Winter Orbiter 2015.pdf

disfigured. People were still livingin patched-up shacks and lean-tosbuilt out of rubble. I felt a deepsympathy for them.ITHE END OF THE ROADRADIUS HAMPTON COURT RESIDENT SCOTTYBURTON SHARES MEMORIES OF HIS SERVICE.IAN JOHN (SCOTTY) BURTON806467 PVT NZ ARMY INFANTRY - J FORCE 1947-48n 1947, I was living in Clivewith my parents and workingaround the area as a farmhand. Bythis time, most of the NZ fightingforce had returned home anxiousto settle down to normal life andsteady employment. I, on the otherhand, at 20, was eager for change.When I heard the NZ Army wasseeking personnel to assist inpeacekeeping and rebuildingin Japan as part of The BritishCommonwealth OccupationForce (BCOF), I jumped at theopportunity to learn new skillsand of course find adventure in aforeign land.I signed up at the Drill Hall,Napier, on 19 March 1947, wasduly accepted and assigned to theInfantry.I vividly recall the long, slow, hot,overnight steam train journeyfrom Napier to Palmerston North,and then up through the centralNorth Island to Auckland, andfinally the army camp in Papakura.It was suffocating on the train, dueto all the coal and cigarette smoke.We arrived early in the morning,smelly and disheveled. On arrivalwe were given a large hessian sackand our first task was to stuff itfull of straw for sleeping on. Thesewere called palliasses.I was posted to the 3rd InfantryBattalion C Coy. Over the nextthree months we were up at thecrack of dawn. The day was takenup with parade and rifle drills,gear and weapon checks; alsoroute marches of up to four hours’duration.We left Auckland in June 1947on the Troop Ship MV Duntroon.We were the third NZ J-Forcedeployment to Japan and thelast to return to NZ. On boardalso were women—nurses,shorthand typists, welfare staff,etc. We arrived in Japan at thePort of Kure. Although J-Forceand other countries' forces hadbeen in Japan since 1945, therewere still a staggering numberof sunken ships in the harbour.We marched from the ship to thetrain and were mobbed by blackmarketeerstrying to buy anythingand everything. It was certainly aculture shock—so many desperatepeople. More shock was to cometravelling through Hiroshima,where they were still clearing up.There were whole families begging,people with lost limbs, and othersOur destination was CampCanterbury in Yamaguchi, whereJ-Force was responsible for thelargely rural Yamaguchi Prefecture.Our duties involved guard duty,patrolling for weapon caches and'bull ring' (drill and other training).The weather was extremely hotwhen we arrived, but a few monthslater it was snowing and freezingcold. Over the next year, withall the drill training in the 'bullring' and detail to uniform andweapons, we looked very smartwhen marching, patrolling, or onparade. This always drew a largecrowd of onlookers. I wonder, whatwere they thinking?We had an easier life there thanthe earlier conscripted soldiers,with better living conditions (realbeds, no palliasses!) and betterfood. We also had more freedomand were able to see a bit of Japan.Non-fraternising rules had beenrelaxed, resulting in friendshipswith the locals. As they got toknow us, I think they realised weweren't the monsters we had beenportrayed as, but ordinary peopledoing our best to help them.Although Yamaguchi was largelyaway from the industrial targetsthat had been strategicallybombed, most of the area'sinhabitants were living in a stateof subsistence. There was littleinfrastructure, a lack of food andstaple goods, and few jobs. Healthstandards were low and sanitationpoor (human waste was used asfertiliser).The Camp hired many of the localpeople, giving them a source ofemployment: women to maintainthe barracks and the men foroutside chores.30 ORBITER