GREEN ISLAND

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 53, Issue 32406, 13 March 1944, Page 6

GREEN ISLAND

SOME INTERESTING FEATURES THAMES MAN’S IMPRESSIONS “The island is the most interesting we have been on so far,” writes Private C. P. Dally to his parents, Mr and Mrs AV. E. Dally, of Thames, in a letter describing his experiences on G risen Island. However, it is not, very big, and there is a large lagoon in the centre. Tired- and drity after their campaign, the New Zealanders appreciated swimming in the warm sea water round the island. Many of them obtained a great variety of souvenirs left by the Japanese, including rifles, bayonets, clothes, oil-skin coats, axes, cards folding-fans and cigarettes. There were quite a few natives on the island, all Catholics because of the Catholic missionaries 'there. They possessed tame pigs, and so had to fence off their gardens with logs, rocks, etc. The native huts were fairly crude. There were also many fowls, and every morning hearing tile roosters crow conveyed a homely impression to the men. Goats were also said to be on the island, though Private Dally had not seen any. The dogs were half-starved mongrels. There were many Catholic chapels and inventing. The calls on the fund about, mostly no bigger than the native huts, except for the main ones. They contained a great many crude carvings, especially on the altars. The main mission station, a large wooden ,building with an iron roof, bad fallen into disrepair. Japanese machine-guns and other gear was found there.

A number of caves were along most of the beaches and in most of these was evidence of Japanese campingplaces. The Japanese had collected water in tins from drips which came down from the rocky roofs, and the writer was reminded of dripping lime-, stone caves.