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Shovel Sword and Scalpel: A record of service of medical units of the second New Zealand expeditionary force in the Pacific

III — New Caledonia

III
New Caledonia

We arrived in the warlike Nouméa Harbour on New Year's Eve 1942. We were all a little despondent at having to spend such an occasion on a 'dry' ship, where we were packed together like sardines, and those hearty souls who dashed around chirrupping 'Happy Nouméa' and organising sing-songs were not well received. For three days we stayed aboard the West Pointpage 24in the harbour, and, despite the interest and novelty of watching ships of war of all shapes, sizes and uses, we were relieved when we were at last transferred to a small Dutch ship, the Weltevreden, and sailed up the coast to the port of Nepoui. Nepoui was a desolate looking place, and this view was confirmed when we had disembarked and travelled further afield. There was no sign of habitation—nothing but red dust, rock and niaouli trees. After a night at a transit camp at the foot of the Nepoui Valley the unit assembled at our allocated area some distance up the valley. Though we had to re-accustom ourselves to tropical heat work went ahead rapidly and, within a few days, we had a camp of sorts established and a tented hospital for the 8th Brigade in operation. Then began the job of making our camp more habitable, and saw the beginning of a chain of native type buildings which were constructed by Lance-Corporal 'Jiggs' Newby and his assistants throughout New Caledonia and the Treasuries. Though our rocky-surfaced camp area was not a good one and flooded regularly in the first few weeks, it had the advantage of being close to a stream which provided a much needed water supply and was in places deep enough for swimming.

Within a week of our arrival we lost B company and their ASC personnel when they were detached to act as field ambulance to the 15th Brigade in the Nemeara area. Captain D. McK. Jack now commanded the company, as Captain Archer had been transferred to the staff of divisional headquarters. While we were pleased to see Major Archer receive promotion we were sorry to lose him, as he had given long and valuable service to the unit. Later, just before the Treasury action, he rejoined us and his old company, but only for a very short time.

Early in February, 1943, the 8th Brigade moved from Nepoui to the Bouloupari area, which had been vacated by an American division. The field ambulance occupied an excellent level area close to the Ouenghi River, and here we set up our camp and hospital. We had lost temporarily our good friends of the field surgical unit when we left Nepoui. We soon became a very civilised community (and a much visited one) when four nursing sisters, under Sister L. Gulliver, were attached to our hospital from 4th NZ General Hospital. These girls helped train our •orderlies for the time when we would be called upon to treat sick and wounded in forward areas. Our time at Bouloupari was page 25fully occupied with hospital work, which headquarters and A companies undertook in rotation, in training and in manoeuvres, both unit and brigade. Brigade manoeuvres, under Brigadier R. A. Row, DSO, were numerous and tough, and the exercise over the lofty Dent de St. Vincent was more pleasurable in retrospect than at the time. Unit 'stunts'—forced marches, river crossings, mountain ascents and the like—are well remembered, but with less affection than their cheerful perpetrators—the inexhaustible Major Barrowclough and the volatile Captain Rogers.

But a word about the New Caledonian mosquitoes and, in particular, the species which thrived round Bouloupari. Entomologists may have a scientific name for them, but it could not equal in colour the names these pests were called by the unfortunate soldier. For about three months life was made a hell. By day we were forced to wear long pants, shirts with sleeves rolled down, even nets over our faces, in ineffectual attempts to keep the mosquito away. A drive in an open, fast moving vehicle was our only means of gaining a temporary respite for, even when swimming, exposed skin surfaces were liable to vicious attack. Nor were we immune at night, for our mosquito nets, having a wide mesh, allowed the smaller insects through. We would wake of a morning to find dozens of mosquitoes, pregnant and swollen with our blood, making futile and drunken endeavours to escape through the mesh to safety from a possibly aneemic but certainly infuriated soldier. Fortunately New Caledonia is not a malarious country, and the worst damage, apart from its extreme nuisance value, which the mosquito inflicted was to cause quite an acute outbreak of dengue fever.

Recreational facilities at Bouloupari were numerous. We had a magnificent swimming pool in the river and ropes suspended from overhanging boughs, and diving boards gave plenty of scope for an enthusiastic school of aquatic acrobats. We had our own football field in the camp, and Sergeant-Major Herb Read, with his rugby stalwarts, and Sergeant Ken Osten's soccer addicts played some attractive football there. Two exhibitions of boxing were staged when our own Private Billy Parris fought several rounds with another professional, the aggressive Gunner Vic Caltaux, from a neighbouring artillery unit. When not being used as an instructor in unarmed combat Bill was for some time responsible for the destruction of the multitude of ration tins. To clean these tins before they were crushed and buried it was page 26his cystom to apply a generous ration of petrol to them and, standing off a little, to hurl a flare in their midst. The resulting explosion, was often alarming, and inevitably, after the last can had descended to earth once more, a cry would echo through the camp, 'The last time I saw Parris.' We were made welcome to attend the open air movies at an American negro engineers' camp which was close by, and there we saw many films before their release to the general world public. The Necal discussion, group, organised by the padre, heard a wide range of topics discussed. Some subjects—diesel engines and population rates—were debated seriously, but others—whether one would rather be spouse to Mrs. Beaton or Miss Ginger Rogers—were dealt with in a rather less serious vein. Our canteen manager, Private Percy Tasker, continued to do a grand job in New Caledonia, and our canteen was always well stocked with an excellent range of items which emanated from that amazing organisation, the American Post Exchange.

Meanwhile B company at Nemeara had first established a camp on a flat opposite the Scots Battalion, but, after an experience of flooding and too close proximity to the bagpipes, this was shifted to higher ground far from the reach of rising waters. A small hospital was established in a building made from niaouli and other local materials. Considerable talent was unearthed in the person of Private Frank Ferris, whose ability in improvisation resulted, in an operating table, a caliphont, a refrigerator, sundry drip-feed oil-burning water heaters, and all manner of useful gadgets being added to the amenities of the hospital and camp. B company did an excellent job with the 15th Brigade, and Major Jack and Sergeant-Major McCann had every reason to be proud of their team. Just prior to its return to headquarters at Bouloupari and after Major Jack's transfer to another unit Captain, Fopte, with some of the members of the company, opened a convalescent depot at Gonde, on the Houailou road near the east coast. This served as a rest station for convalescents pending the arrival of the 2nd Convalescent Depot from New Zealand. A company, too, had a short spell on its own when it took over a hospital from a company of the 22nd Field Ambulance at Plaine des Gaiacs. By August, however, the field ambulance was re-united; the 2nd Field Surgical Unit had again joined forces with us, and we had set to work to pack our equipment in preparation for a move to the combat area.

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During our stay in New Caledonia there had been many changes in key personnel, and we lost many of our old identities. Lieutenant Wilson, the adjutant, Lieutenant Preddy, the quartermaster, Lieutenant McEvedy, the transport officer, Second-Lieutenant Parker, a company officer, and Sergeant-Major Hart, the regimental sergeant-major, were all transferred to different units and new appointments. Their places were filled by Captain J. G. Oliver, Lieutenant E. C. Martin, Lieutenant D. Nathan, Second-Lieutenant G. L. Lynds, and the energetic and popular warrant officer of A company, Sergeant-Major Clem Newton, was promoted to become RSM. Sergeant Bill Leith proved a worthy successor to the latter as senior NCO of A company. Captain C. T. B. Pearson had joined the unit some time earlier and was to prove a tower of strength throughout our subsequent service.

In the early days of September, 1943, the unit, which had become part of three combat teams with the 29th, 34th and 36th Battalions, left Bouloupari to embark at Noumea for the Solomons.