FATHER TED FORSMAN

Tk 1 of 7 from T 900, recorded in January 1974. TONE at the head. Fr. Ted Forsman, former chaplain with the 2nd NZEF in the Middle East during WWII, lecturer at university and parish priest at St. John's, Parnell, Auckland is interviewed about some of his experiences during the war. He recalls asking German POWs to donate blood not only for the wounded Germans but New Zealanders as well. They agreed and when asked why the answer was 'because it is completely soldierly'. He comments that this reflects the sheer consideration of others during a bloody war. He tells of meeting Rommel and his impressions of the Desert Fox, and the spirit of the New Zealand soldiers - seeing so many in varying stages of being wounded he thought of them as selfless men.