Having fun US style - US Forces in New Zealand

Having fun, American-style

Although the American forces worked hard, they all craved some time off. But New Zealand leisure-habits were very different to American ones. So the visitors devised their own forms of entertainment and established enclaves of American culture. There were games of baseball, jazz concerts, dances, and five Red Cross clubs where cheap hamburgers, doughnuts and Coca-Cola could be found.

The problem: all dressed up and nowhere to go

Although the American forces in New Zealand worked hard, there had to be some time for fun; and, increasingly, those arriving had come to recover from war and to enjoy rest and recreation. This presented the American authorities with a problem, for New Zealand and American patterns of leisure were different. Many Americans were used to a lively urban culture; New Zealand cities were closed and deserted in the evenings and on Sundays. So the American soldier with a 'liberty pass' at first found it difficult to buy the alcohol he desired or the foods he craved. There was nowhere for him to dance to the songs he hummed.

One response was for the Americans to provide their own entertainment and to begin establishing enclaves of American culture in this foreign land. Like most soldiers the Americans found ways of amusing themselves informally. There was the usual quota of skylarking and teasing and swapping funny stories; and there was much gambling, usually the games of blackjack and craps.

The Americans also provided organised entertainments of their own. Sport was a particular favourite, since it helped to raise group morale and improve physical fitness as well as offering good spectator enjoyment. Both baseball and softball leagues were organised for weekend afternoons, and a crowd of 20,000 watched a baseball game at Wellington's Athletic Park in January 1943. Boxing tournaments were held, and an intensely competitive game of American football was played on Eden Park in Auckland between the army and the marines. In Wellington in mid-1943 an old Wakefield Street building was converted into a gymnasium and sports stadium for basketball and badminton. A skating rink was opened nearby.

There were occasional efforts to play sport with the locals. Tugs-of-war appear to have crossed cultural boundaries, and on one occasion - which caused much amusement and indeed some disgust among the Americans - a game of rugby was actually played with New Zealanders. The American photographer witnessing the performance described it as 'mayhem' in which the apparent object was to twist the neck of the opponent, 'throw him on the ground, and take the football away from him'. Such occasions of sporting competition between the nations were rare. In general the Americans carried their own games with them.

Music and dance

The Americans also organised music for themselves. Their units were well supplied with bands, and at the larger camps there was a regular weekly concert. Occasionally travelling entertainers arrived to perform. The most famous was the jazz clarinettist Artie Shaw, who came with his navy band. The comedian Joe E. Brown was another popular visitor. If there was no live music available, from April 1944 the doughboys could tune into Radio 1ZM in Auckland, the 'American Expeditionary Station', and hear 'Music America Loves Best' or 'American College Songs'.

Most of the bases, especially the hospitals, had photographic darkrooms and materials for painting, drawing and carving. They also offered regular showings of Hollywood movies - outside in 'starlight theatres' at the smaller places, and in the recreation halls at the larger camps such as Papakura and McKay. The recreation hall at Titahi Bay still survives. On special occasions the American Red Cross hostesses at the camps would arrange dances and select the 'right type' of women to be invited as partners.

Red Cross clubs

Red Cross officials, nearly all women, organised five Red Cross clubs. These were to be found in Warkworth, in Masterton, in the Hotel Cecil near the Wellington railway station, and two in the Auckland Hotel, one for officers and one for men.

These clubs were oases of American culture. There was cheap American food - hamburgers, doughnuts, ice-cream sodas, Coca-Cola, apple pie, coffee. There were a library and desks for writing home; there were games to play, such as table tennis and pool; and there were facilities for pressing and mending clothes. The American hostesses were supported by New Zealand volunteers, who assisted in the canteens and also supervised at the 'wholesome' dances put on at these clubs.