ARMY DRIVERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 June 1941, Page 6

ARMY DRIVERS

NEW ZEALANDERS PROVE VERSATILITY. STORY OF A YOUNG MAORI. The versatility of New Zealand drivers has been proved again and again. The way in which they adapted themselves from the stony, dusty, sandy wastes of the Western Desert, to the narrow mountain roads and passes of Greece was in itself an achievement of no mean order. They conquered the most difficult road conditions, during times of snow and rain. In the bitter cold they were on the job night after night, with little chance for sleep in the day owing to the constant attentions of enemy planes. There is the story told of a young Maori lad who was engaged early in the campaign in transporting ammunition; to the dumps. His load consisted of three and a half tons of high explosive shells, and, as was expected, he was attacked from the air. Instead of stopping and rushing for cover, he carried on, quite unconscious of the fact that his cargo had been set on fire by an incendiary bullet. Finally the frantic waving and shouting from other trucks he passed gave him the idea that something was wrong. ?

He stopped his vehicle, and, fully realising his peril, grabbed his fire extinguisher and set about putting out the blazing cargo. Although al any momlent the whole business might have gone /up in one mighty explosion, ho stuck to his post and finally succeeded in extinguishing the fire. He was asked afterwards why he did not make for the bush and safety, as no one could be called a coward for leaving Hie vicinity of burning ammunition. . “Pai korry,” he replied, “I was tool scared to run, so I thought I'd better put the damned fire out and have done with it!"

One thing, though, nearly broke the drivers’ hearts. And that was having to wreck their trucks before they abandoned them. Having nurtured their vehicles for months, and having achieved such magnificent results with them, it came rather hard to have to destroy them completely. However, care had to be taken to ensure that the trucks which they were forced to leave would be of no use Jo the enemy. Water and oil were drained out of them, and the engines run dry until they seized up. An axe would then be put through the ignition, and some other means taken to render the trucks useless. The drivers came back from their gruelling time in Greece with their morale unbroken and ready for more action. One of the noticeable points about the army driver is his cheerful, friendly spirit, and all that Jerry could do was not enough to break it.