He Could Not Stomach A Bottle Of Beer

Gunner G. G. C. ("Darky") Lewis (6th Field Artillery): "Christmas, , 1941, was my worst. I stopped a shell burst and a bullet in the leg just after Sidi Rezegh. I was in No. 1 General Hospital on Christmas Eve. The doctors and nurses came round singing carols and there was a Maori choir, but I wasn't very interested. I had an operation that night. There was a bottle of beer issued on Christmas Day, but I couldn't stomach it. Still, I was lucky to be there. Only six of us in 'B' troop got out. We were brought out by Gunner C. H. ("Butch") Wintrop. He got a D.C.M. for it."

Private T. J. Nicol (24th Battalion): "I lost a leg at Rimini on September 23, 1944, and spent Christmas of that year in hospital at Bari. I guess that must have been my blackest Christmas, although, looking back, we had a jolly good time. A great meal—roast mutton, mashed and baked potatoes, green peas,

cauliflower, and all the trimmings.. If I get as good this year I won't have anything to complain about. Before I joined the battalion at Cassino I was in the Army in New Zealand, from 1941 in fact, but was too young to go overseas at that time." Major Jim Matahare (Maori Battalion): "My grimmest Christmas? Yes, that was 1943 at Orsonga. We were in the line, and the snow was four feet deep. For dinner we had bully beef and biscuits in the

trenches. Jerry was pretty active and we had quite a few casualties. We were in the line also in 1942, but on that occasion we were lucky enough to get beer and turkey." Sergeant Tony Rex (24th Battalion): "Christmas, 1941, in Bagush was the worst I experienced. We weren't in the line at the time, but the dust storms were terrific. Still, it had its brighter side—chaps shooting off all the ammunition they could lay their hands on by way of

There was plenty of : noise from the artillery, and the . skies were lit up with Verey lights. ■ You can imagine we were not very ' popular with General Freyberg." Flight-Lieutenant Alec Irvine ' (pilot, R.N.Z.A.F., shot down over . Crete and captured during a bombing . raid): "Christmas 1943 I was in , Stalag VILA. I had the 'flu and just . lay on the sack. I couldn't look at I my Christmas pudding, so I gave it , to a Russian."

W.O. "Hec" Ashwell (wireless operator-air gunner, R.N.Z.A.F.): "I suppose you would say the worst Christmas was in Ceylon. I was with 230 Squadron, flying Sunderlands from Koggla. There wasn't anything particularly grim about it except there was nothing to do. We had to make our own fun. The Canadians kept on singing that they were dreaming of a white Christmas, but it didn't make any difference. It kept on being hot."