Central Hawke’s Bay reminded to celebrate WWII veterans living among them

Maitland Manning QSM (back) with three of Central Hawke's Bay's WWII veterans (from left): Jack McCleary QSM, Wally Malcolm and Ken Scheele. Photo / Paul Taylor

As Anzac Day approaches and the Central Hawke’s Bay district prepares to mark it with 10 Anzac Day services, one Returned and Services’ Association (RSA) life member wants people to be aware of the history of some of CHB’s resident war veterans.

“There are war veterans living amongst us who served at home and overseas during WWII, risking life and limb to ensure that you and I and our children would have a safe future,” says Maitland Manning, QSM, retired president of the Waipawa and Districts RSA, who will be a speaker at Waipawa’s Anzac Day service.

Maitland cites three examples of local WWII veterans - one who risked radiation poisoning to keep law and order in the rubble that had once been Hiroshima, one who fought chronic sea sickness every day of his war service on a minesweeper, and one who survived a German POW camp.

Ken Scheele - Signalman, NZ Army - is now 97 years old. He joined the Home Guard when he was still at school, then in 1947, volunteered to join the Occupational Forces relieving the 4000 J Force troops stationed in Japan. He and his fellow soldiers sailed to Hiroshima on a troop ship called the Durnera - 2400 troops on a ship designed to carry 400 passengers. They berthed in a city reduced to rubble. After one and a half years, Ken came home among the last of the occupational forces to leave.

On Anzac Day, Ken will be wearing his medals: the New Zealand Defence Force Medal, New Zealand Occupational Service Medal and the New Zealand Campaign Medal for Occupied Service in Japan.

Jack McCleary QSM served in the Royal New Zealand Navy with the 7th Trawler Group in the 25th Minesweeping Flotilla, attempting to find and destroy the 228 mines laid between the Hauraki Gulf and Bream Head in 1940 by the German raider Orion.

Initially aboard the minesweeping trawler HMNZS Scarba, Jack suffered chronic sea sickness from his first day at sea. not helped by the “atrocious” meals.

Jack was delegated by the crew to lay a complaint about the meals, which led to him being charged with inciting a mutiny. He was court marshalled and sent back to sea on the HMNZS Waima - a much smaller trawler (Danlayer), and he remained seasick for the rest of the war.

Jack, now aged 97, was awarded the Naval General Service Medal, the War Medal 1935 - 1949, the NZ War Service Medal, the NZ Defence Service Medal and the NZ Defence Service Medal.

Wally Malcolm, now aged 102, left New Zealand in December of 1942, an infantryman in the 25th Battalion. He was on the RMS Aquitania along with 5400 fellow Kiwis, bound for Cairo.

He was sent to Tripoli and Tunisia, back to Tripoli transporting German and Italian prisoners, then back to Cairo for more training with his division before seeing his first action at Taranto, when the platoon was fired on by a German machinegun nest.

The platoon then suffered casualties from a minefield, before being sent to carry out surveillance on the town of Orsogna, which was supposedly free of Germans. There, the platoon came under fire from the 26th Panzer Division as well as sniper fire.

Taking shelter, the platoon were fired on by a tank, killing some and winding others. Those remaining surrendered and were taken prisoner, before being transported to a POW camp on the outskirts of Munich.

Wally and his fellow prisoners were liberated by the Americans on May 8, 1945. Wally returned to New Zealand via England, aboard the RMS Mauritania.

Wally will parade on Anzac Day wearing his medals: The New Zealand Defence Service Medal, New Zealand Operational Service Medal, the Africa Star, the Italy Star and the War Medal 1939 - 1945.