MEN ON THE MARCH AGAIN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 62, 30 August 1940, Page 2

MEN ON THE MARCH AGAIN

(By 66 23/762")

HREE-MILE-LONG ranks of khaki-clad figures, swinging in step with that precision which only a combination of military training and military bands is able to produce, moved through Wellington on August 17 between living lanes of those who came to cheer, For the first time the units, totalling well over 3,000 officers and men of the 3rd Echelon, marched in battle-dress. Only a few of the officers of the home staff wore the traditional tunic uniform. The contrast was striking and proof of the change in military styles; the field soldier of this war looks more suitably clad for the strenuous demands of military life than his brothers of the past. From the tip of his tiny cap, so unlike the more distinctive peaked felt, to his strapped ankles, he looks more compact, more closely knit. It was a stirring sight. Each of these parades becomes more impressive than the last, perhaps because it brings to mind the thinning ranks of those who

are left, behind. Not even the icy tendrils of rain from the south which swept over the city could restrain the enthusiasm of the crowd, though it damped to sad tags the thousands of tiny flags so energetically waved by children along the whole route. Another Memorable Scene Looking from the Railway Station towards Post Office Square and beyond, the parade was at its best because, from there, the "long view" was possible and the sun had burst the leaden clouds asunder to light a scene which the city has reason to remember. These parades are too personal, too much a part of our national being to be dimmed by repetition, Falling streamers and showers of cut paper in Lambton Quay and Lower Willis Street fluttered down in the rain like violent and fantastic snow; cheers echoed far beyond the streets of the route; the rousing rhythm of military music drew everyone to door and window

who was not already swelling the ranks of the onlookers. The scene was as rich in incident and sentiment as though it were being enacted for the first time in our history. Once more motionless ranks of bronzed men lined the grounds of Parliament buildings while our national leaders paid tribute to courage, hinting at trials to come, expressing the gratitude of a young nation whose men are the answer to a Motherland’s call for aid. For the third time loud speakers carried the speeches far and wide to those huddling under umbrellas and verandahs, poised on window sills or, grimly contemptuous of the rain, waited for their men to go by. And if many of those modern confections which pass for women’s hats were spoiled, those mothers and sisters, wives and sweethearts who wore them made no sign. One group opposite the Government Buildings sang as the raindrops caught like gems in their hair-sang as their boy went swinging past and turned a dripping face to show that he heard, smiling his acknowledgment. "The Second Round" " Now the seconds are out of the ring; the second round is about to begin," said His Excellency, the Governor-General. "Upon us now must rest the burden of protecting the democratic way of life; all that is worthy; all that is good," said the Prime Minister, the Hon. P. Fraser. The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. A. Hamilton, quoted Mr. Churchill, "Our aim is victory." Messages of thanks and good luck came from the Mayor, Mr. Hislop, and Mr. B. Jacobs, on behalf of the returned soldiers. As in Wellington, so in Christchurch and Auckland. Units of the 3rd Echelon marched with smiles to the cheers which greeted them. In Auckland, Colonel N. W. Mc.D. Weir, the Hon. W. Nash, the Right Hon. J. G. Coates, and Sir Ernest Davis, paid official tribute to youth and courage. The speakers in Christchurch were the Mayor, Mr. Macfarlane, and the Hon. H. T. Armstrong. 3 And when the marching was done people remembered, perhaps, that the 2nd New Zealand Division was complete,