Chapter One
Fiji

The small beginning was made on 26 September, 1940, when the the 4th Composite Company, New Zealand Army Service Corps, was formed at Papakura Mobilisation Camp. A special war establishment for an ASC composite company in the Pacific provided only six officers and 82 other ranks for the new unit—from which a supply officer and staff of three were detached to brigade headquarters. Major A. Craig, ED, was appointed officer commanding the company, and provided a link with the NZEF of the Great War, as he had commanded an ASC company in France and Germany. Late in October, 1940, the first section of the tiny unit, as part of B Force under the command of Brigadier W. H. Cunningham, CBE, DSO, embarked in secrecy on the Rangatira at Wellington, and on the sweltering first day of November it landed in Fiji. For nearly two years substantial New Zealand forces were stationed in Fiji, and it was commonly said later by those who served there with the NZASC that it was in Fiji that the most interesting work in the Pacific was done. That period of service by New Zealanders is one of the least known, as events at the time compelled a strict hush of security. At the end of 1940 the Pacific seemed a long way removed from conflict, and the only disturbances had been those created by German raiders. But, for the last eight months of their page 10stay, Japan was at war with the United Nations, and when New Zealand forces left in the middle of 1942, the enemy had flooded down without serious check as near as the Solomon Islands, 1,200 miles away. Subsequent exploits of the NZEF in the Pacific, which were more spectacular and could safely receive publicity, eclipsed the days in Fiji, so that they are now seldom recalled except in the memories of those who were there.

The colony of Fiji is one of the most highly developed island groups in the Pacific. The first islands were discovered by Tasman in 1643, and since 1S76 the group has been a British crown colony. There are about 250 islands in all, of the most varied size, but only two are very large. One of these, the main island of Viti Levu, was selected to be garrisoned. This group of rugged islands, over 1,100 miles north of Auckland, had a population of about 200,000, of which half are native Fijians and most of the remainder descendants of Indians who were originally imported to work in sugar plantations. There are only a few thousand Europeans. Road and port facilities are of first importance to the ASC, and fortunately Suva is one of the best ports in the islands of the South Pacific, with wharves, tugs, barges and other equipment. A road completely circles Viti Levu, and there are several good stretches of light railway owned by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. (Towards the end of the ASC's time in Fiji one of its trucks tried conclusions with a sugar train, and found that the railway was hardly as light as it seemed.)

The New Zealand force became known as the 8th Brigade Group, and most of it was stationed in the Suva area, with one battalion detached to Lautoka in the north-west. The 4th Composite Company plunged immediately into plenty of hard work, and found its transport and personnel constantly taxed with duties which could rarely be postponed, whatever the conditions or the circumstances of the moment. In addition to supplying the brigade, the small company also had to provide the requirements of coastal artillery and other units comprising the Fiji Defence Force.

Company headquarters was established at Samambula, about three miles from Suva, and a small section of 16 men detached to the other side of the island, where it set itself up in the school at Namaka, about four miles north-east of the township of Nandi. When the military installations near Nandi were later greatly ex-page 11panded, headquarters for the western area were at Namaka Camp, so well-known to many New Zealanders. The company had many unorthodox situations to overcome, as the resources of the colony (for example: storage and freezing space, the telephone exchange and bread-making facilities) were quite upset by an influx of soldiers to approximately the same number as the entire European population. The ASC was compelled to take over civilian facilities to a considerable extent, and probably no arm of the service had to improvise so much.

One big job for the company was the clearance of general army cargoes from Suva wharf. Supply ships from New Zealand often arrived at dusk, and during the night the transport section would clear mail, frozen meat and other urgent supplies. Next day a beginning would be made with the removal of stores and equipment from the wharf, and on many occasions the unit was complimented by customs and shipping authorities for its speedy handling of cargo. Shipping remained an ASC responsibility until a few months before New Zealand forces left Fiji, when a movement control officer and a small staff drawn from ASC units were appointed to control wharf work concerning the New Zealand army.

