Wairarapa’s locally owned community newspaper
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
I N S I D E: G R E Y TO W N G O E S B AC K TO T H E N I N E T I E S P5
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E office@mastertonrentals.co.nz www.mastertonrentals.co.nz
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They were here Erin Kavanagh-Hall
erin.kavanagh-hall@age.co.nz
Eighty years ago, in the thick of World War II, a group of young American servicemen set up camp at the Solway Showgrounds in Masterton. They had arrived to recuperate after months of brutal combat in the Pacific, and to provide protection for New Zealanders during a dark and uncertain time – eventually becoming right at home in the Masterton community. Now, thanks to a local history buff, the soldiers’ presence in Wairarapa will be immortalised for generations to come. Mark Pacey, Wairarapa archivist, historian and author, is hard at work on his latest project: A monument commemorating the men of the 3rd Defense Battalion of the United States Marine Corps [USMC], stationed at Solway from February to September 1943. The memorial, to be placed at the Showgrounds near where the marines were encamped, promises to be a majestic affair: 7ft [2.1m] PHOTOS/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
tall, featuring red granite plaques inscribed with the USMC insignia, and “classical elements” not out of place in grand European cemeteries. The monument, expected to be complete by the end of winter, will be “a labour of love” for Pacey – who has taken on the responsibility of funding the project, and most of the construction work. During WWII, the US military was based in the Pacific, fighting against advancing Japanese forces – and soldiers were sent to New Zealand for short periods of “rest and relaxation”, and to train before re-entering combat. In the event of a possible attack by Japan, the USMC was also on hand to defend the country in the absence of New Zealand’s own troops, mostly stationed in Europe.
Continued on page 6 Wairarapa archivist Mark Pacey and Solway Showgrounds manager Tracey Cooper, with one of the completed plaques for the memorial to the men of the USMC. PHOTO/ERIN KAVANAGH-HALL
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