Radius Residential Care

ANZAC Day marks a special day for Radius Taupaki Gables rest home resident William (Billy) Morel as he remembers those he went into battle with during World War II and who didn’t make it out.

It’s also a time for reflection as Billy recalls he himself very nearly didn’t make it back to New Zealand shores when he was badly wounded on the front lines.

The scars Billy bears are both physical and mental and every ANZAC Day he remembers his friends who fought and died alongside him on the front lines.

The 86 year old former war veteran now resides at Radius Taupaki Gables hospital where they take good care of him and his old battle wounds. To commemorate ANZAC Day Radius rest home staff have arranged for Billy to attend the Waitakere RSA service on Sunday 25 April.

At the tender age of 17 yrs Billy was one of New Zealand’s youngest members to sign with the army in 1941 and consequently embarked on the biggest battle of his life and for his nation. Billy served in the Army’s 24th Battalion regiment and braced front line warfare fighting the Germans in Italy and later served in Japan.

“I remember the day when I and 10 other soldiers were all badly wounded by the Germans. It was a hell of day and we were under attack from rocket propelled grenades. We saw what was about to happen and all ran back to the safe house desperately cramming in through the door. But none of us escaped injury”, says Billy who received horrendous shrapnel wounds all over his back.

“They transported me by American Free Ambulance to the south of Italy and I’ve never experienced such pain in all my life”, says Billy who has the scars to prove it. Unable to return to the front lines following two months recovery in hospital, Billy instead became a steward assisting senior officers based in Japan until the end of the war.

Billy then returned to NZ to milk cows on the family dairy farm at Waihi and later married and had four children.

Always upbeat and with a ready laugh, Billy is happy to share his war time stories but admits it was a difficult time where you couldn’t forge lasting friendships because more often than not your new mate did not make it back from the battle lines. And those are the people Billy and others will be remembering this ANZAC Day.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Linda Venables
Facility Manager Radius Taupaki Rest Home Hospital
Ph 412 6800
Cell 021 524 128
linda.venables@rrcl.co.nz