Veterans proud to share their stories

ROYAL CONNECTION: Wanganui war veteran Ken Newton shows Prince Harry the picture of the prince's great-grandfather, King George VI, meeting crew of HMNZS Achilles. Mr Newton got to chat with the King and yesterday the connection was revived after 70 years. PHOTO/MARTY MELVILLE 14052015WCSUPPOOL2

It was a handshake that spanned almost 70 years when navy veteran Ken Newton met Prince Harry in Wanganui yesterday.

Mr Newton, 95, was an able seaman on the HMNZS Achilles involved in the Battle of the River Plate in September 1939, the first naval battle of World War II.

His ship, along with HMS Exeter and Ajax, fought the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee off the Argentinian coast. The damaged German ship struggled into Montevideo port and was scuttled by her captain.

Later King George VI visited the Achilles and made a point of speaking to the ship's ratings, including Mr Newton.

And yesterday the royal connection was revived at the veterans' lunch at Wanganui's War Memorial Centre when the late King's great-grandson and the war veteran shook hands.

Later Mr Newton remembered meeting King George VI on the deck of the Achilles at Scapa Flow but remembered that royal visit as "a bit of a cock-up".

"I was just a silly basket from Wanganui Tech but they fouled up the way the King was reviewing the ranks and he didn't go the way the officers planned. I was going to stay below decks but was ordered on deck.

"So I ended up having a chat with him. Nothing serious, really, just idle talk, but it was a lot of fun," he said.

Yesterday Mr Newton had a photo with him showing the King inspecting the crew, and he was able to share that memory with Prince Harry when he stopped at his table.

About 100 veterans were seated at tables around the hall with one spare chair at each, reserved for the honoured guest. And Prince Harry didn't disappoint, making a point of chatting amiably with nearly all of them before his timetable meant he had to leave.

Image 1 of 18: Prince Harry at Putiki Marae.

Before meeting the veterans the Prince toured the ground floor of the centre and was shown exhibits that recorded Wanganui's contribution and involvement in conflicts.

But his personality shone and everyone who met him carried the same memory as Vietnam veteran John Hammond of Wanganui.

"Prince Harry's a damn good bloke. He was very approachable, easy to talk to, and he took a genuine interest in every one of us," Mr Hammond said.

"He'd look at our medals, talk to us about the campaigns we'd been in and how long our tours of duty were. He knew about the Vietnam fiasco and the way things went there but he said, 'You did your job and you did it well'.

"He's just a relaxed, easy-going guy. I'm so glad I got here for this and very proud, to be honest," Mr Hammond said.

Jack Wakefield was a tailgunner in a Wellington bomber in No75 Squadron during World War II. In all he flew 66 missions, half of them were over Europe and the rest in the Middle East.

"I left here with 23 mates and only four of us came back," Mr Wakefield said.

Another who chatted with Prince Harry said the royal visitor was as he expected.

"All servicemen are the same. They've been around and have roughed it. They know each other and he knew us because he's one of us."

While Prince Harry did his table-hopping, Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae and his wife Lady Janine were doing the same, chatting with veterans as afternoon tea was served.

And local chef Joe Power made sure the finger food had a distinctive Kiwi flavour. His creations included small lamb and kumara cottage pies and mini pavlovas decorated with kiwifruit.

After an hour and a half with the veterans, Prince Harry moved out of the hall to be greeted with the cheers of a crowd of several thousand on the forecourt.

He shook countless hands and made a special effort to chat to the children, often squatting down to their level.

And even when the heavens opened during the walkabout, the fifth in line to the throne refused the umbrella offered by his equerry.

"He does that every time," the equerry said. "If the crowd can stand in the rain for him, he's certainly not going to shelter under an umbrella."