Figure 1

The second diary begins on 10 July 1943 while Harry is still in New Caledonia (Figure 1). It covers New Caledonia, Guadalcanal and The Treasury Islands. It is the lengthiest of the three diaries and literally covers the most ground. Accordingly I have separated Diary Two into three separate sections.

On Sunday 11 July  Dad recounts “one of the most marvelous days possible!” He joined a picnic at the beach of Foue near Kone with the Henin family and some other New Zealand servicemen.

“SUNDAY 11^TH. JULY: I arrived at Henin’s just before 11 am. and found the family all ready to set out on a picnic to the beach. They instantly invited me to come along too…We had the time of our lives, journeying out there in the little “Citroen” with the family, to find about half a dozen French families already at the beach.

“We had a marvelous lunch, chicken, fish, green salads, sweet potatoes (roasted) cakes and fruit, also wine, aniseed and orange drink to quench our thirst with. After lunch they tried to dance to a gramophone using a big tarpaulin dancing floor but the old gramophone wasn’t too loud nor the floor too smooth, so it was a given the go-by.”

Harry was confined to camp soon after and had to leave without saying goodbye to the Henins. After the war he wrote to them and thanked them for their friendship and hospitality. They replied and sent a photograph of the picnic, clearly showing my father seated cross-legged and talking to another soldier on the extreme left of the picture (Figure 2). This is the only photograph of my father in New Caledonia. The letter itself is handwritten in both French (Figure 3) and English (Figure 4), possibly by the same hand.

Training for a future landing continued, including practicing driving on and off “false invasion boats” which were large holes dug in the ground next to the camp. The men had to “pretend they are being rushed ashore to a beach landing”.

On Thursday 19 August the Battery left Nepoui for Boulapouris in preparation for leaving New Caledonia. Dad did a great deal of driving in his Ford truck hauling men and supplies around New Caledonia, at one point declaring “I’ve never done so much driving in my life as I am doing at present.”

Finally the rumours about moving north were confirmed:

“SATURDAY 21^ST. AUGUST: We learnt a lot today when we got back. Bruiser told us that next weekend most probably we will begin our journey up to the Solomon Islands. He said we are to go into action with the U.S. Marines! Goddam!”

On August 28 he was relieved of his Ford, which was replaced by a Chevrolet 4 X 4, similar to the truck shown in Figure 5. This was the vehicle he was to take accompany to Guadalcanal. Typically, Dad immediately set about straightening out dents and painting spots on the new vehicle.

“MONDAY 3OTH. AUGUST: Our journey up north to the Solomons has begun. Tonight I write this in the cab of the 4 X 4 Chev., my Ford has gone now for good. We left our camp site (Boulapouris) at 11.45 this morning with the two Chev’s and two Fords, all with guns; the Fords went back to camp, but the Chev’s and the four guns are waiting here at a M.T. pool, for their turn to go on the boat. The two drivers stay with each truck. All vehicles and guns are numbered; naturally first vehicle on is last off. Our two trucks are numbered 28 and 29, guns 32 and 33.

“It has rained like hell since we left this morning, all about this pool area is ankle deep mud, being cut up with so many vehicles…Tonight we have to sleep in the trucks…Stu is sleeping in the cab of our one, “Fergie” and I are going to do our best to sleep on a tarpaulin on the back of our truck. Lord knows whether we will sleep or not!”

“TUESDAY 31^ST. AUGUST: Noumea Harbour was alive with little “tank and vehicle” carrying boats, ferrying the trucks and supplies out to the three boats, each of about 13000 tons, that are taking this Brigade up north (the President Adams, Munro and Hayes). Noumea is about the most busy port I have ever seen, everything and everywhere is a beehive of hustle and excitement. And the traffic in town is unbelievable!”

On September 1 Harry drove from the motor transport pool to the Nickel Dock, where loading of troops and equipment onto transport ships took place. Harry boarded his transport – the “President Adams” – along with his truck and anti-tank gun. The main body of infantry boarded the next day and on 3 September the convoy left Noumea and headed north. The New Zealand newspaper photograph included in my father’s documents shows troops lined up waiting to board the transport ships with the nickel smelter operating in the background (Figure 6). Harry estimated in his diary that there are almost 1500 soldiers on the ship.

“SATURDAY 4^TH. SEPTEMBER: We pulled out of the harbour about 1500 hours today. Farewell to dirty, smelly Noumea, on our way to the Solomons now, via New Hebrides. We went up and down the nets into the small boats this morning, just to get a bit of practice.”

There was a stopover of several days at the island of Efate in the New Hebrides group – now the Republic of Vanuatu – for practice at unloading and beach landings (Figure 8).

Figure 8

“MONDAY 6^TH. SEPTEMBER: Just this minute I have sat down from standing to attention while “Old Glory” was lowered from the masthead. It is just on 6 pm. I write this on the quarter-deck of the “President Adams” in a lovely little harbour in the New Hebrides…This morning some native canoes (outrigger type) came about the ship with souvenirs to sell, but as we had no means of getting down to the water’s edge, no business was done.

“This afternoon we had to get some of our equipment on and transfer into the invasion Higgins boats, to have a beach landing exercise. It is no joke climbing down a 35 foot rope net to a 36 foot boat at the bottom, especially when one is loaded up with rifle, web, ammunition, small haversack and tin hat!…We landed on a swell little sandy beach, when we hit and the trap door had lowered we charged up the beach like the real things.”  (It is interesting to note the Americanism term “swell”, a word not commonly used in this way even today in New Zealand, creeping into Harry’s description.)

The convoy left Efate on 12 September, heading for Guadalcanal. Dad continued to take advantage of the onboard free movie service provided by the Americans, who seem to have screened a different film every night. He was not always impressed by the quality:

“SUNDAY 12^TH. SEPTEMBER: The picture last night was a cowboy picture. Tonight’s was all about the Yank who makes good in the R.A.F. Of all the stupid bulls-wool I’ve ever seen, it takes the bun. The films are donated free to the Pacific Services, absolutely full of propaganda and how they win wars in Hollywood.”

The convoy arrived in the Solomon Islands a couple of days later. Oscar Kendall’s watercolour painting in Figure 9 shows New Zealand troops relaxing below deck on the “President Adams” as the ship heads north to Guadalcanal.

Figure 9