PACIFIC TOUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 November 1943, Page 3

PACIFIC TOUR

MADE BY GOVERNOR-GENERAL VISITS TO NEW ZEALAND FORCES. IN SOLOMONS AND OTHER ISLANDS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. It was disclosed in Wellington yesterday that the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, who was accompanied by Major C. J. Holland-Martin, A.D.C., returned to Wellington yesterday from a visit to Fiji and to New Zealand service personnel in the South Pacific. Writing from a South Pacific base on Sunday, an N.Z.E.F. official war correspondent said: — Sir Cyril Newall visited New Zealand service men as far north as Vella Lavella and the Treasury Islands Group during the tour of forward Pacific war zones which he has just completed. His Excellency was away from New Zealand for a fortnight, in which time he covered many thousands of miles to see in operational conditions units of the Dominion’s navy, army and air force fighting in and round the Solomons area.

On his way north, his Excellency visited Fiji, where he saw the Makogai leper settlement, which is supported generously by New Zealand contributions and is treating many patients from New Zealand's dependencies, and the central medical school at Suva, a training ground for native medical practitioiers. His tour of the armed forces opened at a South Pacific base of the Third New Zealand Division, where he inspected reinforcements at their training depot and personnel and installations at base units. His Excellency spent several hours with hospital patients, where he talked with casualties evacuated from the front lines. Members of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps and New Zealand girls working for Allied military officials also had an opportunity of meeting the Govern-or-General.

In company with Major-General Barrowclough, commander of the N.Z.E.F. in the Southern Pacific, Sir Cyril visited the forward elements of the division on islands of the Solomons group, where he met and spoke to almost every man of the force. His Excellency showed keen interest in areas where the New Zealanders have recently been fighting. On Treasury, his Excellency saw a Japanese prisoner brought f in by a New Zealand patrol. At Vella ' Lavella, his invested New Zealanders 1 with awards won during .the recent r campaign on that island. In company with Air Commodore Wallingford, Air 3 Officer Commanding Southern Pacific 1 Islands, and Air Commodore Buckley, ' his Excellency spent several days with R.N.Z.A.F. personnel. His visit to op1 erational airstrips coincided with a s period of heavy attacks on enemy air--3 fields and shipping in the Bougain- '» ville area, and Sir Cyril saw forma2 tions of New Zealand fighter aircraft - on their way to and returning from 1 escort and strafing sorties. He spent f some time in a fighter pilots’ “ready” 3 hut, talking to the men who were - about to take off. 1 His Excellency learnt with pleasure of the high standard of the work done - by ground crews of New Zealand / squadrons, which kept almost 100 per e cent, of their aircraft available for - operations every day. The New Zea- - land fighter wing’s tally of enemy airs' craft at the time of Sir Cyril’s visit Y was 57.

At an advanced Royal New Zealand Navy base, his Excellency inspected ships of a flotilla which has operated in Pacific waters for many months. He was accompanied by Commander A.D. Holden, and during his visit presented Long Service Medals to three of the flotilla’s personnel.