A String of Pearls

by Joan Ellis

Stories from US Marines & New Zealand women remembering WWII

277 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

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Reviews

[Pip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of reminiscences of the time U.S. Marines spent in New Zealand during World War 2 is a charming memory of the time. Most of the Marines enjoyed hospitality from families who would invite them home for Sunday roasts (some said that they never ate mutton again) despite rationing being in place at the time. The Marines had been through the battles of Guadacanal and most were suffering from malaria and malnutrition so it was understandable that most of their memories were about food. They were intrigued by the quaint custom of stopping for morning and afternoon tea, by 6 o'clock closing and the antiquated steam trains which they used to get into the city from Paekakariki. They loved milk, steak and eggs and New Zealand girls, Most of them arrived in February 1943 and sailed out for the battles of Tarawa and eventually Okinawa on the 31st October 1943. Local women lamented how empty and grey Wellington felt as their battleships sailed away.