Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 26, 2011 22:13:54 GMT 12
In 1943 Prime Minister Peter Fraser decided to bring home thousands of New Zealand soldiers from the front lines as the African campaign came to an end, to give them a three month Furlough. This was laregly seen by most as a political move as it was election time and having so many boys come home who'd been away for up to three years would boost the spirit of those at home.
Most of those who were to come home did not volunteer to do so, they were directed to. They were all the experienced men, most of them were the originals of the NZ Division.
When they got here they found NZ was not the place they'd left. There were Americans everywhere, which upset them. There were many able bodied men who'd gotten themselves into reserved occupations in what was deemed "essential industry" but often it was making menial goods that did little for the war effort. These men were on £15 and £16 a week, whereas these frontline soldiers in the foxholes were earning a mere £1 a week.
The Unions had the Government twisted round their fingers. They received huge bonuses of danger money for handling explosives, while the men at the frontlines received nothing.
So naturally most felt cheated that they had to turn around after three months at home and go back to the war, while able bodied men who's gone nowhere were stayign at home and earning huge money. Many got doctors to downgrade them medically so they wouldn't have to go back.
But thousands of others were told they were going. Come time to board the train that was picking up men from Auckland and every point south on the way to the ships in Wellington, the Waikato boys decided to stage a nutiny at the Frankton Railway station. they refused to board the train and many Aucklanders and those who'd got onboard in between joined them.
The entire incident was hushed up by the Army, the public had very little inkling of what occurred. But basicly the soldiers who's refused to board the train were rounded up and put into a camp. Politicians and Generals pleaded with them and when that failed they threatened to shoot them. The diggers still ignored them. Eventually tehy were individually Court martialled, sentenced to 90 days prison and then forced onto a ship back to Italy.
Due to this the Government stopped those men from claiming a war pension or other entitlements that returned soldiers normally got. The men also had a criminal record to their name, and were banned from ever being offered Government jobs. And the RSA refused them membership.
This was many hundreds of very brave soldiers who'd spent three years fighting in the front lines. They had most definately done their bit. it was policy to allow RNZAF and Navy personnel to return home to NZ permanently after three years away, even if they hadn't been in the fight the whole time - yet many of those soldiers had gone through Greece, Crete and more battles in North Africa than any other Allied Division.
The whole thing was a cock up orchestrated by Fraser, who was himself a conientous objector in WWI and had no idea of what those men had actually been through. Many of those sent back to Italy never made it home.
It makes me very uneasy to think about how the Government acted in this case, their election stunt ruined the lives of so many men.
Has any official apology or reparation ever been offered to them?
Do you think they deserve it? I mean Clark got official pardons for the seven or so kiwis shot for deserting in WWI.
The Furlough men I think deserve an official apology and pardon more, as they had fought hard and well, they served time in prison, they lost entitlements and community standing and then went back and fought again.
Most of those who were to come home did not volunteer to do so, they were directed to. They were all the experienced men, most of them were the originals of the NZ Division.
When they got here they found NZ was not the place they'd left. There were Americans everywhere, which upset them. There were many able bodied men who'd gotten themselves into reserved occupations in what was deemed "essential industry" but often it was making menial goods that did little for the war effort. These men were on £15 and £16 a week, whereas these frontline soldiers in the foxholes were earning a mere £1 a week.
The Unions had the Government twisted round their fingers. They received huge bonuses of danger money for handling explosives, while the men at the frontlines received nothing.
So naturally most felt cheated that they had to turn around after three months at home and go back to the war, while able bodied men who's gone nowhere were stayign at home and earning huge money. Many got doctors to downgrade them medically so they wouldn't have to go back.
But thousands of others were told they were going. Come time to board the train that was picking up men from Auckland and every point south on the way to the ships in Wellington, the Waikato boys decided to stage a nutiny at the Frankton Railway station. they refused to board the train and many Aucklanders and those who'd got onboard in between joined them.
The entire incident was hushed up by the Army, the public had very little inkling of what occurred. But basicly the soldiers who's refused to board the train were rounded up and put into a camp. Politicians and Generals pleaded with them and when that failed they threatened to shoot them. The diggers still ignored them. Eventually tehy were individually Court martialled, sentenced to 90 days prison and then forced onto a ship back to Italy.
Due to this the Government stopped those men from claiming a war pension or other entitlements that returned soldiers normally got. The men also had a criminal record to their name, and were banned from ever being offered Government jobs. And the RSA refused them membership.
This was many hundreds of very brave soldiers who'd spent three years fighting in the front lines. They had most definately done their bit. it was policy to allow RNZAF and Navy personnel to return home to NZ permanently after three years away, even if they hadn't been in the fight the whole time - yet many of those soldiers had gone through Greece, Crete and more battles in North Africa than any other Allied Division.
The whole thing was a cock up orchestrated by Fraser, who was himself a conientous objector in WWI and had no idea of what those men had actually been through. Many of those sent back to Italy never made it home.
It makes me very uneasy to think about how the Government acted in this case, their election stunt ruined the lives of so many men.
Has any official apology or reparation ever been offered to them?
Do you think they deserve it? I mean Clark got official pardons for the seven or so kiwis shot for deserting in WWI.
The Furlough men I think deserve an official apology and pardon more, as they had fought hard and well, they served time in prison, they lost entitlements and community standing and then went back and fought again.
