US Marine Corps Page 2 |
| LASTING IMPRESSIONS There was strict security at the camps. Even the New Zealand press could not publish their existence until a year after their establishment. The Marines themselves were not allowed to tell family and friends in the United States where they were. The United States Marines were based at Queen Elizabeth Park until November 1943 and left lasting impressions on those they encountered. More than 500 Wellington women married Marines and left for the United States of America at the end of World War 2. By the end of the War, in 1945, nearly 400,000 United States Servicemen had passed through New Zealand Camps on their way to reclaim the Pacific Islands from the Japanese forces. Today all that remains of the camp at Queen Elizabeth Park is an old bottle dump, a water reservoir, an unused sewage treatment plant and fragments of the accommodation and training areas throughout the Park. The presence of the United States Marines at Queen Elizabeth Park is acknowledged by the Memorial gates at the Mackays Crossing entrance, built in 1962. The year 1992 saw the 50th Anniversary of the United States forces in New Zealand. Celebrations were held nation-wide, including the unveiling of the plaque at Queen Elizabeth Park. From Wellington Regional Council Publication No WRC/REC-G-94/33 |
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Camp MacKay (Top) and camp Russell. |
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