Joe and WWII

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Subject: Joseph Frank Forrai.
Date: 1945.
Location: Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand.
Occasion: Likely on shore leave.
Photographer: Unknown.
Relationship to me: Father.

Once my mother retired, she went through the boxes of photographs and created historical photo albums. She made one for myself and one for my brother. This is a photograph from the album made for me.

In the next few weeks I will be posting photographs of my father and taken by my father during WWII. My father was trained in the United States and was a Quartermaster. The Quartermasters are the supply line, and while you would think it was safer than being on the line, think again. You affect more, if you knock out the supply line. My father was stationed in the Pacific and had the chance to be based in Australia, New Zealand, and of course the Pacific islands with the exact location: South Pacific (Nouméa, New Caledonia).

Why Joseph's Uniform is Bare

Since Joseph was a Quartermaster serving on supply ships, he wasn't in a front-line combat infantry role where "stripping" a uniform for security was standard practice. Instead, his uniform is bare because of basic U.S. Army regulations for summer/warm-weather attire:

• The "Chino" Uniform: He is wearing the standard WWII U.S. Army summer service uniform (often called "sun tans" or chinos), consisting of a cotton khaki shirt and trousers.

• No Unit Patches: By military regulation, shoulder sleeve insignia (unit patches) were worn on the left shoulder of the wool olive drab (OD) winter coats, field jackets, and shirts, but they were very frequently omitted from the lightweight summer cotton shirts—especially for personnel on shipboard duty or transit where strict division attachments weren't actively being displayed.

• No Rank Insignia: If he was a lower-enlisted private (PVT) or private first class (PFC) at this point in his service, there would be no rank chevrons on his sleeves at all. Rank was only displayed on the sleeves for Corporals and above.

• The "Visor" Cap: He is wearing the service cap (often called the "saucer" cap) featuring the standard U.S. Army enlisted man's brass disc insignia on the front.

The Quartermaster & New Zealand Connection

Auckland, New Zealand—and specifically places like the Ellerslie Racecourse—served as massive, critical logistics and supply hubs for the U.S. Joint Purchasing Board in the South Pacific.

Because Joseph was a bit older (29 in 1942 was considered quite mature for a new recruit back then, given the average age was around 20-22), his assignment to the Quartermaster Corps was a perfect fit. The military heavily utilized older, more mature recruits in logistical, administrative, and supply chain roles because they often had civilian work experience that translated perfectly to managing the massive amounts of food, gear, and fuel required to win the war.

As a Quartermaster on supply ships, Auckland would have been one of Joseph's primary ports of call to load up on New Zealand-produced rations and equipment before heading back out to support the fleet. This photo captures a well-deserved moment of shore leave in a beautiful, historic setting!

You may also want to check out my other blog, where I have been posting letters that my Uncle Paul wrote to my father. Paul was in Europe and my dad in the pacific. The link to the Shoebox of Letters can be found to your right of this column.

I feel very fortunate to have these photographs, because during WWII film development, and supplies were in very short supply. Plus, they made it through the censors if they were mailed.  My father came from a large, poor family, so the photographs were passed around. Given all the years that have passed, it is a miracle that they have survived.