OVERSEAS SERVICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 June 1942, Page 2

OVERSEAS SERVICE

ALTERATION TO REGULATIONS.. TERRITORIALS AND HOME DEFENCE UNITS. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Members of the Territorial Force and other home defence units are macle liable for overseas service by an amendment to the National Service Emergency Regulations gazetted yesterday. The amendment comes into force todTlie Minister of National Service Mi" Semple ' stated last evening that despite the fact that a liability for overseas service would apply to all members of the armed forces it was not proposed meantime to alter the existing age-limits for overseas service with the Second N.Z.E.F. Unless at a later date circumstances necessitated a change of policy, only those men who had attained the age of 21 years and who when drawn in a ballot had not attained the age of 41 years, would be dispatched overseas. Similarly. only those men who had been passed fit for service beyond New Zealand would be sent abroad if occasion should necessitate this. Mr Semple said that with the full-time mobilisation of the Territorial Force and with the need for having available at short notice complete units of trained men for service outside New Zealand, the War Cabinet recently decided that all members of the Territorial Force and other home defence units should become liable for general service wherever required. As was recently announced the calling up of men on June 24 and all future calling up would be for general military service. RIGHT OF APPEAL. “The amendment to the regulations extents a right of appeal as regards their liability for overseas service to all members of the Territorial Force and other home defence units who have not previously been called up expressly for overseas service,” said the Minister. “Provision is further made that all appeals at present awaiting hearing, whether against overseas service or Territorial service, and all similar appeals which have not yet been finally disposed of on the date the regulations become operative will be dealt with as appeals against general service.”