LEADER OF MEN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 250, 21 October 1944, Page 5 (Supplement)

LEADER OF MEN

TO LATE W. N. CARSON

I His Courage And Confidence An Inspiration Under Fire

A BRAVE soldier and a very fine gentleman has passed away : with the death through wounds of Temporary Major William Carson, M.C. Apart from his record in New Zealand representative cricket and football,, he has a very fine record of war service and.was recognised as a man of great courage and coolness. He was held in very high regard by his men and fellow officers, not only for his bravery but for his consideration, fairness and ability to understand and talk to all men. He won the M.C. in the Tunisian campaign, an award which delighted his men because they considered it long overdue.

Bill Carson went overseas in 1940 and joined the Fourth New Zealand Field Regiment of artillery as a second-lieutenant. By his quiet manner —he was quiet to the point of shyness—he won the confidence and trust of the men of his troop. By the time the division went to Greece they realised that in him they had a man who would never let them down —and he never did.

It was in Greece, when the New Zealanders were having their baptism of fire, that Bill Carson s courage and personality first rose above the scream of the shells and the whistle of bombs, and his mere presence steadied bewildered men and raised flagging spirits.

The battery of 25-pounders to which Bill was attached was given a "sticky" job for its first action the supporting of a battalion of infantry and some machine-gunners who were holding a pass Mvtlie coast against overwhelming odds while the rest of the Allied force withdrew to positions further |outh. It was not expected that the New Zealand rearguard, when its job was done, would get out of that position.

An Anxious Vigil All day long Stukas, fighters, artillery and mortars attacked the position. Towards the end of the afternoon word came through that enemy tanks had broken through our lines The guns were placed inQpenfields astride the road and the gunners waited anxiously, watching the cou try ahead and the sky above. It was typical of Bill Cargon that he should walk calmly along the(gunline and say to each gun layei, You could hit a barn door at five yards, couldn't you? Well, that s what Jerry tank looks like. In Crete, too, Bill Carson showed his courage, and his calm manner and steadfast example helped many a New Zealander to defy the Luftwaffe's onslaught. He was slightly wounded in Crete, but he i eturned to his regiment not long aftei the evacuation.

At Sidi Resegh, in the same year, when his battery beat off attacks by more than a dozen tanks for two days, Bill—a full lieutenant and with the responsible job of gun position officer—stood coolly and directed the fire of the four guns of his troopAt one stage when tanks had made a semi-circle around the position he had two guns firing oiie way and two in the opposite direction. A book would need to be written to detail his adventures and achievements from El Alamem until, his death. At the time of El Alamem he had risen to the rank of captain and was commander of the troop. Several times his troop was given special jobs to do and when, in the chase after the Afrika Korps, the British, reached the Mareth Line, Bill Carson and his troops were sent to support the King's Dragoon Guards, an English armoured car unit which was doing the reconnaissance for tne New Zealand Corps in its successful left hook and the fighting which took our forces to' Takrouna. When Bill learned of the assignment he called his officers and sergeants together and "told them tne story." Rather dubious glances were cast around the group when he finished outlining the work. "Sounds like a suicide squad! someone said jokingly. . "Bah!" said Bill. "It'll be good! We'll have a front seat of the whole show!" And he meant it—and they did!

This tribute <o AV. N. Carson, whose death from wounds was announced last week, is written by C. G. Sinclair, who served under him in the Middle Rast as one of his gun sergeants.

The cars in front, thinking- the New Zealand vehicle had been hit by an anti-tank slieil, raccd back to get under the cover of a hill and two of them also hit mines.

A few days before the fighting in Tunisia ended Bill was again lucky. He was knocked over by the blast of a bomb frp.m'a nebelwerfer —the German six-barrelled mortar —but was not injured.

When tlie New Zealand Division returned to Egypt, Bill bccame battery captain —or second in command of the battery. He was acting in this capacity when he went to Italy, but later was promoted to temporarymajor and given command pf a battery in another regiment.

A Splendid Example Bill Carson had a wonderful, almost unbelievable, influence on men during times of stress. Merely to see him standing quietly behind the guns, or chatting to the men, was enough to put new spirit and determination into battle-weary soldiers. Of him it can truly be said he was a splendid example and a real inspiration. Naturally keen on sport, Bill not only played football and cricket and swam for his troop and regiment, but did everything he could to foster games in the unit. Whenever the New Zealand Division stopped for a few davs football fields sprang into being, and it can be said that Bill has played on desert "fields" from Alexandria to Tripoli. Basketball, baseball or swimming he encouraged them all and played regularly with the gunners. When his troop took. part in the chase from Bardia to Tripoli, part of the equipment that jolted across the desert on a .truck were two basketball posts. War or no war, Bill was not going to be caught without faculties for sport. One of the finest things about Bill Carson was his ability to talk to the m&n as equals and to give and receive their confidence. Despite a rather reserved nature, he enjoyed more than anything to wander from gun crew to gun crew and chat witn the men. In doing this he increased rather than lost their respect for his popularity and his successful military career, he never changed in attitude towards,his men. A strict disciplinarian, he was at the same time good-natured, considerate and kind. In him the gunners had a good friend and a splendid leader. With his death New Zealand has lost a very fine'man, and those who knew him either as a civilian or a soldier will feel his loss most keenly.

Reward for Daring It was during this time that Bill's daring won him the M.C. which, as his gunners said, "had been a long time in coming up." The commander of the Dragoon Guards wrote a special letter of thanks to the cointnander of the artillery in appreciation of the support he had received. While on this reconnaissance job Bil' had a lucky escape from death. He was moving into a gully in his armoured car, behind the leading Patrol cars of the Dragoons, when his vehicle hit a German land mine and was wrecked. Neither Bill norhis crew was injured, although he had the seat torn out of nis, trousers!