Reginald Jones

I mate atu i te 15 Oct 1942

Nama Hōia: WWII 62285 AWMM
WWII 64485 AWMM
Ingoa kārangaranga: —
Te Ope o Tū / te peka: Army AWMM
Te tūnga whakamutunga: Private AWMM New Zealand Infantry, 8 Brigade Group, Signals Corps, New Zealand Coastwatchers AWMM
Pakanga: World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM

Portrait Reginald Jones - This image may be subject to copyright

Whakaatu mai ngā āpure e wātea ana Hunaia ngā mātāwai kōrero

Kōrero taurongo

Son of Alfred Jones and of Mary Jones (nee McMahon), of Auckland City, New Zealand.

Letter to Miss C. Jones, 31 Harewood St., Hamilton; Reginald's sister.

C/o The Secretariat, Ocean Island, Nov. 2nd 1941.

Dear Clara,

Yours of the 21.7.41 to hand. It took quite a while to catch me up as the day on which it was written I moved on a bit further from home.

From that date on I was more or less travelling around the Pacific ocean. I thoroughly enjoyed it all, and finally almost a month to the day after sailing I arrived at my new location. I am on an island with two other N.Z. chaps and ours is a coast watching job. Of course I am unable to tell you just where it is, but at least I may give you some of my impressions.

We anchored outside the coral reef about midday. There was just a nice swell on the seas which is very deep quite close to the reef. Immediately the ship's crew began unloading our stores into open boats which when full were towed ashore with us sitting atop. We came through about a mile of the open sea, to an entrance into a kind of lagoon. We could see the sea bed fully thirty feet down, the water was so clear. Another remarkable thing is the colour of the sea which varies in patches from a deep purple in the deepest parts to the palest blues and greens according to the depth and the nature of the sea-bed. On arriving at the shore we were met by the native population of the island. They number between two and three hundred and for the most part clothed only in grass skirts, the men nearly all carrying huge knives about eighteen inches to two feet long. Gawd's truth thought I, where the heck have I landed.

The natives carried our stores up to the house we were to occupy and clustered around while we were busy unpacking and checking up. I thought them an infernal nuisance as when I wished to go from one part of the house I generally had to rush between half a dozen brown smelly bodies. Finally we got some sort of order out of the chaos and were able to get rid of the natives and get to bed about eleven o'clock. Next morning on waking up at 6.30 there they were again. This went on for weeks gradually diminishing in numbers until we had half a dozen or so about the place all the time. Finally I appealed to the native government which took immediate steps and now we have comparative privacy.

There are only three or four who speak english so consequently we have had quite a bit of fun trying to convey out conversation to them. They are treating us very well with fish and occasionally pork and poultry. We usually give something in return. They put an enormous value on tobacco but unfortunately we did not come prepared for that.

We came prepared to do all our own cooking and work, but could have a dozen servants if we wanted them. As it is we have two men who do most if the work under my supervision and they look after us like mothers.

There are tons of good fish here and rather good swimming facilities of which we avail ourselves to the fullest extent.

The climate is rather warm at times but now and again we get some decent breezes and as we live on the prevailing wind side of the island we receive the full benefit of them.

This island itself is not very big. We have been right around it several time. There is a kind of road extending almost the full length, but apart from a few bicycles the [sic] are no vehicles of any kind. The island is perfectly flat and for the most part is covered with coconut trees and a few other trees of not much value.

All the houses are built of thatch and do not have walls to them, but ours has walls constructed of sticks tied together. We have two rooms and there is a verandah running right around. Altogether we are quite comfortable and are doing well. We also have our washing done for us and it is brought back ironed and nicely finished, so you see we are not badly done by.

Well Clara I must close now as I have a lot more to write and not much time to catch the next mail out. Glad you are keeping busy and you seem very comfortable in your flat. Cheerio. Love from Reg.

Service number 64485 listed on the Nominal Roll AWMM

E hangaia tonutia ana te Maumaharatanga Tuihono; tāpirihia ai ngā whakahoutanga me ngā pūkete i ia wiki. I ētahi wā, kāore anō kia whakaūhia ngā pūkete e ngā kaimahi o Te Whare Taonga, tēnā pea he hapa kei roto i ngā kōrero.

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Reginald Jones

Reginald Jones

Tuakiri

E pā ana ki

Mātātuhi me ngā tuhinga

Mātātuhi

Ngā tuhinga

Tauoranga kirirarau

Te whānautanga

Ope taua

Ngā pakanga me ngā whawhai

Ngā tohu taumata rau ope taua

Te Whakangungu me te Urunga atu

Te maha o ngā ekenga waka

Mauhere o te pakanga

Whakapapa hauora

Te tūnga whakamutunga e mōhiotia ana

Kōrero taurongo

Kōrero taurongo

Matenga

Te matenga

Ngā maumaharatanga

Maumaharatanga

Ngā mātāwai

Ngā mātāwai

Reginald Jones

Reginald Jones

Tuakiri

E pā ana ki

Mātātuhi me ngā tuhinga

Mātātuhi

Ngā tuhinga

Tauoranga kirirarau

Te whānautanga

Ope taua

Ngā pakanga me ngā whawhai

Ngā tohu taumata rau ope taua

Te Whakangungu me te Urunga atu

Te maha o ngā ekenga waka

Mauhere o te pakanga

Whakapapa hauora

Te tūnga whakamutunga e mōhiotia ana

Kōrero taurongo

Kōrero taurongo

Matenga

Te matenga

Ngā maumaharatanga

Maumaharatanga

Ngā tūemi whai hononga

Mea e whai hononga ai

Ngā mātāwai

Ngā mātāwai