New Zealand in the Korean War

After some debate, on 26 July 1950, the Government of New Zealand announced it would raise a volunteer military force to serve with UN forces in Korea, just over a month after the start of the war. By 28 July 1950 there was 3,074 men that enlisted to serve in Korea, with numbers increasing to 5,982 by 5 August 1950 when recruitment ceased. The government raised what was known as Kayforce, a 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, which also included 10 Company, Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps and 'Charlie' Troop of the NZ Corps of Signals, overall a total of 1,100 men in the first deployment. New Zealanders had many reasons for wanting to volunteer for service in Korea. Among these was the opportunity to travel overseas to new and exciting places. Although overshadowed by 16 Field Regiment RNZA's contribution to the 1950–54 Korean War, New Zealand also contributed 10 Company, RNZASC as part of Kayforce. They totaled 408 personnel of all ranks and would serve with distinction in Korea from 1951 until 1956 as part of the 1st Commonwealth Division. Following the armistice, RNZN deployments continued, together with Army support elements until 1957 as Kayforce was gradually reduced in size. The majority of Kayforce had returned to New Zealand by 1955, though it was not until 27 July 1957 that the last New Zealand soldiers left Korea. A single New Zealand military liaison officer on the Commonwealth Liaison Mission, Korea, remained in the country until 1971. In total forty-five men died during the seven year period of conflict, thirty-three of which were killed in action. Many were eventually buried at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, South Korea. Other casualties included 79 wounded and 1 taken prisoner. The prisoner, Norman Graeme Garland, from Cambridge, Waikato, was held in North Korea for eighteen months and repatriated after the armistices. Further RNZN Loch class frigates joined these later – HMNZ Rotoiti, HMNZ Hawea, HMNZ Taupo and HMNZ Kaniere, as well as a number of smaller craft. A New Zealand Army artillery lieutenant was attached to a USAF tactical control unit as an observer in light aircraft. New Zealand born Alan Boxer, later a British air marshal, flew B-29 Superfortress missions on USAF attachment. One New Zealander flying in Korea as a lieutenant in the British Royal Navy from HMS Ocean, Cedric Macpherson, was killed on 11 February 1953 when his Hawker Sea Fury was shot down by ground fire. Five New Zealanders took part in Royal Australian Navy missions over Korea from the Australian carrier HMAS Sydney. Some of these pilots were former RNZAF members, others joining directly the British and Australian forces. == Perceptions of Korea ==

New Zealand service people knew very little about Korea before arriving to serve. Many New Zealanders who volunteered, did so for the sense of adventure and opportunity to travel overseas. Due to the language barriers between English speaking New Zealanders and Korean speaking locals, Kayforce members had very little friendship with the South Korean people. The incredibly cold temperatures in Korea's winter were felt by members of the Kayforce. The New Zealand Army uniform was not equipped for the freezing conditions and Kayforce men were urged to borrow warmer clothing from their Allied troops (Canada, Britain and America) until more appropriate clothes were sent from New Zealand. == Kayforce figures ==

Alan Cull Born on 28 March 1924 in Palmerston North, Alan Cull was the Kayforce Dentist. Studying dentistry at the University of Otago, Cull later worked at Wellington Hospital before joining the army as a reserve dental officer in the Territorial Dental Corps. His enlistment was appealed by his employer, Wellington Hospital Board, but was later withdrawn. Cull left Wellington on 10 December 1950 on the Ormonde. Cull arrived on 31 December to freezing temperatures in Pusan and worked out of old schoolhouses, tents and trucks. Cull became lead of 2 Mobile Dental Unit in the territorials and was appointed major, treating the local Korean people when he could. This position required Mackley to travel between Korea to photograph and then to the Kayforce base in Kure, Japan to process and print film. After the Korean War, Mackley continued photographing, working for the Evening Post for 35 years and became President of the Wellington branch of the Korean Veterans Association. Laurence (Laurie) Valentine Born in 1928 in Milson Palmerston North, Valentine volunteered to join the Kayforce after a friend had informed him he was joining. He left Wellington on 10 December 1950 onboard the Ormonde. Laurie died in January 2012 at age 83. John Christophers Born 15 February 1924 in Dunedin, John Christophers came from a family of military service. The Christophers family lost four men in WWI, a book was written based on their story titled, Poppy Boys by Lynley Dear. Due to airsickness, Christophers was unable to continue flying and instead moved to administrative work at the Royal New Zealand Air Force stations in Fiji and Tonga. Due to a background in plumbing, Hall was posted to the engineers of which there was about 12-15. The group later worked with both the Canadian and British 55 Field Squadron Royal Engineers. Hall laid and disarmed minefields, and was given an MID (mentioned in dispatches) for his minefield work. Kemp recalls reuniting in Korea with his brother, Sydney Kemp, after 20 years after finding out he was stationed at a neighbouring camp. Kemp was a gunner for Able Troop, 161 Battery and recalls the camaraderie within New Zealand forces between Māori and Pākehā in the Kayforce. Eventually enlisting successfully, Keiha travelled alongside troops from the Commonwealth, he recalls being the only New Zealander on board. He arrived in Seoul nearing the tail end of the war, on 3 July 1953 and was only in action for 24 days. Keiha stayed in Korea after the armistice was announced, joining the George Troop and working to build roads with a bulldozer until New Zealand troops were withdrawn in 1954. Richard (Dick) Horner Born in New Plymouth in 1926, Horner was a driver and mechanic in the workshop platoon, 10 company in the RNZASC. He was part of Jayforce as a signaller for two years before joining the Kayforce in 1951. Horner later flew to Japan then travelled by boat to Korea. He travelled on board the Australian MS Wanganella to Sydney, then on the troopship Devonshire to Korea. He recalls shelling enemy trains in tunnels and exploding bridges. Garland died on 5 March 1988 at age 60. == Killed in Action ==

