QUESTIONED BY QUEEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 June 1943, Page 4

QUESTIONED BY QUEEN

NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE MINISTER RECENT EXPERIENCES IN BRITAIN. SOME ENEMY AIR RAIDS MISSED. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) ‘ (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) LONDON, June 9. The New Zealand Defence Minister (Mr F. Jones), whose stay, in Britain is drawing to a close, met the Queen at the Allied Nations’ Summer Fair for the Red Cross. Her Majesty said she had heard that Mr Jones had recently returned from North Africa and asked several questions about his tour. Her Majesty also talked to the New Zealand High Commissioner (Mr Jordan) and Mrs Jordan.

Many New Zealanders assisted at the British Commonwealth stall. Mr Jones recently met Mr Attlee (Deputy Prime Minister)), Mr A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty), Air Vice-Marshal R. A. Cochrane, Lord Bledisloe, Lady Jellicoe, Air Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore and Lady Willingdon. Mr Jones has heard sirens sounding the alert for both daylight and night raids while he has been in England, and cancelled plans have saved him several possible experiences. For instance, at Gibraltar, he nearly caught an American flying-boat which is still reported missing. He was going to an east coast town when a message from General Freyberg resulted in his cancelling his appointment and going to North Africa instead. That day the town was bombed and 24 A.T.S. members were killed. Recently Mr Jones was invited to a south coast town, but was unable to accept. On the same day bombs killed several people in that town. At Plymouth Mr Jones saw a German raider flying at 20,000 feet. He also heard an alert at Dover and several times listened to London’s guns.

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