FORESTRY TROOPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 October 1943, Page 2

FORESTRY TROOPS

WELCOMED AND ENTERTAINED IN NEW YORK ON WAY BACK TO NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA. MANY MARRIED IN BRITAIN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, September 30. Six hundred New Zealand and Australian forestry troops attracted wide attention today when they were driven in open trucks through the streets to a large drill hall, where they were entertained at lunch. New Yorkers were very interested in the New Zealand peaked hats and the Australian slouch hats which were the first seen in New York during the present war. The troops range from men in their early twenties to others who served in the Great War and have sons fighting in New Guinea and elsewhere. All said they were very glad to be returning, and hoped they would get into action against the Japanese soon. The men faced a barrage of newspaper photographers, and later a small representative group, including Major Austin and Sergeant Burt, both of Rotorua, .and Sapper Seymour, of Christchurch, told the Press some of their experiences in England and in Scotland, where all have been since the middle of 1940 engaged in forestry jobs such as felling and preparing timber for British defence works. The troops established all-time records for forestry production. The men said that 85 New Zealand- e ers and 120 Australians had married English or Scottish girls. They would c not see their wives till after the war because “wives are very low on the priority list.” The New Zealanders and 1 the Australians were later entertained 1 at the Yankee baseball stadium, where they met players in the game between ' Yankee and Chicago White Sox. Many ( entertainments are planned for the J troops before their march through the streets tomorrow. f