Ernie and Joan Batt

Interviewer: Richard Savory

Abstracter: Jean Hawkes

TRACK 1

00.00 Interview identification (Present is also GRAHAM DAVIS)

01.09 Born at WAIMATUKU (between RIVERTON and INVERCARGILL) THORNBURY – Mentioned. Born in 1919. Educated at WAIMATUKU SCHOOL, top of the class in Standard 6. 01.52 Worked with father digging ditches, setting rabbit traps after he left school at 16. Drove calf lorry for HARRY GIBB of WAIMATUKU for a few hours a day for three days a week. Father labourer, shovelled gravel for GIBB (person ERNIE worked for). Not an educated man. Didn't read or write.

03.02 Parents – don't know where father came from. Thinks mother from NELSON. Mother died when Ernie was 10. She was aged 40, suffered from goitre. Siblings – 3 brothers, 1 sister, 3 or 4 died before school age.

04.02 Enjoyed childhood and going to school. Live near WAIMATUKU SCHOOL. Mostly went to school barefooted.

04.37 Joined Army when just under 21 (in 1939). Trained at PAPAKURA as an artillery man. BURNHAM – Mentioned.

05.23 GIBB'S truck was a Ford AA – Described. About 1936 on farm at PUKEMAORI for Mr CAVANAGH. IAN FARRA conversation re Army – Described. Brother FRANK enlisted for DIV SIGS [Divisional Signals – JH]. INVERCARGILL – Mentioned. 08.54 Training at PAPAKURA – No guns to train with. Talks, Marching etc. Left for EGYPT from WELLINGTON not in a convoy. Via SUEZ probably to ALEXANDRIA. ERNIE and FRANK on same boat going to AUSTRALIA. Not in same unit. Second section, 4th Reinforcement. Returned on 'ANDES'

11.30 MAADI in EGYPT – Mentioned. Lot of training in EGYPT – Described. Time in GREECE, trained with cannons. GERMANS arrived. 5th Field Regiment. Ernie was a driver towing the cannon. SPARTIA in CRETE – Mentioned.

14.50 End of Track 1

TRACK 2

00.03 Unable to retreat with vehicles, destroyed them – Described.

00.54 Evacuated GREECE, went to SOUDA BAY, CRETE on 25th April 1941.

02.05 Four-wheel drive British trucks used. French guns used on CRETE, smaller than those used in training. Area near aerodrome [NOTE: probably CHANIA - JH] – Described. MAORI BATTALION – Mentioned. 03.17 Attack on aircraft that landed by a house near the coast – Described. ERNIE a gunner at this time. Little equipment. Lieutenant HUME in command. Attack on house – Described. MAORI BATTALION – Mentioned. Shots fired at GERMAN planes. MALEME AIRODROME. Paratroopers' arrivals – Described.

09.00 Aircraft strafing started. ERNIE got shrapnel in his left arm. Several killed including Lieutenant HUME (understood to have been shot in leg, back and back of head). ERNIE'S rank was Gunner H E N BATT [NOTE: Harold Ernest Norman - JH] No 29172. 10.45 Retreat to SPARTIA – Described. REMARKABLES (Queenstown) – Mentioned. WHITE MOUNTAINS, CRETE – Mentioned. MAORI BATTALION were below, moved towards ship. Other groups stayed where they were and didn't board ship. Capitulated (surrendered). Valuables hidden in a cave, not retrieved. Nothing to eat for a long time. Found packet of oatmeal.

15.00 End of Track 2 TRACK 3

00.15 Met ITALIANS who gave ERNIE some 'sweet stuff' he put with oatmeal to make porridge.

01.17 GERMANS took prisoners to holding camp for a week or two. Put on a boat for GERMANY.

01.45 No further treatment for shrapnel injury. ERNIE got out of prison camp once, met a civilian who gave him food. Didn't want to return to camp. No option, best choice. Many suffered from dysentery.

03.08 Travelled through ITALY by train – Described. Stalag 8B [NOTE: at Lamsdorf, renamed Stalag 344 in 1943 – JH]. Held for two years. Weighed about 12 stone when captured, dropped to under 8 stone Over the fence was prisoner of war camp for RUSSIANS, badly treated – Described. Initially POLISH soldiers treated badly by GERMANS. GRAHAM CONNOR from DUNEDIN (?) – Mentioned. RED CROSS parcels allocated to groups not individuals. Not received on a regular basis as was intended.

07.35 Working Party taken to coal mine – Described. Met older GERMANS in the mine – ERNIE'S attitude changed. Worked in mines for about 12 months. Differences between being in the mines and the main camp – Explained. More RED CROSS parcels received than in main camp. Some made 'brews' with whatever they could get.

11.05 Song about sabotage in the mine. CZECHOSLOVAKIAN – Mentioned. Conditions and incident in mine – Described.

15.00 End of Track 3

TRACK 4

00.04 Twenty or thirty prisoners in working party in mine and on top. ERNIE got rheumatic fever, sent to hospital. Warm underground. Return to camp worked on holzplatz (in timber yard). Boss of yard 'Mr FOOT' (FOUSE (?) ) Incident involving him – Explained.

