TOUGH GOING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 February 1942, Page 4

TOUGH GOING

NEW ZEALAND HOSPITAL UNIT IN LIBYAN DESERT RETREAT CHASED AND FIRED ON BY GERMANS. ’ ALL PATIENTS BROUGHT THROUGH SAFELY. —- i (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) ‘ (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) CAIRO, February 2. The New Zealand mobile surgical unit in Libya ran the gauntlet from Rommel’s advancing forces for 200 miles, reports Mr Ronald Monson, the “Sydney Daily Telegraph’s” war correspondent, in relating the story of the commanding officer, who comes from Christchurch He said: “The unit had gone out from Jedabaya to El Mneisci, 40 miles south and they were just erecting a tent hospital when they saw German tanks approaching. The Germans started firing and the unit struck camp, taking the wounded who had already come in. We bumped along through the night, with lights out and by midnight had covered forty miles. Some of the patients needed surgical treatment, so we set up the hospital in darkness,'and by the light of lamps operated on men who had been badly hit by shell fragments. We struck camp just before dawn and made for a windmill marked on the map. On reaching it in the afternoon we again set up the hospital, but an artillery officer whose battery was covering the Allied withdrawal told us we must leave. Next morning retiring troops told us the Germans were then in the camp we had just left and were coming on. We were making north for Saunnu, 40 miles north-east of Jedabaya, but on nearing it we saw it was being shelled by the enemy. We turned back, but did not dare go too far for fear of running into the Germans behind. After running for a while, we decided to stand fast. German armoured cars came over a ridge and looked at us, but did not fire. Now we had the enemy on the left, in front and behind. We turned and went parallel with an enemy column moving east, a few miles south of us. When we attempted to turn north again, German armoured cars in front opened fire on us. We were forced to turn east again. Some South Africans joined us in the dark. We finally reached Msus. We worked there all next day until German shelling and machinegun fire interrupted us, indicating that the enemy were very close. We hastily loaded the ambulances and travelled for twelve hours, until we reached the safely of a British outpost. It had been tough going, but we made it, with all our patients safe.”