The southern and eastern areas of Viti Levu are known as the wet side, and the northern and western areas as the dry side. The change from one zone to the other is remarkable; lush and broken country covered with rain forest gives way to dry, undulating land which appears barren by contrast, and in some parts resembles the tussock country of Central Otago. The task of supplying the Lautoka area from the bulk store at Suva was formidable. At first everything had to be transported for about 140 miles over Queen's Road, which runs along the south and up the west coasts. Only ten 30cwt. and three one-ton trucks were used in the convoys and those vehicles of the 4th Composite Company were soon a familiar sight on the road. They were not new military types, but commercial trucks which had already recorded a good mileage in New Zealand before they had been impressed for the army. The drivers always received a cheery wave and cries of the greeting Bula! from the Fijians when the road passed by tidy native villages, with their grassed clearings spaced with neat huts of reed and leaf. During the first three months in Fiji these 13 trucks carried 650 tons of rations, mail, engineer and ordnance stores, canteen goods, beer and page 12miscellaneous stores from Suva to Namaka, and the total distance run by unit vehicles during that period was 115,000 miles.

Driving on the narrow highway required skill and care, as much of Queen's Road wound in hairpin bends through hilly country covered with dense bush. There was always plenty of rain, and after a wet spell many small slips would fall; sometimes the light bridges would be swept away, and drivers would have to keep a sharp look-out for soft road edges. When the road was dry, red dust billowed up after traffic, and as perspiration makes an excellent base for powder, faces received a thick, brick-coloured coating. The dust nuisance was so bad that some convoys were run in the hours of darkness to avoid oncoming traffic. However, after a heavy fall of rain, the road surface of fine red clay became greasy and slips in the soapstone hill cuttings made night travel unsafe. As it was always a possibility that the route would become impassable through flooding or for some other reason, it was the practice for convoys to complete the clockwise circuit of the island now and then, by returning to Suva from Lautoka round King's Road. The distance that way was 180 miles, but it was an advantage for the ASC drivers to be familiar with the whole circuminsular road. Those who became accustomed to driving in convoys on the difficult roads round Viti Levu acquired confidence which later enabled them to take in their stride tough jobs in the Middle East and in the Pacific.

Wherever possible, ration supplies were purchased locally, but the small resources of the colony would not meet the demands of the large body of troops. On occasions the ASC even had to sell to civilians commodities such as flour and petrol when these were short because of the war situation. There were some cattle on the island, and from an early stage beef was obtained from the abattoir at Singatoka. The supply was so small, though, that if it had been relied on the troops would have eaten out the entire island stock. Large quantities of frozen meat were received from New Zealand on the Matua, and whenever that familiar vessel appeared in sight at Suva the ASC had a busy few days. There was very little freezer space available in the town, even when the refrigerators of the local hotels were pressed into service. Much of the meat was therefore delivered at night direct from the ship to the refrigerators at Samambula and Namaka camps; because of the heat of the day it was found the only satisfactory way to supply it to the distant Lautoka area.

The climate made it desirable to increase the proportions of fruit and vegetables in the ration, but although it might be thought that supplies of those commodities would have been plentiful in Fiji, they were at first very limited, as practically all the inhabitants grew only enough fruit and vegetables for their own requirements. The easy going native is content when his own simple needs are-filled, and it was difficult to convince him that it was worth while going to the trouble to produce more for sale. It was fortunate that the government had already formed the nucleus of a native farmers' co-operative market at Nausori on the Rewa River, about 12 miles from Suva. That market was greatly developed as a result of army patronage, and in the first seven months the ASC purchased there about 160 tons of fruit and vegetables for approximately £1,750. The ASC always received willing help from the colony's Director of Agriculture, his agriculture officers and the produce inspector. The ready co-operation of those officials facilitated the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables under difficult conditions. There were about 400 individual native suppliers, and from time to time each man would bring in his bunch of bananas, or his small quantities of melon, pumpkin or kumala (sweet potato). Twelve varieties of fruit and and 26 of vegetables were handled regularly; natives were appointed by roster to sort and grade the produce, and soon became skilled at judging the degree of ripeness and other requirements. As the Fijian has little idea of time and is very casual, the 4th Composite Company's supply officer did not know until the end of each day how much produce he would have to distribute on the morrow. However, the supply was continuous, even though it fluctuated in quantity, and fresh rations were of considerable benefit.

