On the 12 February 1940 the first Australian and New Zealand Troops arrived in the Suez.
Army March Past 17 August 1940 Christchurch, Alf 8th from the front left row.
(double click on picture to enlarge)
Soldiers marching on what looks like a wet day in South Canterbury, people watching from the footpath, observing through an open window, no cheering, no banners, just the crunch of soldiers boots.
One can only wonder what was going through their minds, some are looking straight ahead, others looking at the camera, all marching with military precision, the line the line just fades into the distance.l
At least two Andreassends enlisted including Alf (infantry) and Bert (artillery).
The war had a terrible impact on Alf, his wounds were major, there is a very moving display about him in the Auckland Museum.
"Alf was employed by the Riccarton builders of the day and when war broke out Alf was 37yrs of age with all the young guys 18/20s and all were put off so that they had no jobs so where did you go in 1939 with the depression just behind them well with a war looming? Everybody went to the enlistment office and signed up I think they only had a very short training period because Alf had been in the territorials 1937/8 but did not want a commission because his schooling had been very rudimentary and I do not know where he went to school I guess Timaru South"
Noel Andreassend 2009
Noel, Gordon, Ivy and Alf Andreassend
Christchurch 17 August 1940.
A family photo.........its hard to put into words my thoughts.
A simple charming picture , the expression on the faces,
and the way they are standing especially Noel and Gordon
seems to say it all.
"Yes I well remember that photo I am sure it was an autumn day and Ch CH was the coldest time i can remember with an east wind that never seemed to wayne BRRR. When we lived in Timaru only once can I remember a cold episode that the weather gave us as much discomfort and I would have liked to shift back to Timaru but hey ho life goes on.
The photo could have been 1939 I can,t remember the battalion 23rd Echelon I think and training was very rushed and I remember the discussion about Alf to have a commission as I have said earlier he was (38) much older than the the other fellows and I guess they would have looked up to him .Great pity that his schooling was so rudimentary"
Noel Andreassend 2009
"His war was fairly straight forward - via Australia, Fremantle (he loved Perth),
to India to regroup,several weeks near Bombay, then on to Egypt.
More training and some combat then off to Greece.
Moved rapidly north to near Mt Olympus,where the Germans met them in force.
A strategic retreat took them right back to near Athens then withdrawal to Crete.
Plenty of action in Crete, as the Germans sent in paratroopers initially,
a sad failure as they were sitting ducks as they came down slung under their
parachutes. Alf was a marksman,so had a busy time.
However the Germans arrivedin even larger numbers by sea - so there was
yet another strategic withdrawal from southern Crete back to Egypt.
Further training and regrouping, and Alf was offered one stripe,
the rank of a lance corporal. He said no,as the one striper has no clout at all.
He said 2stripes or nothing ! And the army being what it is,said OK nothing !!
Later in 1942 at El Alamein his unit was once again in a no win situation and they
were ordered to retreat. As he was preparing to move out from their position,
he was wounded, andwas told to wait for medics and transport.
The Huns opened up with very heavy mortar fire, and the relief vehicles
never got to him.
That night most of the wounded around him died,and he hung on there soaked
in his own blood foranother 3 days before the Germans took him prisoner
and tended to his wounds.
His war in the NZ army was over - and later on he said he wished he had
taken that darned one stripe!
It would have put another one shilling and sixpence in his pay packet every day
he spent as a POW, and up until he was demobbed in NZ, almost 4 years later !"
Gordon Andreassend 2009
0 comments:
Post a Comment