V. Necal Again

Our first emotion on arriving in Tene Valley was one of gratitude to the industry of the base party which had erected our tents, set out bed-cots and extra blankets and, best of all, had a wonderful hot meal awaiting us. We were already beginning to feel the cold to which we had become unused in the past months. During the next month or so, which was spent in comparative luxury, we thought we were starting on a new era in our army life. The Bourail Club, staffed by Waacs, was quite near to our camp area and to be waited on by real white women was like a dream come true after all those months in the jungle. Some of us were also fortunate in being selected to go down to Bourail Beach for a four-day rest. These lucky ones all returned full of tales of comely maidens basking in sunsuits on the beach and generally whetted the appetites of those unfortunates, who had not paid a visit, for the joys of furlough to come. Entertainments of some sort were put on every night, one very popular show being the visiting 2YA concert party which also included in its page 133cast several women. Needless to say this show was seen over and over again by many of the boys.

What sportsmen there were left in the company found Tene Valley a paradise with its football fields, basketball courts and the like. The remnants of the MMG company combined with brigade headquarters in the various games and some hard tussels were fought with other units. Unfortunately, due to the smallness of our combined units, we did not have much success in sports, but this in no way detracted from the enjoyment of the game.

On 9 June we acquired Major Young as our new officer commanding but within a fortnight he had departed for hospital with acute peritonitis and No. 41 was again without a command. In the meantime the company was slowly being whittled down as additional small manpower drafts left for New Zealand. Finally, with the departure of the various furlough drafts during June and July, the company ceased to exist in the Pacific.

After furlough in New Zealand and the return of the men to camp, the company made a few last desperate struggles to retain its identity in Mangere Camp, Auckland, but these struggles proved to be its death throes only, and with the departure of the 14th Reinforcements, which included many ex-14th Brigade Machine-gun Company men, it finally subsided for good and all.