On the dry side more direct methods had to be employed to obtain fresh supplies. The Agricultural Department's station at Singatoka, in the only really fertile area reasonably accessible to Namaka Camp, provided considerable quantities of fresh vegetables. However, those supplies were never sufficient, and when the Colonial Sugar Refining Company granted the use of some suitable land free of cost the ASC supplied seeds and manures to Chinese gardeners who had agreed to cultivate it. The purchase of all produce at stated prices was guaranteed, and in some cases water was laid on to the gardens. Within four months about 10 acres were in crops and produce was coming in, while within nine months six' or seven page 14tons of vegetables were produced each month, and were sufficient to meet the remaining requirements of Namaka Camp.

Those who were in Fiji at the time will always remember 20 February, 1941. Hurricane warnings were received frequently throughout the stay and precautions were always taken, though often little transpired. On that day, however, a warning arrived with the worst hurricane in years hard on its heels. Torrential rain fell most of the day; by 1100 hours there was already a wind of 120 mph blowing, at which point the gauge broke. The wind lasted until 1145 hours, when there was a lull. Unexpectedly, at 1245 hours the wind began to blow again from the opposite direction, and did not die down until 1700 hours. Extensive damage was done all over the island, and those inside the ASC orderly room and stores at Samambula were injured when it was completely wrecked. The entire solid roof was swept up into the air to land 300 yards away; records were hopelessly scattered, and the stores which were exposed were damaged by the weather. Throughout the hurricane the 4th Composite Company distributed reserve rations and lighting fuel required immediately by all units in the Suva area, and completed the job before nightfall. At the time a convoy was returning from Namaka round King's Road, and when it was cut off front and rear, rations were got through to it only with much difficulty because of die storm and floods. Ration problems, which had been difficult enough already, were greatly increased as a result of the hurricane, and the ASC felt its effects for many months as many local crops were destroyed, and there was disorganisation of local supplies.

Most of the men of the 4th Composite Company had never before been out of New Zealand, and they found life in the tropics exacting. It was irksome to have to sleep always under a mosquito net, though more irksome to try to do without it, and the hot, moist climate of Fiji was very oppressive—in the month of April, 1941, no fewer than 35 inches of rain fell in Suva. Also, in that earlier Fiji period when the Pacific was not then an active theatre of war, there was not the interest in current or impending operations to give a fillip to morale, as was the case two years later.

In May, 1941, half the personnel of the company embarked to New Zealand to join a reinforcement for the Middle East. They were replaced by fresh men from home, and three months later the page 15

ASC vehicles travelled the coast road in Fiji and were frequently held up by slips and floods. If the southern route was closed they went north

balance of the old hands changed over, with the exception of the officers. The company roll was then almost entirely new, but the foundations of the work had been well laid, and the shuffle was made page 16without dislocation. By that time the two large New Zealand camps at Namaka and at Samambula, near Suva, were well established. Their appearances were somewhat contrasting—orderly tent lines in open rolling country at Namaka, while on the slope of a hill at Samambula, which was the principal camp, there were large barracks buildings which recalled established camps in New Zealand. It was only to be expected that the separation into two groups would promote rivalry, and there arose the celebrated wet side versus dry side controversy, of which echoes are still heard.

Those who were at Samambula had access to much more entertainment than did the men at Namaka. Soldiers also found the markets in Suva an animated scene, where natives sceptically accepted New Zealand coins for bananas, coconuts and oranges which seemed absurdly cheap. Native sleeping mats were frequently bought, as it was found that the straw mattresses provided by the army harboured insects. The Indian shopkeepers, who were usually dressed in spotless white, expected buyers to enter into prolonged bargainings. If a purchaser became impatient at the extravagant prices demanded, before he had walked away far his elbow would be lightly touched by the salesman, who had decided to close the deal. There was some scope for those in search of souvenirs—for instance, in poky shops where elderly Indian craftsmen with beards and turbans produced attractive work in metal or tortoiseshell. Certain of the services available were cheap in the eyes of the New Zealanders—a good haircut, with a shampoo thrown in, cost one shilling, and laundry was done well for small charges.

To report possible Japanese activities, in July the brigade established in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, about 1,000 miles north of Fiji, several tiny coast watching groups equipped with wireless. Those groups presented a problem for the brigade supply officer, as they had to be able to support themselves over a long period. In addition to much equipment they were provided with a wide assortment of food sufficient to last nine months, hermetically sealed in tins and then cased in stout timber in order to resist the rig ours of the tropical climate and to stand up to landings in canoes and small boats. Ten of those coast watchers were taken prisoner by the Japanese, and were killed on Tarawa as, a reprisal when that island was shelled.

