JEEP TOUR OF KOREA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27427, 13 August 1954, Page 14

JEEP TOUR OF KOREA

JOURNEY MADE BY K FORCE MEN ’ “VILLAGE LIFE GOING BACK TO NORMAL” (N.Z. Army Information Service) KOREA, August 7. Friendliness, courtesy, and an unfailing curiosity in Western ways—these are some of the impressions of the Korean peasant population which Captain N. C. Rowlands, second-in-command of No. 10 Company, Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps, brought back with him after an eightday, 700-mile tour by jeep through parts of Korea where troops are a rarity today. With a mechanic, Sergeant A. W. Wilkinson, of Wellington, a driver, Driver R. L. Ruka, of Moerewa, and a trailer containing 40 gallons of petrol and enough food for three, of them for eight days, Captain Rowlands set out to survey a course for the jeep rally held by the A.S.C. Column of the Commonwealth Division at the direction of the divisional commander (Major-General H. Murray). At the same time he was able to have a second look at parts .of Korea he had not seen since No. 10 Company joined the Commonwealth Division three years ago. And the change in that time was remarkable. With few, if any, troops around to remind people of war, and with damaged or destroyed villages reconstructed, life in most of these areas had just about returned to pre-war normality. The world for many of these peasant people is the valley in which they are born and will die. And for them the war is over when it passes them by. Wherever he went, Captain Rowlands found someone who could speak a smattering of England. What was more interesting was that everywhere he found that people knew New Zealanders as part of the Commonwealth Division, but separate and distinct from English troops. Village Communities The atmosphere of village communities was very different from that in larger towns or cities. Troops were a novelty and anything that Captain Rowlands and his party did was a matter of interest. Crowds of 40 or 50 would gather to watch the party cook a meal. Not only children, but also mothers, fathers, and older folk. They would sit at a respectful distance and watch every move with intense interest. Wherever the party went they were greeted with friendliness and courtesy. At one stage of the journey they found it necessary to cross a river by ferry raft. All Korean vehicles were charged full fare, but the crew of the ferry would accept no money from Captain Rowlands. They indicated that they were pleased to take him across free of charge. The party took a tent with them, and generally camped for the night, close to a village.