d n e k e e w e th
11 -4 PM
16 March 2012, Issue 589
The Bay’s largest circulating, most read newspaper.
63,360 copies
to the homes of 157,300 residents throughout TAURANGA, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, PAPAMOA, WAIHI BEACH, KAIMAI, KATIKATI, TE PUKE, PAENGAROA, OTAMARAKAU and all RDs
quickly recaptured or shot, but John fled into the mountains where he eventually hid in a stook of grain, before being linked with the partisans. For the next week, he was guided through the mountains at night, sheltering in barns through the day, before eventually arriving back behind the Allied front. “It’s something you really don’t discuss,� says John. After the positive experience of writing about his service he encourages others to do the same.
To help mark Anzac Day this year, Bayfair shopping centre is publishing the stories of other locals involved in the services. To read more about John’s experience and his wife Noeline who waited for him, turn to page 15. Pictured: World War Two veteran John Bell and wife Noeline look over some of his war mementoes. Photo by Bruce Barnard.
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“You can’t spend three years in the forces without seeing some horrible things. War is horrible – there is no getting away from that,� says the Bethlehem 89-year-old. Decades after closing the lid on the memories, John was convinced by family to write about his World War Two service – an experience he describes as “therapeutic�.
Following basic training at Waiouru in 1941 he set sail on a big “adventure� bound for the Middle East then Italy. The reality soon hit home after landing in Italy at Taranto. Only a few weeks after arriving, soldiers from the 27th Battalion were trucked to near Aquila, where Germans were dug in defending their position. John soon found himself surrounded by Germans and captured as a prisoner – but managed to escape with others when guards were distracted by a Spitfire attack. Most were
Like all soldiers John Bell has seen the grisly side of war.
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