In this episode of Courage And Valour, the veterans of the New Zealand Infantry Battalions talk frankly about the life of an infantry soldier in the front lines, and behind the lines, in WWII, both in Egypt and in Italy. This is a collection of memories, reminiscences and anecdotes from those men who were there at the sharp end. The detailed accounts after all these years are astounding, and the openness about life back then very refreshing. In this episode, in order of appearance, we hear: – Pat Green (24 Battalion, Mortar Platoon) – Ted ‘Bluey’ Homewood (21 Battalion) – Don Adams (21 Battalion) – Colin Murray (24 Battalion) – Norm Harris (24 Battalion) – Charlie Honeycombe (21 Battalion) – Te Puhi Patara (28 Maori Battalion) – Bob O’Brien (24 Battalion) – Harry Hopping (24 Battalion) – Nolan Raihania (28 Maori Battalion) – Aubrey Balzer (28 Maori Battalion) and – Ted Waters (21 Battalion) Listeners will note I chose not to add any bridging narration for this episode, because I felt it didn’t need it and it simply flows like one long conversation. Plus all the participants are known voices from previous episodes. For those wondering who is telling which story, here’s a handy guide 00:01:31 – Pat – Getting into a Battalion 00:01.56 – Bluey – A day in the life of infantrymen at Maadi 00:05.03 – Don – Route marches and showers at Maadi, and leave into Cairo 00:06.19 – Bluey – Army teaching him self respect and more 00:07.00 – Colin – The Division being self sustaining 00:08.02 – Norm – Cook trucks 00:08.18 – Colin – Food 00:08.49 – Charlie – Don’t eat German food 00:09.08 – Pat – Rations, cooking, stealing spuds 00:15.44 – Te Puhi – Food and wine 00:16.59 – Bluey – Old gear and bad tanks 00:20.07 – Norm – Trucks valued more highly then men 00:20.23 – Bob – One bloke letting him down 00:21.27 – Colin – Let down by a guy too 00:23.39 – Pat – Shorty’s fear, and joking in the front line 00:27.35 – Colin and Bob – Fear, and moving forward against the enemy, short rounds 00:29.53 – Colin – Friendly fire 00:32.16 – Colin & Harry – Daytime attacks 00:32.38 – Pat – Getting chased across a big field by mortars 00:34.13 – Nolan – 12 Reinforcements baptism of fire 00:35.08 – Norm – Dealing with death and losses 00:35.51 – Aubrey – He and his brother Clarence wounded, and Mac killed 00:47.50 – Colin – Firepower of an infantry platoon 00:49.24 – Pat – Make up of Company structure 00:53.53 – Charlie – Seven man section 00:54.56 – Bluey – The big bed 00:55.49 – Norm – Sleep and pickets 00:56.30 – Pat – Left Out of Battle (LOB) 00:58.23 – Nolan – LOB through Purple Death 01:01.05 – Te Puhi – Freyberg and the “Wave out and they’ll wave back” story 01:02.19 – Charlie – German flame throwers at Orsogna 01:02.44 – Colin – Coming out of the lines for a rest 01:06.59 – Pat – Coming out to rest, washing, hitting the Sgt with a tomato 01:08.51 – Pat – Coming out of the line, MP argument 01:11.53 – Pat – Christmas Dinner at Forli 01:14.13 – Te Puhi – Rests and leave 01:15.20 – Don – Leave at NZ Club 01:16.47 – Colin & Harry – Kiwi Club, and Colin’s haircut 01:19.09 – Don – Kiwi Concert Party 01:19.57 – Colin & Harry – Leave and rest 01:20.50 – Don – Italian opera 01:21.16 – Pat – Getting into Venice 01:26.42 – Ted – Leave in Venice 01:28.01 – Don – Dome on St Peter’s Cathedral 01:29.06 – Colin & Harry – Religion and Padres 01:31.47 – Colin – Village sewerage, and the currency 01:32.37 – Colin – Italian civilians and their primitive lifestyle 01:35.52 – Don – Italian people 01:36.17 – Norm – Italian people 01:37.00 – Colin – Italian women 01:37.40 – Aubrey – Italians 01:38.53 – Norm and Pat – Coming in as a replacement 01:40.21 – Norm, Pat & Colin – Fred Haar 01:44.55 – Pat – Tracker Jones and his stint in a British Glasshouse 01:51.53 – Colin & Harry – Singing and music, and bond between comrades 01:54.00 – Pat – Singing 01:54.59 – Colin & Norm – Looting 01:56.24 – Don – Looting and rackets 01:57.01 – Te Puhi – Racket 01:58.42 – Ted – Stolen car racket 02:00.08 – Colin & Harry – Looting and rackets 02:08.09 – Pat – 2nd Lt Sammy Reidpath taking the surrender of German Regt, and collecting Lugers 02:10.49 – Pat – Rimini hall with starry ceiling, bomb on Freyberg’s HQ, and mortar shelling the cemetery 02:18.09 – Pat – Visiting cemeteries 02:21.59 – Bluey – We got all the shit, but we loved it END
