Strangely enough – it might sound funny in this day and age – but we felt it was our duty. The five of us used to go and have a drink at the City Hotel and we decided, 'Yes, we'll all join up.' That's how it happened.
Joseph Bacos, 20 Armoured Regiment, in Megan Hutching (ed.), A fair sort of battering: New Zealanders remember the Italian campaign, 2004
Gathering oral history from elderly war veterans requires particular awareness and sensitivity. Here are some things to consider:
You may want to interview war veterans but not know any in your family or community. If this is the case, you could approach your local RSA and ask them if you can put a notice in their newsletter or on a bulletin board to seek veterans willing to talk about their wartime experiences.
You may also try making contact with veterans through local churches, the library or senior citizens' community groups.
The characteristics to look for in a good interviewee are:
You can avoid the problem of committing yourself to an interview by saying initially that you are 'researching' your topic. If you decide that someone is not going to be a good interviewee, you can thank them and leave without causing offence.
There was a row of Germans standing behind us. They all had automatic weapons whereas we only had old .303s. We had no hope of doing anything. They were shouting at us to surrender. We had no option.
Colin Burn, 18 Battalion, in Megan Hutching (ed.), A unique sort of battle: New Zealanders remember Crete, 2001
Before you interview any veterans of this campaign, we recommend you read our Guide to recording oral history.
The brief Greek campaign was the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force's (2 NZEF) first major operation in the Second World War. It was a baptism of fire. The New Zealand Division was part of a force sent to northern Greece in early 1941 to meet the possibility of a German attack.
We had Anzac Day. The fields were full of these red Tunisian poppies so I said to the troops, 'It's a bit quiet this morning. Get a few jam jars, pop out into the fields and get some poppies and put them on the graves in the cemetery.' There were about twelve or fifteen graves there, I think.
Lawrence Wright, Medical Corps, North Africa
Before you interview any veterans of this campaign, we recommend you read our Guide to recording oral history.
They thought we were a bunch of coconut bombers, sitting under coconut trees, just lapping up the sun. That was their attitude ... it was people's wrong ideas.
Rob McLean, 3rd New Zealand Division, Pacific
Before you interview any veterans of this campaign, we recommend you read our Guide to recording oral history.
What did we have for Christmas dinner? Macaroni, and the meat was the grubs that were in it. Weevils. We'd eat anything ... It's an awful feeling, hunger.
George Lockhead, 20 Battalion, in Megan Hutching (ed.), Inside Stories: New Zealand POWs Remember, 2002
Before you interview any veterans who became Prisoners of War, we recommend you read our Guide to recording oral history.
As it got lighter and lighter you could see more ships and more ships, behind you and ahead of you – and the French coast was covered in smoke, but you knew it was there.
Jack Ingham, lieutenant, DSC, Royal Navy
They said, – We've been losing fifty to sixty bombers a night. We're badly in need of bomber pilots. We want you fellas to be bomber pilots.
John Morris, flight lieutenant, 75(NZ) Squadron, RAF
