Autographs Book donated by Pauline Dobson

Favourite destinations for Marines on liberty leave were the many milk bars both in the city and smaller towns. The Sunshine Milk Bar in Levin was one such place.

Pauline Dobson who worked at the Sunshine recalls:

The Marines would come up on the train. The boozers would go across the road to the Levin Hotel and the non-drinkers came in to the milk bar.

Many of the boys seemed quite lonely. I felt sorry for them so asked my aunt who I lived with if I could bring some home for a meal. She used to read tea leaves and they loved it.

The boys loved really thick shakes. They always wanted extra malt and were happy to pay extra but the boss would hear the mixers straining and go mad at us.

I remember they would go down the road to the bakery and buy apple pies then bring them back to have with thier milk shakes.

We had real fruit ice-cream that the boss made on site. I used to tease the boys that there was real passion in the peeps of the passion fruit - it was one of their favourite flavours.

June Cooper, Dorothy Hough and Pauline Dobson (nee Douglas) - staff at the Sunshine Milk Bar

I kept an autograph book on the counter and had some of the marines who came in to sign it. After the war I had a copy of the Tarawa casualty list and I marked all those boys who had signed my book and were killed.