The Japanese planes which appeared in the sky over Pearl page break

One of the 4th MT company's trucks on King's Road, overlooking Viti Levu Bay, in Fiji. ASC vehicles travelled great distances supplying units in Fiji. The company's orderly room at Samambula Camp after the hurricane of 20 February, 1941, is see

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A native market at Nausori where the 4th MT company purchased fresh fruit and vegetables for New Zealand troops.
Below: In March, 1942, the NZ section of the Reserve MT estahlished a camp at Namasimase, near Namaka. Here is the first meal being prepared

page 17Harbour, Hawaii, on 7 December, 1941, swept away all feeling in Fiji, 2,700 miles away, that the daily round was only humdrum routine. Defensive measures had been in constant preparation ever since troops were first stationed there, but precautions then became earnest. Black-outs were imposed, slit trenches dug and emergency practices held. The force in Fiji was doubled during the following two months, and the 14th Brigade, which was then formed, took over with its attached troops the defence of the western area. In order to form part of the new brigade group an additional ASC company known as the 16th Composite Company was organised at Trentham on 6 January, 1942. It arrived at Lautoka 10 days later. While the Pearl Harbour raid had been actually in progress several hundred men were awaiting embarkation at Papakura camp, including the nucleus of the New Zealand Section, Reserve MT. (There was also a Fiji Section, Reserve MT, which had mainly Indian personnel.) When those ASC men arrived in Suva the press of work on the 4th Composite Company was so great that the formation of the section was held in abeyance, and in the meantime the men joined the company. More men arrived from New Zealand on 13 February, and the New Zealand Section, Reserve MT, was then established. Since it had no officers it was placed under the control of the divisional transport officer, who was later appointed to command the section. Although it did not rate as a company, it numbered 85 all ranks, and was at the time of its formation as large as either the 4th or 16th Composite Companies. The section's first job in Fiji as a unit was to assemble approximately 120 four-by-four Chevrolet trucks, believed to be the first of that type to be issued to New Zealand troops.

In March Major-General Cunningham was relieved as a result of sickness, and was replaced as GOC of the Third Division, as the force in Fiji was then known, by Major-General O. H. Mead, CBE, DSO. When divisional strength was reached a divisional ASC organisation was set up, and in February Lieutenant-Colonel F. G. M. Jenkins, DCM, NZSC, had arrived as CRASC (commanding officer, ASC). The small unit which was established, Headquarters Divisional ASC, had a dual function. The CRASC was one of the GOC's staff officers, responsible for planning ASC aspects of force activities. At the same time, as commander of all the ASC units, he and his staff directed generally their supply and transport work. page 18The expansion of the NZASC in Fiji was then almost complete, and for most of the remainder of the period the corps mustered two companies, a large reserve MT section and a small divisional organisation. The units were all very small by subsequent standards, even when the Pacific establishment for a composite company was later expanded to 111 all ranks. There were no ASC workshop platoons at that stage, as workshop service 'was provided for all units by the Ordnance Corps, which had established divisional workshops on each side of the island.

The course of the war in the Pacific caused the western area of Viti Levu to assume a new degree of importance. A civil construction unit of New Zealand Public Works Department men began to build a large aerodrome at Nandi Bay; a brigade of troops was stationed along the coast between Momi Bay and Tavua, and overseas vessels commenced to discharge at Lautoka wharf. The 16th Composite Company's task of providing ASC services in this area was a formidable one, as in addition to the 14th Brigade Group it supplied the Public Works employees, RNZAF units, the Fiji Defence Force (both European and native sections), Indian camp staffs and various groups of Fijian labourers. Rations were issued on seven different scales, and with non-European personnel substitution of many ration components was not possible, and they were sometimes difficult to procure. When the company had first arrived in Fiji similar service on. a smaller scale was being provided by the detachment of the 4th Composite Company, which at that time numbered 26 all ranks. The detachment was quite inadequate to supply the troops who poured in, but they had built up a splendid reputation and laid sound foundations on which the new company was able to build. The 16th Composite Company had not had any opportunity to do practical training in ASC work, so was poorly equipped to face the task which confronted it. Major Craig, who was then still senior ASC officer in Fiji, therefore arranged the transfer of a number of his trained officers and men from the 4th Composite Company for an equal number of rookies, and the new company was thus enabled to take over its duties smoothly.

