(Please note that this is not a formal abstract but notes made by the interviewer during the interview)

Alexander McBurney

Interview: 23 June 2020

Interviewer: Judith Thomas

Track 1

Born Liverpool – Mum Arthritis

Track 2

Attended Park School – Middle School- friends – games – teachers - first job in a garage – Federated farmers – Biggs and Sons 5 years. Fibrous plasterer – H & J Smith’s aeroplane – WAR – ASC - Mardi – Sinai Desert

Track 3

Cooling Beer – sunburn – rations – ‘Bully Beef’ – maggots – 21 years – meeting Alma – final leave engaged – 3.5 years – letters – soldier shot himself – burying soldiers – Tunisia – Mardi – ‘wogs’

Track 4

“Waste of time” – youth – leave Italy in Autumn – Grapes – Black and Green – peaches – Monte Cassino – Commonwealth graves (4 years ago visited) – Monastery – rain and sleet and snow and mud!! ‘Hove Dump” Worst time – “sickness” – hospital (sheets – pillow) boneless chicken.

Track 5

Yellow Jaundice – 8 playing cards – coming home – ‘Smell the Land’ – Ashburton food! – all the way down! Invercargill Railway Station – Dad, Amelia – Alma – ‘strangers’. McBurneys Menswear – in business with Dad – Morris 8 car driving to the country with the clothing. Peter Mcknight & Brown – Robert a Joiner. Dads suit – getting measured – wedding – honeymoon – section in Coronation Street.

Track 6

3.5 years – noise of guns etc. Trentham Band – Invercargill March!!