262296 L/Cpl. Walter Russell "Wink" Adams New Zealand Army T Trp. Long Range Desert Group from:Whangarei, New Zealand Wink was captured 31st January 1941 at Jebel Sherif, Libya by an Italian ground force after being caught in the fire of Italian planes.
T Patrol was part of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). Wink drove the Ford 01 V8 pilot car called Te Rangi (The Leader) with Cpl. Roderick and Major P.A. Clayton at the head of eleven especially adapted trucks (either Chevrolets or Fords). The patrol consisted of 27 to 32 men, the principal role of this force being reconnaissance, charting, and intelligence gathering. They were a self-contained, independent body capable of travelling hundreds of kilometres into enemy territory over some of the most difficult and arid terrain in the world.
Wink spoke to us about learning to speak Italian using his basic knowledge of schoolboy French. During his time in Sulmona (Campo 78), he was able to speak to the guards and became an interpreter for some of the officers. From what I remember when speaking to Wink, learning Italian and becoming an interpreter allowed him to stay in camp rather than working in the nearby coal mines, a job he detested and felt would be the end of him if he was forced to continue.
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