Lautoka port facilities consisted of one small T-shaped wharf on the coast, sheltered by several islands and coral reefs, and the volume of work there was such that the company was compelled to appoint a, special transport shipping officer. The task of hauling the inflow page break

The trucks in the foreground are part of the Reserve MT section on a cross-country exercise near Castle Rock behind Natambua, Fiji.
Below: A native style bure being erected under a mango tree at Namasimase. Similar buildings were afterwards erected in most of the areas occupied by the ASC in the islands

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This ASC truck derailed a sugar train of twenty-two wagons and pushed a bridge out of alignment. The driver and his assistant were unhurt. Below is the 4th MT company's detachment lines at Namaka and the Colonial Sugar Company's train hurtling along at ten miles an hour. This train was of great assistance to the ASC in the western area of Fiji

page 19of stores over the 14 miles of road between Lautoka and Namaka would have sorely taxed the company had it not been for the facilities provided by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. Goods waiting transfer to Namaka were stored by the army in some of the refinery's huge warehouses and its railway, which ran from Lautoka right past Namaka Camp and south beyond Momi Bay, provided the answer to the haulage problem. To bring supplies from Suva to Lautoka increased use was made of coastal shipping, notably the Tut Cakau, or 'Tui the Cow' as she was known to the ASC. Barge traffic ran to Lega Lega jetty, where there was much back breaking toil lifting cases up on to the wharf. As the company could not possibly cope with all the work a party of 50 Fijian boys was employed to assist in handling stores. Fifty were detailed to report daily, but the number which presented itself depended on how they were all feeling that day and whether or not a tra-la-la had rendered many incapable of attending. However, they were good boys, who became attached to the ASC men and who worked hard when they got going. Although he is not unduly tall, the Fijian has a well developed physique and can cheerfully carry twice a European's load.

In addition to their ordinary duties the two composite companies had to carry out what was in effect base supply depot work. The bulk ration stores were in Suva, and incoming goods were distributed from there to the two areas on a pro rata basis. Heavy reserves of rations for 13,000 men were built up in the colony, and required the use of no fewer than 24 warehouses round Suva. Barges took rations up the Rewa River, and the cases were winched into position in huge stacks at Nausori; petrol and ammunition reserves were accumulated in specially constructed underground tanks and tunnels. In time large new army warehouses were built in both the Suva and Lautoka areas to hold reserve rations.

In the western area the greatly increased number of men to be supplied intensified the fruit, vegetable and fresh meat problems. The Agricultural Department's officer at Singatoka encouraged natives to bring more land into production, and he set up a collecting depot in the valley. Singatoka is 60 miles from Namaka, and ASC drivers from the camp maintained an excellent service collecting the produce. They had to leave early in the morning, and if they found the produce was not on hand at the depot, frequently on their own initiative they would collect it by going from village to village so that page 20they could arrive back with a full truck. Vehicles also picked up newly killed meat from Singatoka and made all haste back to Namaka. Camp to get it into the freezer. Later, when large cool stores had been erected at both Suva and Namaka, the storage of perishables became less of a problem. Troops on the dry side received their bread as a result of a good stroke of ASG improvisation. The 16th Composite Company practically took over the small bakery owned by a cooperative Chinese contractor, as in order to obtain the output desired the company had to provide the ingredients, cart the firewood, knead the dough and, finally, pick up the product.

Payment of the local growers at Namaka had always caused a lot of work and amusement. They were a few Fijians, one Chinaman and a large number of Indians of various races and creeds. Most of the Indians could neither read nor write English, and as they did not understand the usual army mode of payment by cheque the supply officer paid all the growers in cash from an imprest account. Pay days were every alternate Thursday, when they continued to arrive at camp from dawn until 1000 hours—some walking, some on horseback and, in the case of one more progressive Indian, by bullock cart. They sat under the trees or against the camp buildings, apparently uninterested in anything but the movements of the supply officer, whom they watched very carefully. The moment he took up his cash they rose as one man and crowded round to see how much their neighbours drew, and so intense was their curiosity that the company sergeant-major was busy all day trying to shepherd them into one line and endeavouring to keep a passageway into the orderly room clear.

