<I>

  <&>Wellington Corpus of Spoken New Zealand English Version One</&>
  <&>Copyright 1998 School of Linguistics & Applied Language Studies</&>
  <&>Victoria University of Wellington</&>

  <&>side one</&>
  <&>0:34</&>
  

  <WSC#DPH001:0005:XT>
      do you remember

  <WSC#DPH001:0010:SS>
      <O>voc</O>

  <WSC#DPH001:0015:XT>
      how you felt when you first came back to new zealand

  <WSC#DPH001:0020:SS>
      yes <{><[>i do</[>

  <WSC#DPH001:0025:XT>
      <[>being on land</[></{> from the <,> from the ship

  <WSC#DPH001:0030:SS>
      i do

  <WSC#DPH001:0035:SS>
      i remember that that i was i was very confused <,> er when i
      landed back and it took me quite some time to get things in any
      sort of perspective at all er

  <WSC#DPH001:0040:SS>
      the only place that i felt at home was in a pub when i got half
      full of beer you know er then then you know you relaxed you see
      but i i i when i come back i <&>1:00</&> found it very hard to
      reLATE to to to to to the er er to the environment that i had to
      <.>come</.> that i had to take a part in or be part of you see

  <WSC#DPH001:0045:SS>
      i found it very hard to relate to my parents

  <WSC#DPH001:0050:SS>
      they were very patient with me for impatient people they i
      looking back i find that my parents were VERY patient with me
      with my drinking and and and fighting around the place

  <WSC#DPH001:0055:SS>
      i was a quarrelsome young man i'm still a quarrelsome old man er
      not that i <.>real</.> under certain circumstances but i was
      very quarrelsome young man and and i must have been a
      considerable TRIAL to my parents

  <WSC#DPH001:0060:SS>
      i lived with my parents for the first few months after i come
      home <,> and as i say they were very i'm sure i i see now that
      they were very <,> very er er er patient with me but my my
      father in the first er three months after i did er after i
      landed back he offered to put me on a farm <,> <O>tut</O>

  <WSC#DPH001:0065:SS>
      i wouldn't go and i had sense enough to realise that i didn't
      have enough stability to take these er responsibility of a farm
      <,> er and of course by the time another er couple of years had
      passed by the glamour had all worn off er you know returned
      heroes and all this sort of bull had worn off and i never got
      the opportunity again <,> not in that direction <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0070:SS>
      er we ALL drank as er as my wife will tell you we all drank
      TERRIFICALLY <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0075:SS>
      we did nothing else but DRINK drink drink drank ourselves into
      oblivion i supPOSE <,> er even it it was preached in the <.>s</.>
      er the churches about the <.>a</.> against the drinking of the
      returned soldiers and to be a returned soldier for the first
      year or two first few years i came back was to be something that
      was no good for any bloody thing you see <,> <&>3:00</&> because
      <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0080:SS>
      that's not all but but the great majority <,> the great majority
      of us drank too much <,> <O>tut</O> and er er some of them never
      stopped <,> of course

  <WSC#DPH001:0085:XT>
      what do you put that down to

  <WSC#DPH001:0090:SS>
      oh i think it's down to relaxing relaxation letting off steam
      trying to <.>re</.> trying to er i put it now when i come to
      think of it trying to to er relieve the tension <,> relieve the
      tension

  <WSC#DPH001:0095:SS>
      er you know er the things i've been trying to get through to you
      people about er er er er the fighting on the western front and
      the life on the western front was the terrific TENSIONS you
      lived under all the time do you see <,> terrific tension

  <WSC#DPH001:0100:SS>
      now that's the that's the that's the thing i feel er was the was
      the was the biggest er factor in <.>e</.> eroding the nervous
      systems of the people that took part <,> er was the constant
      tension <,> apart from the physical hardship <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0105:SS>
      er <&>4:00</&> it was more of an emotional thing than anything
      else

  <WSC#DPH001:0110:XI>
      now the eroding of the nervous system that you refer to is shell
      shock

  <WSC#DPH001:0115:XI>
      at the time they didn't realise <,> what shell shock was but did
      you <,> as a soldier who participated <,> were you aware of <.>s</.>
      shell shock

  <WSC#DPH001:0120:SS>
      yeah <,> i was <,> i was

  <WSC#DPH001:0125:SS>
      i never had shell shock but i WAS hospitalised with concussion
      <&>pronounced as contussion</&> and burst eardrums and general
      knocked about er at one period and er <,,> er but but it didn't
      affect me like shell shock er it's never given me shakes except
      my head except when i get a bit excited i'm still quite er you
      know my nerves nervous system's quite good but er at one period
      i noticed on some of my medical papers neurasthenia was
      mentioned on it

  <WSC#DPH001:0130:SS>
      well i think we were all er the great majority of us were er to
      to a greater or lesser degree neurasthenic when we landed in
      <&>5:00</&>

  <WSC#DPH001:0135:XT>
      <.>neuras</.> <,,> were what?

