PACIFIC TROOPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 82, 6 April 1944, Page 4

PACIFIC TROOPS

END OF A PHASE

LONELY ISLAND ROLE (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) TREASURYS, March 27. Five months ago today New Zealand troops fought their way on/ to thebeaches of Mono and Stirling Islands, in this Treasury group, to snatch them from the Japanese, and start the ball rolling for the Bougainville battle and drives beyond. At that time they were the most advanced ground troops of the South Pacific Command. Today the war has passed them by—at any rate as far as active combat is con-, cerned—and all they see of it is the] passing of convoys in the distance, the bomber and fighter activity of the airstrip, and the bnsf- goings and comings of a big military advanced base.

Unlike the Swedish film actress, the New Zealanders don't "want to be ,alone," but fate has played its cards for the time being, and dotted round the bays of both islands, dependent for inter-communication on a few roads and on barge traffic, they pass the days in camp duties, patrol work, transporting supplies, unloading cargoes, and periodic battle exercises. Between times they fashion native woods into trinkets, carve ornaments against the day of their return to their homes, build boats and canoes, swim and catch fish—with grenades instead of with fishing lines. Many have built grass huts for living quarters and mess halls to replace the tents which have long since paid for themselves and now let rain through like so many strainers. No one could hold that the New Zealanders —or their American neighbours on the islands for that matter—live in comfort or civilisation; but at least the advances made in five months have revolutionised conditions. From the air the sight of great clearings where jungle once stood is evidence of progress, as are the twining coast and hill roads of hard coral, built laboriously from hundreds of loads off beaches and pits. It took three days to make even a hurried tour of the New Zealand areas. One force of infantry was conducting a "war by telephone" preparatory to exercises in the heart of Mono; another lazed in a Sunday sun; a third had half its personnel away handling cargo from a newly-arrived ship. A score of motor mechanics struggled to keep pace with the maintenance of more than 100 trucks that rough going had shaken into sad disrepair. Engineers, enjoying a day off from the building of roads, hammered copper nails. into the framework of little boats. A.S.C. drivers kept up the supply of rations to all Allied troops on the island. The staff of a field ambulance congratulated themselves on the many empty beds in their hospital. TROOPS IN GOOD HEALTH. The health of the troops on the Treasurys is remarkably high, far more satisfactory than anyone expected in the early days. Incidence of sickness is no higher than when the force was back in New Caledonia, and apart from isolated cases the operations performed by the Field Surgical Unit—totalling 181 in five monthshave been for minor complaints of skin eruptions and accidental injuries. In spite of a shortage in some lines, rations available throughout the period have been sufficient and fairly varied. Just now the supply of tea is not enough to maintain the issue of 311b per 1000 New Zealanders and the relatively insignificant requirement of 0.751b per 1000 Americans; but coffee, on the basis of 201b per 1000 New Zealanders and 801b per 1000 Americans, and cocoa at 51b and 9lb respectively, are filling the gap. Once every 10 days a little fresh meat comes the way of the ground troops. They don't get much fresh butter—the equivalent of 3oz a month —and the arrival of refrigerated cargo has not been frequent enough to fill even the 4200 feet of refrigerating space available to the New Zealand supply organisation on the islands. Five months is a long time to eke out an uninteresting island existence in a static role, but it is all a question of degree, tolerable for the present. Some day, the men who fought for and won the Treasurys will get back to the gaiety of civilisation. They're waiting for that day.