BACK FROM DELHI

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1940, Page 4

BACK FROM DELHI

AND THE MIDDLE EAST SIR JOHN DUIGAN’S TOUR NEW ZEALAND TROOPS IN GREAT HEART. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, December 29. “I bring back with me from the Middle East New Year greetings to the Prime Minister and the people of New Zealand from Major-General Freyberg and all the officers and, other ranks serving under him in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force,” said Major-Gen-eral Sir John Duigan after he had arrived by the flying-boat Aotearoa. Sir John Duigan led the New Zealand delegation to the recent eastern group conference at Delhi, and later paid a visit to Egypt, following it with a flying visit to Greece. “When I left the Middle East on December 8,” continued Sir John, “ourytx troops were in great heart and full otJ) fight. The had been working hard* night and day to make themselves efficient, and there was a wonderful spirit of comradeship and team work apparent among them- all. Their amenities in training camps are excellent and the organisation for the caring of the sick and wounded is second to none in the Midle East. From my observations the .base hospital at Helwan, formerly a hotel, is fully capable of giving the troops everything they need.”

One aspect of the New Zealanders’ training which Sir John Duigan mentioned is designed to meet enemy tanks. “In modern warfare,” he said, "every soldier must be a potent tankhunter. for armoured fighting vehicles are difficult to stop. Our troops are busy devising all sorts of ingenious methods of dealing with enemy tanks.” Speaking of his visit to Greece, made while the Greek army was scoring repeated success against the Italians in Albania. Sir John Duigan said he had seen a large number of Italian prisoners. "All that I saw,” he said, “were so tame that they would feel out of your hand.” Sir John Duigan referred to Mussolini’s boast that the Mediterranean was controlled by Italy. Throughout his flight from Egypt to Greece he saw no signs of any Italian ships or aircraft. Britain ruled the ocean without difficulty.