  <WSC#DPH001:0140:SS>
      neurasthenic neurotic you see neurotic <,> a bit shot yeah

  <WSC#DPH001:0145:XI>
      when you got back did you feel that the general population in
      new zealand understood what the soldiers had been through
      <latch>

  <WSC#DPH001:0150:SS>
      i don't think they did

  <WSC#DPH001:0155:XI>
      why not <latch>

  <WSC#DPH001:0160:SS>
      no i don't know i don't know why too far away <,> too far away?
      but i don't think that they did <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0165:SS>
      i'm almost certain they didn't <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0170:SS>
      mind you for the first few weeks er the first few days or the
      first few weeks on the street you'd be welcomed home by people
      that you'd never er met before or never knew very WELL before
      knew of them and that

  <WSC#DPH001:0175:SS>
      they'd stop you on the streets and pat you on the back and
      welcome you home and glad to see you back and all this sort of
      thing <,> but er er i don't think <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0180:SS>
      er <,> <.>a</.> at one period <,> er on the jury system if you
      wore an r s a badge they'd immediately chuck you out

  <WSC#DPH001:0185:SS>
      they wouldn't have you on the JURY

  <WSC#DPH001:0190:XT>
      why was that <&>6:00</&>

  <WSC#DPH001:0195:SS>
      i don't know but someone told me they said you're ever called on
      the jury put on a r s a badge that's that they'd challenge it
      and you'd be chucked straight out <,> er <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0200:SS>
      um the church people didn't like us very much <.>o</.> on
      account of our drinking and our er our general dissipated way of
      living

  <WSC#DPH001:0205:SS>
      i think we were irresponsible <,> not all of us some were quite
      responsible but they were the elder men that had saved a few <,>
      er saved a had a bit of a competence before they'd gone away had
      a few <.>pou</.> perhaps a few hundred saved you see they came
      back and they were they they were <.>pre</.> they they were
      hoping to get on the land or something like that or into
      business

  <WSC#DPH001:0210:SS>
      they were all right but they were in the minority

  <WSC#DPH001:0215:SS>
      er the bulk of us just er <,> we weren't much good <,> we
      weren't much good <,> weren't much good er

  <WSC#DPH001:0220:XI>
      those were hard times were they

  <WSC#DPH001:0225:SS>
      eh?

  <WSC#DPH001:0230:XI>
      no work <&>7:00</&>

  <WSC#DPH001:0235:SS>
      they was hard times it was

  <WSC#DPH001:0240:XI>
      when you returned did you join the r s a

  <WSC#DPH001:0245:SS>
      mm?

  <WSC#DPH001:0250:XI>
      when you returned did you JOIN the <{><[>r s a</[>

  <WSC#DPH001:0255:SS>
      <[>yes yes</[></{> immediately in dannevirke all most of them
      were a foundation within the first year of a foundation member

  <WSC#DPH001:0260:XI>
      and what sort of organisation was it in those days <latch>

  <WSC#DPH001:0265:SS>
      oh it was a quite a much better than to much different to what
      it is now because it was VERY exclusive

  <WSC#DPH001:0270:SS>
      you had to be a a soldier that had served overseas to GET IN IT
      you see to join and it was a very exclusive club then and and we
      had a certain conceit of ourselves of course naturally and er er
      as the r s a <,> er returned soldiers and er <,> er although i
      was <,> i never spent any time IN the r s a buildings
      entertainment buildings myself really <,> i was always a back
      country person <,> <O>tut</O> out in the small timbers so i
      couldn't speak from the social side of the r s a at all in our
      time as compared to <,> now

  <WSC#DPH001:0275:XI>
      and what sort of welfare work did the r s a do in those years
      <&>8:00</&>

