Kiwi Phil
Commander
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2003
- Messages
- 2,182
Father was conscripted in to the Army in 1939, and left for Active Service in 1940.
His girlfriend, my Mother, completed her Nursing (SRN) in 1940 and became an Officer in the Army.
After Pearl Harbour, New Zealand had large numbers of American soldiers based there, 1942 - on, for the re-invasion of the Pacific.
In Mothers city, both the Race Course and the Airfield had American Battalions stationed there.
Mother tells me every wednesday afternoon she would bike up to one of these bases, (a very long way too) and invite 5 GI's back to her home for a Sunday roast dinner (a traditional thing).
Because she was an officer, all the US Officers wanted to come, but she insisted only lowly infantrymen.
Well apparantly the 5 selected would turn up around 9am, help her father with the cow/other animals and the garden, then in for the full spread roast mutton dinner and yorksire pud, and leave for base around 6pm. She said it was always a good day, and few of them ever wanted it to finish.
I asked her why she did it:
" when we joined the tables together we could olny get 5 extras around it.
Your father had been away since 1940.
My school class, the one ahead and the one behind had all be conscripted.
Those that fought in Greece and Crete were either dead or missing.
The others were fighting in Nth Africa and went through Trobuk and El Alimein, then thru the desert and on to Italy and Monte Casino.
I went to the post office ever saturday morning to read the casualty lists to see who of my friends had been killed. I had been doing this every saturday for over 2 yrs, and continued till the war finished in 1945.
These American were just innocent kids thinking they would 'whip' the Japs, and we knew most of then would be dead withing 3 months of fighting.
They were good wholesome innocent kids. They played in our yard all day just like youngesters. It made my Mum, Dad and me cry for them. 4 of then wrote to my Mum after the war. Each was the only survivor of his group of 5. Their mothers would have done the same for you.
Anyway, that's Mothers recolection of Americans from another era.
She would approve of me telling this story to you.
Cheers
Phillip
I'll pass on my father recollections of Americans sometime.
His girlfriend, my Mother, completed her Nursing (SRN) in 1940 and became an Officer in the Army.
After Pearl Harbour, New Zealand had large numbers of American soldiers based there, 1942 - on, for the re-invasion of the Pacific.
In Mothers city, both the Race Course and the Airfield had American Battalions stationed there.
Mother tells me every wednesday afternoon she would bike up to one of these bases, (a very long way too) and invite 5 GI's back to her home for a Sunday roast dinner (a traditional thing).
Because she was an officer, all the US Officers wanted to come, but she insisted only lowly infantrymen.
Well apparantly the 5 selected would turn up around 9am, help her father with the cow/other animals and the garden, then in for the full spread roast mutton dinner and yorksire pud, and leave for base around 6pm. She said it was always a good day, and few of them ever wanted it to finish.
I asked her why she did it:
" when we joined the tables together we could olny get 5 extras around it.
Your father had been away since 1940.
My school class, the one ahead and the one behind had all be conscripted.
Those that fought in Greece and Crete were either dead or missing.
The others were fighting in Nth Africa and went through Trobuk and El Alimein, then thru the desert and on to Italy and Monte Casino.
I went to the post office ever saturday morning to read the casualty lists to see who of my friends had been killed. I had been doing this every saturday for over 2 yrs, and continued till the war finished in 1945.
These American were just innocent kids thinking they would 'whip' the Japs, and we knew most of then would be dead withing 3 months of fighting.
They were good wholesome innocent kids. They played in our yard all day just like youngesters. It made my Mum, Dad and me cry for them. 4 of then wrote to my Mum after the war. Each was the only survivor of his group of 5. Their mothers would have done the same for you.
Anyway, that's Mothers recolection of Americans from another era.
She would approve of me telling this story to you.
Cheers
Phillip
I'll pass on my father recollections of Americans sometime.
