THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16364, 8 November 1918, Page 7

THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

DEATH OF SERGEANT H. J. / NICHOLAS, V.C. (Special—From the Official Correspondent.) -. N.Z. HEADQUARTERS, October 25. Yesterday I mentioned that one of our bravest soldiers was killed in. the fighting that gained us the Ecaillon bridgeheads. Tlie reference was to Sergeant Henry James Nicholas,. V.C.-, of the First Canterburys. Ho' was shot through the head demanding the surrender of some enemy soldiers whom he. saw vaguely in tho darkness. . The incident that gained him tho Victoria Cross occurred last year in very., difficult fighting at Polderhoek Chateau. He was then a private with a Lewis gun section. Our' men met with very severe machine-gun fire, and Private Nicholas, rushing forward, shot the officer in command of a very strong point, and overcame tho remainder of tho garrison by-means of bombs and bayonet. • Four prisoners and a ma-chine-gun were captured. ' Subsequently, whon the advance , had reached his line and our men were still hard pressed, he collected ammunition under hcavy rifle and machine-gun fire. AWARDS. FOR BRAVERY. October 26. The following immediate awards have been made (all are privates unless otherwise stated) :—• " .... BAR TO MILITARY MEDAL. . Sergeant W. J. Crossen. MILITARY MEDAL. Lance-Corporal H. Day, - Corporal J. S. Howden, Jjarice-Corpbral J. E. Hewitt, T. S. Harper. K,. C. Buller, LanceCorporal L. J. Hailes,' Corporal, T. H. | Mitchell, Lance-Corporal R. A. Childs, I 0. Emery (Canterbury). i -Corporal S. J. Sapsford, Sergeant H. D,. Movie, Corporal L. G. McLean. Sergeant D. 3t. Thomson, Sergeant A. j Asby, Sergeant A." Bell, Sergeant P. A. I Thompson, -Corporal F. L. Cross, Corporal G. T. Roue, Corporal R. F. Cor--1 mack. L. A. Burton, W. A. McKinder, S. Fatt, A. E. U. Forsyth, A. E. Strong, A. Jeallison,. A. G. Smith, 0. Williams, It. C. Ramsay (Riflo Brigade). A. D. Meanwy. O. A. L. JMorple. von Keisenberg,. Lance-Ckirporal E. E. v\ ; elsh, C. Proctor (Machine-gunners). Lance-Corporal F. S. Wilkinson (En-* gineers). Sergeant-Major C. K. Ileniy. Sergeant R. B. Fooie, Sergeant C. W. Tepene, Corporal G. Arundell. Sergeant J. F. Carter, Sergeant F. R. Martin, Sereeant- W. J. T. Morrow, Corpioral R. Phillips. Lance-Sergeant J. Cameron, R. J. Ward, T. 0. Kennedy, E. A. -Anderson. I NEW ZEALAND'S LATEST V.C. October. 29. The, military career of Sergeant Judson, our latest V.C., is truly remarkable, he having almost within one month gained the D.C.M., the Military 3ledal, and the V.C. He got his D.C.M. for heroic action on the front line between Pommeqqiirt and Hebuterne' on July 24th.' He led a patrol % daylight along a sap leading to an enemy position. By bombing he forced the enemy to retreat 600

