Nor'West News: August 03, 2023

4
Thursday August 3 2023
Veteran looks back on Korean War
• From page 1
“I thought, good heavens, I
could have been there (under the
shell). I came to the conclusion:
surviving war is a matter of
luck,” he said.
Because he had arrived
towards the end of physical
warfare, Forbes spent much of
his 18 months of service during
the period of ceasefire. There
were moments of tension, but
also the chance for rest and
relaxation. While the Americans
would fly the Kiwi contingent to
Tokyo, Forbes would sometimes
push on to other destinations
including the post-atomic bomb
Hiroshima.
Later it was quite a trip home
from his period of service. He’d
sailed from Pusan to Brisbane,
where he and other troops
marched and were cheered by
the crowds, on to Kingsford
Smith Airport, Sydney, and New
Zealand. On his arrival back
in Christchurch his mum was
there. He was also greeted by
Government representatives at
the King Edward Barracks in the
city.
He is matter of fact when
relating how his mother coped
with men going to war. Forbes’
maternal grandfather, Thomas
Phillips Lloyd, had fought in the
Second Anglo-Afghan War of
1878-1880. Forbes’ father was
one of the 20 survivors within a
100-strong company caught at
‘I came to the conclusion
surviving war is a matter
of luck’ – Forbes Taylor
Passchendaele in World War 1.
Forbes is very proud of his
siblings. One older brother Lloyd
served in “Sunderland flying
boats” safeguarding convoys in
World War 2, but then died at 23,
after his return to New Zealand,
in a motorcycle accident near
Ashburton.
His other brother Ross
was involved Nasa’s space
programme. He was the first
geochemist to get his hands
on the samples of moon rock,
picked up by Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin, and brought
back to Earth by Apollo 11.
Forbes has kept up with the
Korean political standoff, and
has been part of Christchurchbased
recognition of progress
between the two sides. He and
family members including his
wife have revisited South Korea
many times.
In April 2018, North Korea
and South Korea agreed to talks
to end the ongoing 65-year
conflict.
SERVICE: Lieutenant Forbes
Taylor, 21, in 1953.
Left – Forbes with his medals
in 2013, and at the Korean
War Memorial unveiling in
2005 (below).
THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTION
Your enrolment
update pack
is coming.
Check it to make
sure you’re
enrolled and
ready to vote.
vote.nz
0800 36 76 56