02.29 Repair of timber yard truck Prisoners aware of happenings outside of camp. Towards the end of war ERNIE had nervous breakdown, returned to main camp. Discussion with Doctor – Described. Worked on Railway Party replacing sleepers, straightening railways.

06.24 VE DAY [Victory in Europe – JH] – Mentioned Knew war was near end. Got to a camp and then onto a train. GERMAN involvement – Explained. Train to PARIS, flew to ENGLAND.

08.02 Good treatment when in hospital with rheumatic fever. GERMAN staff. ROTTENMUNSTER – Mentioned. POLAND – Mentioned. Meeting with Polish girl BRUEHART PESCHNICK (?) – Described.

10.30 Boarded plane in PARIS bound for MARGATE, ENGLAND. Prisoners of War had free train travel anywhere in ENGLAND. Visit to STAN CLASH (?) – Described. (Died in CHRISTCHURCH) JOAN, the milk girl, arrived – Described. First date with JOAN – Described. 15.00 End of Track 4 (shown as 14)



TRACK 5

00.02 Travel to NORTH of ENGLAND to meet JOHNNY MUNRO (?). Sent JOAN a telegram proposal. JOAN'S father, a farmer, had been a wheelwright in First World war. JOAN milked cows for another farmer and delivered the milk in bottles. Delivery by AUSTIN car, then a van, also used horse and cart. SHAFTSBURY, STANLEY, DONHEAD St MARY – Mentioned (? spelling of names) JOAN had been a Children's Nurse (Nanny). Nearly 23 when married, ERNIE 25. Parents attitude to marriage – Explained. JOAN has a brother and sister alive, one brother died. 04.20 Married in ENGLAND. ERNIE returned to NEW ZEALAND on the 'ANDES' 1945. JOAN left ENGLAND on New Years Day 1946 on RANGITIKI with 250 NEW ZEALAND war brides, 250 AUSTRALIAN war brides plus Fleet Air Arm men and others. In May JEANETTE HOFFMAN travelled on 'RANGITIKI'

05.46 ERNIE in ALEXANDRA driving truck for FOX, contractor. Lived with ERNIE'S sister in ALEXANDRA for couple of months. Moved to DRUMMOND, driving an excavator. Resignation from job – Described. VELOCETTE MOTORBIKE – Mentioned. 09.30 Job at BLYTH'S GARAGE, WINTON for about 12 months. JIM GRANT offered a job on excavator cleaning channel between LOCHEIL and KAUANA, more than six miles. DOUG BLYTH – Mentioned.

12.12 JIM GRANT suggested that ERNIE should buy a truck. Approached MARIE (wife of JIM GRANT) for a loan of four hundred pounds. Bought a FARGO truck. Borrowed money from JIM GULLICK to put hoist on truck. JIM GULLICK a wool buyer. JIM GRANT'S father ALEX was a farmer. ERNIE carted gravel for the County, WINTON BOROUGH. Approached WATTS and GRIEVE for a front-end loader.

15.00 End of Track 5

TRACK 6

00.01 Conversation at WATTS and GRIEVE – Described. Went to RALPH EDGAR at BALFOUR. Got FORDSON loader, not fast enough. Approached DOUG BLYTH, offered 50/50 partnership in loader – Explained. Reason for buying out DOUG'S share – Explained.

03.15 Purchase of FORD truck in 1950s. Four children by this time. Fourth one (daughter) a 'bit of an article' – Explained. FORD replaced by COMMER and INTERNATIONAL. DOUG BATT, GORDON CLIVE from SPAR BUSH – Mentioned. Gravel right at the river, passed to grandson as H E N BATT and SON. 05.36 As a returned man found Rehab Loan well below amount needed for a digger. Money available for those going onto farms, needed hard work. 07.04 Reconstructed roads around TUATAPERE and other parts of WESTERN SOUTHLAND. Spent four months in KINGSTON to work on two miles of road from store towards QUEENSTOWN in1957-1958. Not as far as DEVIL'S STAIR CASE.

08.24 Met ADAM McLEOD who told story about a horse grader and AMERICANS – Described. BOB JAMES and gorse fire incident – Mentioned 09.55 LES, IAN and GORDON CLIVE and others drove for ERNIE. 10.42 JOAN wrote aerograms to her mother every week for forty-two years. Christmas parcels sent and received. When children born help from PLUNKET. Played croquet when children left school. Involved with bridge, RED CROSS and many WINTON committees – Presbyterian Church, School. 13.09 Had only known ERNIE a month, visited STAN CLASH told him story and asked for his opinion – Explained. JEANETTE HOFFMAN and gatherings of English war brides. NANCY DICKIE, GORE – Mentioned.

14.23 JOAN from South England. As a nanny had worked for DUKE of NORFOLK at ARUNDEL CASTLE in SUSSEX.

15.00 End of Track 6

TRACK 7

00.01 JOAN did farm work during war years. HOME GUARD – Mentioned.

00.45 ERNIE involved with RSA (Returned Servicemen's Association) and P O W in INVERCARGILL. POW functions at TISBURY HALL. Town Councillor. JIM GRANT was Mayor of QUEENSTOWN, also on WINTON Town Council. 02.41 End of Track 7