Corporal M. R. Vercoe of Nelson (right) works alongside an unidentified Korean soldier in 1953. Both men were serving with Signals C ('Charlie') Troop. From April 1953 Charlie Troop had 30 Korean soldiers attached to it, known as KATCOMs (Korean Augmentation Troops Commonwealth). Some Koreans also worked as porters, interpreters, cooks or domestic staff at New Zealand bases. For most members of Kayforce, contact with Koreans was relatively limited. Local inhabitants had generally been evacuated from front-line areas and many Koreans were impoverished refugees during the war. The fact that New Zealand soldiers generally took their leave in Japan also reduced the amount of contact with Korean civilians.