Bob Harvey describes welcome home for Achilles

Scene from the welcome home parade for the Achilles crew in Auckland in 1940. See full image and reference.

Bob Harvey, Able Seaman on HMS Achilles, describes the welcome home the crew received on 23 February 1940.

Transcript

Jim Sullivan: So tell me about the arrival back in New Zealand, what happened when you came back home?

Bob Harvey: When we arrived back we arrived at central wharf, and tied up there. It was marvellous to see all our families there down on the wharf to meet us. We didn't know what had been jacked up ashore here, and we were quite surprised when we discovered we had to march up Queen Street.

JS: I'm just looking at a photograph of that march up Queen Street, Bob, the place was packed, obviously they were cheering and shouting, and what an enormous quantity of crew. How many men would have been involved altogether?

BH: At that time the crew was in the vicinity of about 550. Sir Ernest Davis, our Mayor, put on luncheon for us – plus a lot of his beer!