Visit of Prime Minister of New Zealand

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt. Hon. Peter Fraser, accompanied by Lieutenant-General E. Puttick and others, arrived in Italy on 26 May 1944, and between then and 4 June visited New Zealand divisional troops in the forward areas and also the base units in the Bari district. He displayed particular interest in the medical units and spoke individually to nearly all the patients. Colonel King, ADMS 2 NZ Division, accompanied him on the tour of the field ambulances, while Brigadier Kenrick, DMS 2 NZEF, conducted him round 1 Mobile CCS, 1, 2 and 3 General Hospitals and 1 Convalescent Depot. At the conclusion of his tour and prior to leaving by air for Egypt to make further inspections there, the Prime Minister expressed himself as being very pleased with the adequate arrangements made for the care of New Zealand sick and wounded.

In a special Order of the Day General Freyberg quoted a fine tribute paid to the Medical Services in 2 NZEF by the Prime Minister, and added, ‘The praise of our medical arrangements is, as we all know in the Division, well merited.’