Robert Marchioni Robert Marchioni joined the Royal New Zealand Navy on 13 October 1949 at 17 years old. He was promoted to able seaman on 13 April 1951 and embarked on HMNZS Rotoiti to Korea. On 26 August 1951 Marchioni was killed in action during a raid behind enemy lines. His friends attempted take his body back to the ship, but were unable, instead covering his body in rocks with plans to retrieve it the next day. However the mission to retrieve his body was deemed to dangerous and not authorised, his body was never recovered. Marchioni was the only RNZN fatality during the Korean War. Second Lieutenant Dennis Fielden Dennis Fielden was born 17 November 1918 in England and moved to New Zealand two years prior to his enlistment to Korea. He was commissioned into the Kayfoce after graduating the O.C.T.U at Waiouru. Prior to his service in Korea he has served in an anti-aircraft battery in France, in the Royal Air Force after the Dunkirk evacuation, later flying a tank-busting aircraft in the Middle East, Italy and Yugoslavia and later served with the RAF in Palestine. He was killed in action on 24 April 1951 at the Battle of Kapyong. Part of the 16th New Zealand Field Regiments, Fielden was attacked by Chinese troops. Fielden was buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Busan. Korean War Roll of Honour This lists the New Zealanders that were killed in action during the Korean War. == Cultural exchanges ==

During the Korean War, it is recorded that New Zealand soldiers taught the local South Koreans the Māori love song, Pōkarekare Ana. It was later translated to Korean and named, Yeon-ga (Korean: 연가). It is still noted to be a popular song among the older generation in South Korea. Close to 15%, about seventy-eight, of Kayforce members were Māori and unlike World War II, there was no racial separation in place between Māori and Pākeha. These locals also helped carry ammunition and supplies in between units, at times risking their lives. Many New Zealand soldiers felt great sadness for the Korean people, once face to face with the reality of their living conditions and extreme poverty. == Impact & legacy ==

The Korean War was noted to have had an incidental but significant economic impact on New Zealand. On the outbreak of war in 1950, the United States were urged to purchase vast quantities of wool. These large amounts of wool were not for uniforms but were strategic stockpiles kept in reserve in case the conflict worsened. The New Zealand wool boom skyrocketed New Zealand to the third largest wool producer in the world. During the Korean War, everyday New Zealanders were not impacted by the plight of restrictions or the societal expectation to support the war effort, that came with World War I & II. In turn, the ramifications were less obvious in New Zealand society. That along with the low casualty rate and the lack of threat to New Zealand made New Zealanders disconnected from the conflict. Again, in 2023, marking the 70th anniversary, five veterans and their families travelled to Korea and were hosted for a week. This included a visit to the Korean Demilitarised Zone, Korean War Memorial and the United Nations Memorial Ceremony. File:KOCIS KoreanWar Veterans Korea 20130726 06 (9376557784).jpg|New Zealand Korean War veterans at the National Cemetery of Korea to mark the 60th anniversary of the Armistice of the Korean War. 2013 File:KOCIS KoreanWar Veterans Korea 20130726 07 (9373775955).jpg|Prime Minister John Key and New Zealand veterans of the Korean War visit the National Cemetery of Korea. 2013 File:KOCIS KoreanWar Veterans Korea 20130726 01 (9376560142).jpg|The National Cemetery of Korea, marking the 60th anniversary of the Armistice of the Korean War. 2013 File:뉴질랜드 참전용사 방문 (7445438842).jpg|New Zealand veterans at 60th anniversary of the Korean War. 2013 Memorials In 1989, the inscriptions of the Korean Roll of Honour were added to Auckland War Memorial Museum's Hall of Memories. In 1992 a Korean War Memorial Stone was unveiled in Auckland's Dove-Myer Robinson Park as a gift from the people of South Korea to New Zealand. Then, in 2005 a New Zealand Memorial Korea was opened. The New Zealand memorial is made of marble sourced from the Coromandel Peninsula and was designed by Warren and Mahoney. File:Commonwealth forces monument at Kapyong.jpg|The Korean War Participation Monument Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, 1967. File:Wall of Remembrance in the UN Memorial Cemetery at Busan 2.jpg|Wall of Remembrance in the UN Memorial Cemetery at Busan File:Korea Malaya Borneo.jpg|Memorial to those who died in Korea, Malaya and Borneo at Auckland War Memorial Museum. == See also ==

• The Korean War and the UN Forces - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2015 (E-BOOK) • The Korean War and the UN Forces - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2015 (PDF) • The Statistics of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (E-BOOK) • The Statistics of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (PDF) • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1998 (E-BOOK) • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1998 (PDF) • The Summary of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1986 (PDF) • The History of the Korean War-11: The UN Forces (New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Denmark, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1980 (E-BOOK) • The History of the Korean War-11: The UN Forces (New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Denmark, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1980 (PDF)