US Armed Forces in wartime Te Awamutu?

[Dave Homewood]

Does anyone know whether US forces were based in or near Te Awamutu in WWII?

Apparently New Zealand built a Stores Depot for the Americans but they rejected it, and so the RNZAF took it over and it became No. 4 Stores Depot, RNZAF.

But why did they need a stores depot built there? Was there a US camp nearby?

(I know US troops were based in Cambridge by the way at one stage, camped for some time on Leamington Domain as it happens)

[steve]

Dave ..I have found no evidence of basically US forces station outside Northland,Greater Auckland and Wellington on a permenant basis (other than exercise etc). For example there was no US| basis in the south Island. Lemington Park ..I suppose near the present holiday camp...any pictures?.....This may be of interest...Matatmata aerodrome although grass strip was reinforced for B17 bombers in the same fashion as the unused airfield near Chistchurch(forget the name )

Waikato area would have been a fall back region if the main thrusts from the Japs came from the north...one of the reasons Mill Road was constructed by the Yanks heading south passed ardmore etc in case the great south road was to congested with vehicles panic etc...

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Steve. I didn't think the US had permanent bases outside the provinces you mentioned. The info on the Te Awamutu facility comes from the RNZAF Official History by J.M.S. Ross, so must be right.

I wonder if it was intended as stores for the US in the case of invasion as it's a central point to fall back to. No point falling back if invasion came and having no stores to keep you going. Perhaps the Yanks rejected it purely on the fact the threat was over by the time it was built?

I didn't realise RNZAF Station Waharoa at Matamata was a strengthened runway like RNZAF Station Te Pirita. There were just a few RNZAF staff stationed at Waharoa permanently as it was kept as an emergency airfield, so I guess it makes sense.

As for Yanks in Cambridge, I guess they were on excercises but it seems from what I'm told they camped here for some time. There werel NZ army bases in Cambridge, both the Racecourse and Hautapu became big Army camps in both World Wars. And also the Army Harvesters were based in Cambridge.

My mate Ross Paton was a kid in WWII and he told me about the Yanks being camped at Leamington Domain, which is indeed just north of the camping ground. He said his uncle owned a farm just on the Carlyle Street greenbelt on the edge of Leamington, and as he had a large pool he offered to the Yanks to come and use it for recreation. As it was summer, they American soldiers would form up and march down to the farm each afternoon for a swim. Ross said the kids, including him, all followed them, as they were big heroes to them. He reckoned they dropped stuff all the time and the kids were always picking up bits of equipment from these marches. He picked up a field service hat which he still has today.

I've heard other stories of Americans in town too.

[steve]

Yeap the stories from the guys and girls present at the time is really interesting...The yanks were different...and i suppose the interest...and their presence here some what forgotten until the late 1980s. In 1943 many american units came back to NZ for R& R after the horrors of the pacific war...and some went to country hospitals like Raventhorpe( Old SH1 past drury).....back to Cambridge...Was that mountain top hospital with the open huts south of the Racecourse in use in WW2?....

[Dave Homewood]

The hospital you refer to is on Maungakawa Hill, also known as Sanitoriam Hill. It was burned down between the wars. It had been used as a military hospital and convalescent home in WWI (originally it was a hospital for TB patients before WWI). Only one tiny concrete building exists nowadays, all else was gone decades ago sadly. It was a lovely old building, would have made a great hotel. Thankfully the whole place was bought by a good man, Mr gudex, who turned it into a park and left it to the people of Cambridge in his will so we all enjoy it as a park now.

Here's a really old postcard of the place, not a great angle for showing the main building's grandeur though

[steve]

Thanks Dave for that...fasinating...I visited the site about five years ago and noted the concreate founations...I really enjoy going to such historic locations with pictures of then and now ...the pictures I had only showed the opening small huts...thanks again