A Medic in Post-War Japan

Clarrie Townley 1946-47

At the end of WW2, New Zealand troops, with those of other nations, were sent to Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. After serving with the RNZAF in World War Two, Clarrie Townley enlisted in the New Zealand Army and was posted to Japan with the Army Service Corps. This is his story.

After my discharge from the RNZAF late 1945, I was just sculling around Paeroa doing odd jobs here and there and wondering what to do next when the local News Papers had an advertisement for troops for Occupation Forces in Japan. I thought "why not", so I applied with several other young local lads, eventually arriving in Papakura as a member of the A.S.C. About the only thing out of the norm was when they over-dosed us with the TAB and TET injections. Another day while on route march, we stopped by a tree plantation (gum I think) where some of the lads spotted a hut, and thinking it was empty and deserted began pelting it with rocks at which point the resident emerged and let loose a couple of barrels from his shotgun. I have a photo somewhere of the old boy striding down the parade ground the following Sunday with gun in hand wanting to talk to the Boss.

Eventually we made it to the Chitral for embarkation for Japan. Rather the voyage was until we reached Kure and were sleeping peacefully the night before disembarking when the Company Sergeant Major rushed around waking us all to have a jab for Encephalitis. The only trouble was they had us there at 1.00 am whereupon we were sent back to bed as we weren't due until 2.00 am. Sound familiar! Following that debacle, we were entrained to Chofu .Only at Chofu for a short while being sorted for the Ambulance Platoon and posted to 6 NZ General Hospital Kiwa.

I can't precisely remember how long I was at Kiwa before being attached to 25 Battery Artillery at Yamaguchi until they were transferred to Ube after about 2 months. I was then attached to the Engineers for about 3 months, they were also at Yamaguchi. It was pretty good there, what with no parades and attending plenty of Freyburg Shield Rugby matches in case anyone was injured. For about the last 6 months I was back at Kiwa except for 2months at Senzaki. I think the worst trip I had to do was my trip at 2.00 am from Yamaguchi to Kiwa with a patient when it was snowing and having to stop to clear the windscreen of snow because the wipers couldn't cope. Not to mention not having sidecurtains on the cab. On another occasion they selected a special full Platoon for training in First Aid & Ambulance work, myself not being one of them, and when we arrived we were only 2 or3 in the Platoon - real Army organisation wasn't it! Eventually it all came to an end and we embarked on the Dunera and came home.

Clarrie Townley, 2002