FOR VALOUR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 6, 18 October 1941, Page 5

FOR VALOUR

VICTORIA CROSS WON. NEW ZEALAND SERGEANT. ACTION IN GREECE CAMPAIGN. HAND-GRENADES AND BAYONET. WOUNDED AND TAKEty PRISONER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) announced to-day that his Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the Victoria Cross to Sergeant John Daniel Hinton,' of the 20th Battalion, New Zealand Military Forces.

Sergeant Hinton belongs to Colac Bay, Southland.

The following citation was published in the London Gazette: On the night of April 28, 1941, during the-fighting in Greece, a column of German armoured forces entered Kalamai. This column, which contained several armoured cars w r ith two-inch guns, threeinch mortars and two six-inch guns, rapidly 1 converged on "large forces of British and New Zealand troops that were awaiting embarkation on the beach. When the order to retreat to cover was given, Sergeant Hinton shouted: “To Hell with this! Who will come with me?” and ran to within several yards of the nearest gun. The guns fired but -missed him, and he hurled two grenades, which completely wiped out the crews. He then came on with the bayonet, followed by a crowd of New Zealanders. Tfhe German troops abandoned the first sixinch gun and retreated into two houses. Sergeant Hinton smashed the windows and then the door of the first house and dealt. with the garrison with the bayonet. He repeated the performance in the second house, and as a result, until overwhelming German forces arrived, the New Zealanders held the guns.

Sergeant. Hinton then fell with a bullet wound through the lower abdomen, and was taken prisoner.

RECIPIENT’S CAREER. ENLISTMENT AT GREYMOUTH. PROMOTION IN THE FIELD. (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service.) CAIRO, October 17. New Zealand’s new V.C., Sergeant Hinton, is a son of Mrs Mary Hinton, of Colac Bay, Southland. He was born at Riverton, Southland, in 1909. He is a single man. Before the war Sergeant Hinton lived at Greymouth, whore he was employed as a driver with the Public Works Department. • Sergeant Hinton, who had no previous military experience, enlisted at Greymouth on September 13, 1939. Ho entered Burnham Camp on October 5, and sailed with the southern battalion of the first contingent. Sergeant Hinton is thus the second winner of the Victoria Cross in this battalion, the first being Second-Lieu-tenant Upham. Sergeant. Hinton was appointed temporary lance-corporal on November 22, 1939. Ho received further promotion to sergeant in the field on August 13, 1940. By the short space of two days Sergeant Hinton just managed, to make the trip to Greece, having previously been away from his unit owing to illhealth.

His former company commander described Sergeant Hinton as a mediumbuilt, wiry individual who appeared to be 10 years older than he actually is. By nature quiet and unassuming, Sergeant Hinton is a man who made friends freely.

When his exploit was described to a man who served in the same unit, his remark was: “That’s exactly the sort of thing Jack would do.” Sergeant Hinton was coach to a football team on the West Coast prior to joining the Army, and/took a great interest in Rugby.