It was decided to form a collecting committee from those local growers, who squatted round on the grass and solemnly voted themselves an august title, 'The Namaka Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association'. The Indians insisted that the supply officer take the chair, and as the voting progressed their excitement grew. Whether in favour of him or not, all present insisted on raising their hands for each candidate, and the only way to judge the popularity of those seeking election was to measure the enthusiasm with which the hands were raised and the volume of the excited chatter which passed through the assembly. The feeling of the crowd must have been interpreted correctly, as the announcement of the elected committee was greeted with prolonged applause, and the growers returned page 21home in the cool of the evening well satisfied with their day.

Commando troops recruited from native villages and led by New Zealand officers and NCOs commenced vigorous training schemes in mountainous interior areas in April, 1942. Those troops, the forerunners of the Fijian commandos who later gained fame in the Solomon Islands, were established on squadron and troops head-quarters which were many miles apart, and feeding them with their special rations required considerable organisation. At weekly intervals rendezvous points as far as possible into the foothills were arranged with each sub-unit, and in due course ASC trucks would proceed to those points, where the commandos would meet them and pack the supplies on horses up the steep ridges for the remainder of the distance to their units. When supplies were required by one troop stationed at Nandarivatu, a mountain health resort, ASC drivers on the dry side were always willing to face a hazardous journey with heavily laden trucks in order to enjoy a few hours in a climate which resembled that of home.

Defences in the Suva area were by then installed fairly thoroughly, and the 8th Brigade conducted a series of exercises so realistic that most Fijians and Indians thought that they were genuine warfare. Bamboo lengths stacked in great numbers on Suva wharf were impeding the field of fire of the infantry's machine-guns, so they were thrown into the sea, and practically immobilised all small shipping for a day or two. Another touch of realism was added when part of the hedge round Government House was cut down, though it was understood that news of this measure was poorly received in high circles. Civilian precautions were also practised, and the Indians of Suva, then thoroughly convinced, headed for the hills in a wholesale evacuation. Shops were left barricaded, and aged Indians who carried wicker cages of startled poultry accompanied complete families trekking out of town with belongings loaded on cattle or broken down vehicles.

During the expansion period, when the ASC worked long hours and Sundays were normal working days, the strain was felt, and sore backs, headaches and other ills were common. Constant perspiration made skin troubles difficult to avoid, and nearly everyone was 'rotated' with either dhobie's itch, ringworm, prickly heat or athlete's foot, for most of which 'green paint' or other gaudy anilines were applied lavishly at the RAP. Looking back to that time it may page 22be difficult to understand how all the work was carried out with such a small establishment of men and transport. The splendid results were obtained because all ranks worked long hours and gave up much of the leisure time to which they were officially entitled. Very little entertainment was available or expected, especially on the dry side, where Namaka Camp was 14 miles from the nearest town at which any offered. At that camp it was customary for many members of the 16th Composite Company to assemble in the orderly room at night to write letters and to prepare their work for the following day. Both companies' supply accounting alone took up a great deal of time, as until March, 1942, it was on the elaborate peace time basis, but even when the change to war accounting was made the system remained involved and exacting. Some of the complicating factors were: numerous ration scales; local purchase of most petrol and oils, and of considerable quantities of rations; supplying forces other than the New Zealand army; and finally supplying on repayment foodstuffs, petrol, oil and tyres to civilians who were under contract to the force.

In April the New Zealand Section, Reserve MT, moved to the western area of the island and set up headquarters at Namasimase, in the Sambeto Valley. From there, in conjunction with the Fiji section, it undertook, in the words of its officer commanding, the long distance haulage to and from Suva of everything from cold mutton to cannon fodder on the hoof. Conditions were then more or less stabilised for the ASC, and in Suva occasional sports afternoons were welcomed again. In spite of general lack of leisure, units of the corps could always be relied upon to produce a good rugby or cricket team, and the 4th Composite Company's rugby team in particular was never defeated in Fiji. At various times hospitality was received by some members of the ASC from European residents of Fiji, and as work permitted others saw something of the island when group trips were organised.

