By JO-MARIE BROWN
In 1951, Colin Stanbridge planned to celebrate Anzac Day in Korea by cracking open a beer. Instead, he found himself fighting alongside Australian troops, experiencing battle first-hand.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the start of the Korean War but for Mr Stanbridge, of Castor Bay, memories of
Australian and New Zealand troops fighting together remain vivid.
He was one of 6000 Kiwis sent to Korea between 1950 and 1957 in support of the United Nations effort to defend the Republic of Korea from Chinese forces.
A gun position officer, Mr Stanbridge and his field regiment found themselves in direct artillery support of Australian troops attacked at Kapyong, just north of Seoul, on April 23, 1951.
"Prior to that we had been planning a celebration for Anzac Day. There was no indication that we were going to be swamped by the Chinese," he said.
"A Turkish brigade had arrived in Korea by then and we had fondly imagined that the Australian and New Zealand brigades would get together with the Turks to have a parade and a few beers.
"But the Chinese put a stop to that. Once the battle started we forgot all about Anzac Day."
After three days of heavy artillery fire, the 12,000 Commonwealth troops were forced to retreat from the 60,000 Chinese.
Of the 60 men Mr Stanbridge led, one, an officer, was killed and three were wounded. In total, 43 New Zealanders died fighting in the Korean War.
Anzac Day always takes Mr Stanbridge back to the Kapyong battle, the first major incident in Korea involving New Zealand troops. "I remember how damn cold Korea was, how our equipment and clothing wasn't really adequate for what we were committed to, and most of all I remember my mates."
The Korean War tended to be forgotten on Anzac Day because other wars overshadowed the small-scale New Zealand involvement, Mr Stanbridge said.
"Because it came so soon after the Second World War, Korea, and more particularly New Zealand's part in it, seemed quite small. Then we also had the Vietnam War portrayed on television every night, so it does get forgotten about.
"But it is significant because it was the first time the United Nations acted collectively to oppose outright aggression, so Anzac Day is an important day for the Korean veterans and for New Zealand as a nation."
