Information on Les's service has kindly been provided by his son Kevin Everitt.

Upon leaving secondary school Les Everitt joined the NZ Army Territorial Forces in 1940 as Sapper with 2 Field Company, NZ Engineersand trained at Linton and Foxton. His son recalls, his father telling him of how he enlisted under age and this likely delayed his hopes of Active Service.

However, with the threat from Japan and recruiting begun en masse by the RNZAF and a possibility of active service, Les was accepted/switched into the RNZAF in 1943 (NZ434989) and received ground crew and basic training at various RNZAF camps in New Zealand, mainly Delta and Swanson.

In March 1946 Les re-enlisted as Sapper with the NZ Army Engineers, (631448) taken on strength as Lance Corporal with the 5 NZ Engineers Company, J Force, part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (lead by Australia).

Les sailed on MV Chitral to Kure, Japan and after passing through devastated Hiroshima was based with the NZ Engineers at Yamaguchi, Camp Canterbury, where I understand the principal work was building barracks and provisioning them as fit for use by our soldiers, with plumbing and electricity.

During J Force Service Les also performed guard duty in Tokyo and was later attached to the Royal Australian Air Force at Bofu. Les returned to NZ on the MV Mataura in 1948.

Following J Force, Les worked at Cornwall (Greenlane) Hospital until the Korean War and call for volunteers to enlist. Les attested to enlist for service in Korea either with Corps of Engineers or with the Medical Corps. New Zealand did not send a Medical Corps (did send a Medical Officer however) and did not send a company of Engineers (did send some Engineers attached to British Royal Engineers) but the army accepted Les into the Dental Corps and once again gave dad basic training at Papakura Camp and specialist training at Waiouru. Regimental Number 204243.

Les flew to Korea via Japan as a replacement in 1952 and service in the small Dental Corps team of four under Captain Alan Cull and then Captain Colin Wilson.

The Dental Corps service in Korea was attached to 16 Field Regiment Royal New Zealand Artillery. The Dental Corps attended to New Zealand soldiers dental needs in the field at their posted positions and at Regimental Headquarters at Choksong (Gloster Valley) near the Imjin River. Dad’s service with the team is documented by Major Alan Cull and also photographed, appearing in Dental and Medical Journals.

Les applied to and stayed on for a second term of duty in Korea but was medevac’d to New Zealand late in his service.

Following his service with the New Zealand Defence Force, Les became a fireman. AWMM