WARM WELCOME

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1943, Page 4

WARM WELCOME

GIVEN TO NEW ZEALANDERS IN SOUSSE AFTER LONG INLAND MARCH. TOWN & PORT MUCH DAMAGED. (Official News Service, N.Z.E.F.) (Received This Day, 11.32 a.m.) ALGIERS, April 19. Again in the forefront of the Eighth Army’s advance into Northern Thnisia, our forward cavalry tanks, with the armour of a famous English regiment, are now known to have been the first British troops to enter Sousse. An inland sweep of over a hundred miles from Gabes brought them a few days ago to the first major coastal town they had reached since their entry into Tripoli, almost three months ago. By-passing Sfax, our forward tanks headed for the coast from Eldjem, the ruins of a famous Roman amphitheatre about midway between Sfax and Sousse, to reach Tunisia’s third port in the early morning a few days ago. Describing this last action, a correspondent with our main striking force said in a message from the front today that soon after Sousse was taken, our guns, infantry and trucks rumbled through the streets towards a German gun line a few miles beyond the town. Late into the night, and again next morning, our guns battled against the German artillery till it withdrew northwards. “All along the way, cheering and waving groups of men, women and children collected at vantage points to give our men a most enthusiastic welcome,” says the correspondent. “Wherever the trucks stopped, excited gatherings collected. Flowers were thrown on passing trucks and cars, and from their remaining meagre stocks, some French civilians brought gifts of' wine. Sousse was badly battered when we entered it and comparatively few of the 30,000 people who inhabited it before the war appear to have remained. Part of the area on the waterfront is particularly severely damaged and a number of derelict vessels lie partly submerged. Further from the waterfront, though many houses have been evacuated, the damage is not nearly so serious. The relief of French civilians on the arrival of our troops was particularly manifest. French colours were displayed on many buildings beside British flags. As the sound of guns receded, more civilians made their appearance and fraternised with Ihe troops passing through the town cr camped nearby.”