BRAVERY AWARDS

ESCAPED PBISONERS D.C.M. FOR AUCKLANDER (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Thursday The Prime Minister, the lit. Hon. P. Eraser, lias received advice that the King has approved of the following two awards to members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Middle East in "recognition of gallant and distinguished service in the field": — Bar to the Military Cross. —Captain Colin Norman Armstrong, M.C., whoso father is Mr. N. G. Armstrong, of Wanganui. o Distinguished Conduct Medal, aergoant Bruce Joshua Crowley, whose mother is Mrs. M. Crowley, of Auckland. Both soldiers were former prisoners of war who escaped to the United Kingdom recently and travelled to Ep'pt in time to join the second furlough draft j for New Zealand. i GERMAN CAPTORS ELUDED JOURNEYS THROUGH SWEDEN Captain Armstrong went overseas with the Second Echelon as a subaltern in a Wellington infantry battalion. He was captured with Brigadier J. Hargest in Libya in 1941, and in November ot that year was transferred to Jtaly in a submarine. An unsuccessful attempt to escape resulted in his bcflng sent to a punishment camp near Genoa, where he was held until the armistico with Italy. , Transferred to Austria, he again escaped, but was once more recaptured. A third and successful attempt at flight was made from a British prisoners' camp in the former Polish Corridor. He made his way to Sweden and then to Britain. Captain Armstrong, who was awarded "the Military Cross in December, 1941, was formerly a banister and solicitor practising in Wanganui.

Sergeant Crowley, who-is aged 27, is a son of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Crowley, of 386 Manukau Road, Epsom. He went overseas with the First Echelon as a member of a reserve motor transport company and, after serving throughout the Libvan campaign of 1940, went with the New Zealand Division to Greece. Cut off during the retreat from the Olympus region, lie was eventually captured south of Corinth. In a period of more than two years as a prisoner, Sergeant Crowley made four attempts to escape, the final effort being successful. He eventually made his way to Sweden, and thence to England, being probably the first member of the Second New Zealand Division to make his way to freedom from German v. Sergeant Crowley was formerly employed by the Auckland Meat Company.