"New Zealand's Second World War POWs" Topic

"Most of New Zealand's Second World War POWs were captured in the European theatre in the early stages of the war. Only about 100 New Zealand servicemen fell into Japanese hands, mainly airmen or seamen attached to the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force. A mere 26 soldiers (mostly coastwatchers) became POWs in the Pacific theatre; only seven of these men survived their captivity.

Four campaigns fought by 2NZEF during the first half of the war accounted for 94 per cent of the 8369 men of the force who fell into enemy hands between 1939 and 1945. The first was the ill-fated deployment of a Commonwealth force, which included 2 New Zealand Division, in Greece in early 1941. In all, 1856 New Zealanders went into the bag. Soon after, 2180 New Zealand POWs were taken in Crete—the most ever lost in one battle…"
Main page

Amicalement
Armand

New Zealanders are like Canadians in that you don't hear much about their POW's or their fighting. In the Pacific, The Canadians lost a couple of battalions when Hong Kong surrendered, the New Zealanders several battalions fighting in the Pacific but you only hear about their action in North Africa and Italy, if at all.

You are right my friend…

Amicalement
Armand

The Coast Watchers were not all soldiers but some were civilians that were employed by the New Zealand Post Office, which ran the wireless stations.
There has just been a memorial unveiled to them here in New Zealand

Coastwatchers – service and civilian personnel who kept a 24-hour watch for enemy ships and aircraft – were a vital link in the intelligence chain during the Pacific War. For most, the main challenges were isolation and boredom. For those on the front line in the Gilbert Islands, however, the risk of capture by the Japanese was very real.

During August and September 1942, 17 military coastwatchers (seven Post and Telegraph Department radio operators and 10 soldiers), and five civilians were captured as Japanese forces overran the Gilbert Islands. Imprisoned on Tarawa atoll, they were all beheaded following an American air raid on the island.

All those executed received a posthumous mention in despatches. The civilian coastwatchers were retrospectively given military rank in 1944 so that their dependants could claim pensions and other rights.

link

Here is a link to the official history of the coast watchers

Interesting… thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand

I remember Cary Grant playing a coast watcher in the movie "Father Goose." The worst threat he faced was Leslie Caron and her schoolgirls hiding his booze.

(hilarious movie, BTW -- go and see it!)

Hey! I not only remember Father Goose, I have it on DVD. Grant was in serious peril from the Japanese and had to bury a fellow coast watcher who hadn't been as lucky. That said, that littlest schoolgirl with her cricket bat didn't look like anyone to mess with.

Probably grew up to be Maggie Thatcher.