Alan Hunter Cull
Bio
Alan Hunter Cull was born on March 28, 1924, in Palmerston North, New Zealand. After finishing high school, he looked for work and found a chance to study dentistry through the health department. He worked as a dentist for the Wellington Hospital Board before joining the military. While serving with the Rural New Zealand Dental Corps, he volunteered to go to Korea when the war began. He had never been overseas before and wanted an adventure. He sailed to Korea on the SS Ormonde and arrived just after Christmas in 1950. As Captain of the Mobile Dental Unit, he was based at the New Zealand headquarters but mostly worked with the 16th Field Regiment. In May 1951, the Weekly News published a photo of him inspecting a soldier’s teeth. In June 1953, the MBE London Gazette recognized him for outstanding service with the mobile dental unit, Kayforce. He left Korea in January 1953 after serving for twenty-five months. When he returned to Korea in 1995, he was amazed by the country’s progress and recovery since the war. He felt proud to have served both his country and the Korean people.
Video Clips
Friendships Forged in War
Alan Cull talks about the downside of going home from war. He discusses the excitement of returning home being overshadowed by the separation from the comrades he worked so closely with for many months and how he missed the friendships. He mentions that it took three weeks by ship to reach Korea and only three hours to fly home.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WveUr0R0sOs&start=1428&end=1503
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/alan-hunter-cull#clip-1
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Meeting Queen Elizabeth
Alan Cull remembers his shock upon receiving a telegram requesting his presence at a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth in which she presented a medal for his service. He recalls how beautiful she was and that it was her first trip to New Zealand as Queen. He discusses the Tangiwai rail disaster having just occurred and how Prince Phillip paid his respects while visiting New Zealand.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WveUr0R0sOs&start=1564&end=1691
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/alan-hunter-cull#clip-2
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