  <WSC#DPH001:0280:SS>
      er <.>prac</.> er er nil as far as i was concerned

  <WSC#DPH001:0285:SS>
      i i was caught out with i was a member of the r s a and i was
      caught out with appendicitis all of a hurry <,> in er nineteen
      <drawls>thirty four</drawls> <,> nineteen thirty four <,> and i
      was landed in hospital and i had quite a family and times were
      hard in the depression you know people a lot of destitute people
      around and <,> er the r s a just never even visited me in
      hospital <,> you see <,> and recently i i just TWO years ago
      almost to the date i've had a major operation er up here <,> and
      er <,> er major abdominal you know the usual stitched right down
      the middle and <,> bit cut out and thrown away <,> er <,,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0290:SS>
      no i no r s a i wasn't a member of the r s a then you see and as
      far as the r s a was concerned i didn't exist <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0295:SS>
      i would have appreciated it if some r s a visitors had come
      through to see me <&>9:00</&> then although i had enough
      visitors i suppose but i think the r s a is more it's more <,>
      more er er apparent than real <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0300:SS>
      do you get that

  <WSC#DPH001:0305:XT>
      how do you mean that

  <WSC#DPH001:0310:SS>
      well more apparent than real

  <WSC#DPH001:0315:SS>
      it shows up all right it sounds all right but it's not real

  <WSC#DPH001:0320:SS>
      i mean say <.>th</.> er <.>y</.> you go to scratch out the
      bottom and you find it's a bit hollow <,> you find it's a bit
      hollow

  <WSC#DPH001:0325:SS>
      you see er the the the bulk of the r s a people <,> er er <.>th</.>
      that've been at the head of the thing the dominion president and
      one or the other they they've they've been gun flinging old er
      braggos you know that want a er er want a BIG army and a BIG
      navy and a BIG this and a BIG that they want the people to
      BEGGAR themselves just to have a BIG army and a BIG navy and you
      know perfectly well if you stop to think for five minutes that
      all we can do if any big war breaks out is sit quiet and say
      NOTHING

  <WSC#DPH001:0330:SS>
      WE can't do anything to defend ourselves here nothing absolutely
      NOTHING

  <WSC#DPH001:0335:XI>
      so how do you feel about the modern the modern r s a's attitude
      to <,> issues like anzus and the <&>10:00</&> defensive policy

  <WSC#DPH001:0340:XI>
      do you think that's any of the r s a's business?

  <WSC#DPH001:0345:SS>
      i don't think that the defensive policy of the r s a or ANY
      organisation similar in the country's of ANY USE WHATSOEVER <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0350:SS>
      there you are <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#DPH001:0355:XI>
      er during the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties did you
      attend anzac day parades

  <WSC#DPH001:0360:SS>
      er er once

  <WSC#DPH001:0365:SS>
      i've only attended two parades since er the war once well i
      think the first anzac day i attended and i attended a parade on
      the first national week for the second war

  <WSC#DPH001:0370:SS>
      i've never been back since <latch>

  <WSC#DPH001:0375:XI>
      why not

  <WSC#DPH001:0380:SS>
      i don't know why <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0385:SS>
      don't ask me

  <WSC#DPH001:0390:SS>
      i don't know why

  <WSC#DPH001:0395:SS>
      it leaves me cold the same thing as i went when i went into that
      waiouru museum <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0400:SS>
      <.>i</.> it didn't leave me cold it depressed me and by the time
      i by the time i'd been there half an hour then i went and sat in
      the corner <,> and had a howl see <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0405:SS>
      do you understand

  <WSC#DPH001:0410:XT>
      can you put your finger on why that is <&>11:00</&>

  <WSC#DPH001:0415:SS>
      er no i can't er imagination

  <WSC#DPH001:0420:SS>
      <.>i</.> i might <{1><[1>be able to</[1> put my finger on why
      that is because there was one exhibit there and it was a rifle
      <,> <O>tut</O> with a fixed bayonet on it and the woodwork had
      rotted away <,> none of the woodwork left but the the action the
      arm rods were still there and they had a little placard
      underneath this rifle was picked up off the off er off the
      battlefield i i presume it was the flanders battlefield <,>
      picked up off the battlefield it had it had er <,> an <.>unexpl</.>
      a a <.>firech</.> an empty shell in the breech <,> and two
      unfired shells in the magazine <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0425:SS>
      now that <.>s</.> that that spoke a whole thing to me because
      that fellow he he'd started off that day with one up the spout
      and ten in the magazine and his fixed bayonet and er and and the
      rifle on it er the rifle cocked with the safety catch on you see

  <WSC#DPH001:0430:SS>
      that's how he'd go into battle that's how he went into battle
      <,> with the with the rifle chocker as full as he could put it
      <,> and er er one in the breech cocked with the safety
      <&>12:00</&> catch on the fixed bayonet

  <WSC#DPH001:0435:SS>
      that's how he went in

  <WSC#DPH001:0440:SS>
      well that's that rifle meant that rifle <.>t</.> sort of told
      the story for me