Since they were well-known in connection with the Nausori market, members of the 4th Composite Company got along well with the Fijians who came there from all over Rewa Province, and on several occasions parties were invited to visit native villages. One occasion saw every member of the company presented with a mat, a mark of high favour, and always the visits included a dignified kava ceremony with its ritual of clapping. Kava was likened by page 23New Zealanders to a mixture of Jeyes fluid and sandsoap, and the drink never claimed any ASC addicts, though it would have been unthinkable to refuse it when offered. The happy-go-lucky Fijians all seemed to be talented singers, and they would start up a song when working, when walking along the road, or virtually at any time at all. With a ukelele accompaniment they would embark on elaborate part singing in which excellent bass voices would be prominent, and sooner or later they would always come round to 'Isa Lei'. A translation of the first verse and chorus of that attractively plaintive melody, almost the national song of Fiji, which was adopted with enthusiasm by the division, runs as follows:

Isa, Isa, you are my only treasure
Must you leave me, so lonely and forsaken?
As the roses will miss the sun at dawning,
Every moment 'my heart for you is yearning.

Chorus:
Isa Lei, the purple shadows fall,
Sad the morrow will dawn upon my sorrow!
Oh forget not, when you are far away,
Precious moments beside dear Suva Bay'.

The time came, though, when the most enthusiastic tripper turned a lustreless eye to sights which had seemed fascinating when he first arrived in Fiji, and it became impossible to overlook the incessant rain, the sticky red mud, the mosquitoes and the invasions of cock' roaches. Occasionally acute depression which could not be shaken off would take hold of men—it was known as malua, which means 'tomorrow', and indicates the reply which a victim was likely to give when asked to expend any energy. That word had a wider application, though, and together with the slang invention 'troppo' it was used facetiously when a man felt that the islands had got him down. Boredom with monotony and hard work was widespread— the arrival of mail or beer was the most exciting event to be anticipated. There was much symapthy with the fellow who had hung up his stocking at Christmas, 1941, with the inscription: 'Dear Santa— I want to go home to Mum!' The Japanese were having it all their own way in the Gilbert Islands to the north and the Solomon Islands to the north-west, so that the 3rd Division was in a principal part of the shield between New Zealand and the flow of enemy aggression. page 24At the same time it was known that those at home were not particularly well-informed as to the strenuous nature and the importance of the work of their men in Fiji, and that factor dampened morale.

It was fortunate for the composite companies that towards the middle of 1942 they received some relief when ASC units known as the Eastern and Western Bulk Supply Depots were formed to take over the handling of buik rations before they reached the companies for distribution. In June, 1942, the US 37th Division began to arrive in Fiji and the ration strength of the forces supplied rose for a while to a peak figure of 27,000 men. The ASC organisation was strained to the absolute limit for the few weeks during which American forces were supplied by the New Zealand army. Reserve MT personnel drove night and day, and the section was not in the least happy that on two hours' notice its beloved camp at Namasimase, a monument to loving care and to scrounging, had been vacated to make room for the newcomers. For the balance of its time in Fiji the section was quartered with the 37th Battalion at Sambeto Camp. However, all ranks of the ASC worked with a will, and thoughts of hardship were obscured by the hope that the arrival of the Americans meant a quick return to New Zealand.

Actually the ASC began to hand over to the US army on 20 June, though conflicting theories continued to buzz. When almost everyone had become convinced that the move was at hand, the band arrived back from New Zealand and hopes were deflated at what was regarded as a sure sign that there was still a long stay ahead. Nevertheless, shortly afterwards large numbers of troops were piled on board the American liner President Coolidge, a fine ship which was lost some months later in the New Hebrides. The New Zealand Section, Reserve MT provided the last noteworthy incident in the ASC's stay on the western side, when, on the night before it left for embarkation, an embarrassed but determined sentry almost arrested the new American commander of the area. In two runs on 3 and 20 July the President Coolidge took the bulk of the division home. They were tense trips, as there had been reports of enemy submarines lurking in the surrounding waters, and everyone breathed more freely when they picked up the coasts of North Auckland.

With few men and scanty equipment the ASC had done a big job in Fiji, and there the foundations had been laid on which were page 25built subsequently activities on a much larger scale. Those who were with the corps in Fiji were trained in a good school, and no fewer than 25 of the NCOs became officers of the ASC with the 3rd Division—some received their commissions in the field. Fiji stories and expressions passed into current use, and to have served there was a fact that was always mentioned later with pride.

The one-striper: 'It's not knowing the right people so much as being the right person'

These orders say: 'Useless junk will not be brought into camp.' Does that mean we have to park the vehicles out on the road?