ANOTHER V.C.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 247, 18 October 1941, Page 8

ANOTHER V.C.

N.Z.E.F. IN GREECE SERGEANT J. HINTON PRISONER, WOUNDED 3MASHED ARMOURED COLUMN P.A.) WELLINGTON, this day. The Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, announced to-day that His Majesty .he King had been graciously pleased :o approve the award of the Victoria Cross to Sergeant John Daniel Hinton, Twentieth Battalion, New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Sergeant Hinton belonged to Colac 3ay, Southland. The following citation has been published in the London Gazette:— "6n the night of April 28,1941, during the lighting In Greece, n column of German armoured forces entered Kalamai. This column, which contained several armoured cars with 2in guns and 3in mortars, and two Oin guns, rapidly converged on large forces of British and New Zealand troops 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?' He ran to within several yards of the nearest gun. The guns fired and 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. The German troops abandoned the first 6in gun and retreated into two houses. "Sergeant Hinton smashed the windows, 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."

The official record shows that Ser- j geant Hinton was posted missing as at May 18, and on June 23 he was reported as a battle casualty, wounded and missing. Information was eventually received that he was a prisoner of war In a hospital at Kokinia. Athens, with a gunshot wound in the abdomen.

The N.Z.E.F. official news service, in a cable from Cairo yesterday, says, that New new V.C., Sergeant Hinton, is a son of Mrs. Mary Hinton, of Colac Bay, Southland. He was born at Riverton, Southland, in 1909, and is unmarried. Before the war Sergeant Hinton lived in Greymouth, where he was employed as a driver with the Public Works Department.

Sergeant Hinton, who had no previous military experience, enligted at Greymouth on September 13, 1939. He entered Burnham Camp on October 5, and sailed with a southern battalion in the first contingent Sergeant Hinton is thus the second winner of the V,C. In this battalion, the first being Second--1 Lieutenant Upham.

Appointed temporary lance-cor-poral on November 22, 1939, Sergeant Hinton received further promotion to sergeant in the field on August 13, 1940.

By the short space of two days he just managed to make the trip to Greece, having previously been away from his unit owing to ill-health.

A former company commander described Sergeant Hinton as a medium built, wiry individual, who appeared to be ten years older than he actually is.

By nature quiet and unassuming, Sergeant tflnton 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.