  <WSC#DPH001:0445:SS>
      i stood and watched i stood and looked at that rifle for i
      suppose ten minutes <,> you see <,> and then i i <.>g</.> felt i
      had to go away and have a cry you see <,> but that's just
      emotional as you get when you get older i think

  <WSC#DPH001:0450:SS>
      don't you think <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0455:SS>
      probably

  <WSC#DPH001:0460:SS>
      <{2><[2>might</[2> be seeing things clearly <,> more clearly

  <WSC#DPH001:0465:XT>
      <[1><O>coughs</O></[1></{1>

  <WSC#DPH001:0470:XT>
      <[2><.>di</.></[2></{2>

  <WSC#DPH001:0475:XT>
      so did you feel that i mean for other people for the general
      population the museum is not a good thing or <{><[><,> <?>you
      know</?> general</[>

  <WSC#DPH001:0480:SS>
      <[>oh well i wouldn't say</[></{> that i would say it it's
      fantastic really <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0485:SS>
      it IS fantastic really but you see now you take it er you'll
      you'll see that Lewis gun sitting there in that little trench

  <WSC#DPH001:0490:SS>
      you've been there <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0495:SS>
      that little trench they've got they took me along they said now
      what do you think of that <,> that that trench

  <WSC#DPH001:0500:SS>
      well i said well yes it it it IS <&>13:00</&> and it ISN'T it IS
      and it ISN'T you see

  <WSC#DPH001:0505:SS>
      you CAN'T the SMELL'S not there the NOISE is not there you CAN'T
      hear the rattle of the machine gun or the or the odd crack of
      the rifle or the smell of high explosive or anything like that

  <WSC#DPH001:0510:SS>
      you CAN'T put that in a museum you see so er er you've got to
      you see an eighteen pounder was there and my wife and i stood
      beside that eighteen pounder and i said well what do you think
      of it

  <WSC#DPH001:0515:SS>
      well of course eighteen pounder didn't mean a thing to her

  <WSC#DPH001:0520:SS>
      well that was our main field gun as you know going into this
      research er <,> that eighteen pounder you see to you <,> YOU
      couldn't hear that eighteen pounder and action the bark and
      CRACK of that eighteen pounder when it was fired and YOU
      couldn't see the gunners there as i've seen them when i've <.>been</.>
      i was a company runner at one period taking messages and one
      thing and another you couldn't see the gunners <.>sh</.>
      stripped down to their shirt sleeves swearing and cursing and
      going on and the gun <.>tr</.> trail getting down on the soft
      ground and getting off the target and <&>14:00</&> backing us up
      and and they knew the infantry's in trouble up above because
      they'd have all the messages coming down you see for more guns
      more guns more guns more guns you see passchendaele and i er er
      just looking at that eighteen pounder you couldn't SEE that you
      couldn't HEAR that but i COULD <,> see

  <WSC#DPH001:0525:XT>
      so people can never get the right impression is that what you're
      saying from that <loudly>people can never get the right</loudly>
      <{><[><,> impression</[>

  <WSC#DPH001:0530:SS>
      <[>no not quite</[></{> not quite <{><[>no</[>

  <WSC#DPH001:0535:XT>
      <[>however</[></{> much it's <{><[>explained or</[>

  <WSC#DPH001:0540:SS>
      <[>no</[></{> no i don't think so <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0545:SS>
      one old lady who was a party with a few old women she heard me
      explaining something to my wife and she said she wanted me to
      come round and and try and explain things to HER you see to
      these old people and didn't er you know couldn't quite grasp
      what it er they could see it but couldn't er er get their teeth
      into it so to speak <,> but it IS fantastic and very nicely laid
      out that sort of thing but of course a lot is missed out <,> a
      lot is missed out <&>15:00</&>

  <WSC#DPH001:0550:XI>
      do you remember how you felt when world war two broke out

  <WSC#DPH001:0555:SS>
      when i what

  <WSC#DPH001:0560:XI>
      do you remember how you felt when world war two broke out

  <WSC#DPH001:0565:SS>
      yes i do <,>

  <WSC#DPH001:0570:SS>
      had i been had i been at a loose end like you i'd have
      immediately went away to world war two

  <WSC#DPH001:0575:XI>
      so you'd have gone away again

  <WSC#DPH001:0580:SS>
      yes i would've er

  <WSC#DPH001:0585:SS>
      i i <.>thou</.> we thought it over but er but i had too many <.>t</.>
      dependants and the army wouldn't accept my dependants and i
      would've er willingly gone to world war two NOT for the sake of
      the shooting or anything like that but for the sake of just the
      general atmosphere of the whole thing you see <&>15:38</&>
</I>
