yet reveal the specific part New Zealand or any other individual country would play when the plans were in full operation, but he said the results of the conference foreshadowed a tremendous increase in the production of munitions and supplies. Sir John paid a tribute to the great spirit, confidence, and enthusiasm which was evident among the Empire peoples east of Suez.