Interview with Stan Carson

Interview with Stan Carson, born in Lyttelton in 1914. Talks about his family background and growing up in Lyttelton. Refers to joining the Lyttelton Marine Band at 15, and becoming a messenger for the volunteer fire brigade at 17. Discusses his plumbing apprenticeship with his father and attending night school in Christchurch. Talks about the Depression in Lyttelton. Refers to hearing about the buildup to war in the press and radio, enlisting in the first call for volunteers, and being put into sappers because of his trade training. Describes sailing to Egypt in the first echelon, arriving at Maadi camp in February 1940, and assisting the British installing facilities such as extending the water line at Mersa Matruh. Discusses military life in North Africa - mail from home, water rationing and ablutions, having to change his socks regularly and air them for days. Describes how the sappers transported their equipment and materials. Comments that officers had to earn the respect of New Zealand soldiers, although they respected Freyberg.

Talks about part of a company of engineers sent to Greece with the 18th Battalion and going north to the Aliakmon Line in the Olympus mountains. Comments on the role of the sappers in building up a defence line, and being the only sapper with the 22nd Battalion. Describes the retreat to the Corinth canal after the Greek army collapsed, being straffed by German planes, and laying explosives to demolish the bridge over the canal. Discusses the landing of German paratroopers, being wounded in the shoulder, capture by German paratroopers, and taken to the Fifth Australian General Hospital near Athens. Talks about the three months he spent in the hosptial, acting as an orderly when he recovered, and escaping with Sid Marshall. Mentions how they travelled north, rowed to Evvoia Island in a stolen boat, and were helped by local people who took them to Skiros Island. Refers to sailing to Smyrna, Turkey, in a small boat with two fishermen, and from there travelled by train through Syria to Maadi camp in Egypt. Talks about rejoining his 3 Section, 6 Field Company at Baggush, the advance to the Lybian border and subsequent retreat, and being sent to Syria in early 1942. Refers to being rushed back to the desert to Alamein when the Germans were advancing, and laying anti-tank mines at Minqar Qaim. Describes outflanking by the Germans but escaping back to El Alamein on their trucks, where they laid mines and created positions for field guns under cover of dark. Explains sappers' job in the Battle of Alamein was to lift their mines and clear gaps for the Allied troops, then to clear German mines. Refers to clearing minefields all the way to Tunisia.

Describes coming home with the first furlough group, arriving in the middle of winter and not being called to camp for over six months. Discusses the protest at Trentham against returning to the war when there were many men who had not gone, and comments on why he went back. Mentions returning on a troopship of young conscripts to Egypt in 1944, and undertaking training in building Bailey bridges at Maadi Camp in preparion for going to Italy. Describes joining the Maadi brass band based at the New Zealand headquarters, playing at NAFIs, church parades, hospitals, and marching in reinforcements. Comments on recreation in Cairo and a rugby match between NZ and Welsh teams. Refers to returning to New Zealand in April 1945 and taking over his father's plumbing business when he died suddenly in 1946.

Interviewer(s) - Liz Catherall

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-016655 - OHC-016659

Quantity: 5 C60 cassette(s). 1 transcript(s). 5 Electronic document(s) - transcript. 1 interview(s) over 2 days. 4.30 Hours and minutes Duration.

Physical Description: Word processing documents - Microsoft word

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - transcript(s) available edited transcripts, OHA-5975 OHDL-000258.

Printout (A4) of scanned image of a black and white photograph of a group of sappers including Stan Carson (undated); black and white photograph of Stan Carson (recent)

Search dates: 1914 - 1939 - 2003 - 1945

Original recordings not available for playback. Surrogate copies will be provided.

Alternative form available: Both printed and digital versions of the transcript are available