yards and so enabled the following troops U , to garrison uud iioid the captured trencii. ror uvonty-lour Hours lie «ru ' untiring iu nis e irons to organise and hold tho trench. Next morning, almost at tlit: viino hU unit was to be , 1 relieved, tliu unuuiy pierced the line to / the left, and he went aloifo to see what was taking piace. He found six survivors of ihu garrison, whom he organised and posted by fighting ilia ' way forward into the old positions. 1 Finding the officer dead at his post he 1 remained with these men until visited ]> by their officer, who asked him to j stay until the situation had been read- I justed. This he did under very ; heavy, j bombing and machine-gun fire. The ! enemy again collected for an assault, 1 so he crept forward alone and threw | six bombs amongst them, thus drawing J their bombing in his own direction, ] and so saving his men. Subsequently \ on the same night the enemy continued putting up Hares from a posi- !' tioii sixty jvards in front of the postj V so ho again crept forward and threw 1 bombs for forty-eight hours. His ac- -j tion and initiative in attacks resulted i. disastrously for the enemy. • On the lGth of the following month, i ne| *r Puisieux, he exhibited courage of t tho highest order. In order that the 1 troops on our loft might advance, it ' was ne«jssary that the enemy machine- I guns should be promptly silenced. Any * attempts to outflank the guns woula 1 result in sevcro casualties to the troops ! on our left. Judson, with his section ! following, rushed straight at tho guii positions, disconcerting the enemy, capturing three machine-guns and seventeen prisoners without lobs on our* |l.f* this ho was awarded the MihtaryMcdal. Now for his action ™ 26th of tho same month he has won tho V.O. PATROL ACTIONS. r, .. . October 29. Our line remains almost stationary in th© vicinity of the railway northwest of Le Quesnoy. Since the Rifles went mto.lmo there have been only patrol actions. Posts were established across the railway, but some had to fall back in tho face of opposition from sapenor numbers, the enemy apparently thinking it important to hold this position. One of our platoons exploiting hevond the" railway was cut off, and apparently several men cap. tured. Thov have not since been heard of. Enemy shelling, including gas, lias boon heavier than for the past - six weeks, and machine-guns have been active along tho whole corps front. Our men have been thrice counter-attacked. Each attack has been ropellod. Our men more than made amends for their loss. One counter-attack following heavy minerwerier and artillery bombardment, was repelled by rifle and Lewis-gun fire, the enemy buffering heavy losses. * I lie enemy forces are still practically disorganised and he has been compelled to throw into the line units undor command divisions other than their own. IN MEMORY OP THE FALLEN. Recently a largo wooden cross was erected at a factory corner near Flere, in memory of the New Zealanders who * tell m the seoond battle of the Sommo. The. scene was remarkable, ©no party arriving at nightfall. The cross was erected bjr candlelight amidst a scene of desolation in which' there was no sound of gun nor sign of living man. Some skulls and hones fonrid on the battlefield wero buried by tho New • Zealand party. A MODEL BATTERY. One of our batteries of field artillery has beeji selected as the model battery of the whole Army, and will proceed to the base for- two or three months to net as such. » Tho General, addressing them just -after coming out of tho line, 'congratulated thom upon their honour. THE CHRISTMAS MAGAZiNE.- ( Thero is a great demand for this year's Christmas magazine, which excels last year s both in letterpress and illustrations. • . Tho twelve-tons of paper secured fpf tho. issue-ptoVide onl.V: sufßcient supply for the troops, and Bales to the public are under,, tho circumstancts, impossible. Fifty thousand Christmas cards have been 6old. • KEEN NEW ZEALANDERS. Tho lino in our sector for tho moment is stationary, but our men can scarcely bo restrained. The Rifle Brigade is carrying on good work from positions left them by. the South Island Brigade, and is harassing the enemy night arid day. ,Tho men arc on the north-wes-tern flank of the fortress of Le Ques- , noy. An English division on the right is doing equally good work. A night air raid'under cover of artillery and trench, mortar bombardment, -carried out by one officer and two platoons, re- • suited in several enemy killed, arid the ' capture of two machine-guns and threo ' prisoners. Our casualties were/ nil. Later, in broad • daylight, one officer and five men, with a Lewis gun,' followed through tho medium of a trench mortar shoot along -the rail_way. ; A patrol officer, seeing 40 ot the enemy gathering near a bank within a hundred yards: of the rim, rushed • in and. killed some. , Tho ■ remainder shoAved signs of faltering. At this '• juncture tlie rest of the patrol caffio up and all the enemy were either kill- ; ed'or captured. Our men returned triumphantly with ono officer and thirty other prisoners. These plucky- New Zealanders had no casualties. j' THE ATTACK- ON, LE QUESNOX. ' Within a few .days.possibly "the New i Zealanders will play a conspicuons pari in. the fall of Le Quesnoy.; It is a town fortified on' the Vauban system with an outer moat 45 feet wide ana; 36 feet deep, and a redoubt every 200 yards. There are underground vaults, ; cellars, and,barracks capable of shelter- . ing between a thousand and 2000 men. , Civilians were told to leave the town ...'. on October 27th. The German ordere wero that the town held at all : costs. Nevertheless it will fall. .In the. meantime . the enemy is said to rbo feverishly- working on the' Mons-Maii-benge or Brunhilae-Stelhing. line, to which his retirement may ultimately be made. News of the Eastern armistices, while inspiring our troops to final victory, have. bosn quietly received at the front. . ~ DEATH OF MAJOR J. M: RICHMOND. • October 28.. Yesterday afternoon Major J. _M Richmond, D.5.0., M.C.. Royal New Zealand Artillery, was killed in action by a 5.9 shell. Hi 3 death was instantaneous. This afternoon he in the JTrench cemetery, at Solesmes The Bishop of Nelson read the service and . General Russell and many of his comrades in the Artillery attended.His death is greatly deplored throughout the whole division. He joined the New Zealand Artillery in ISIO, and left forthe witr with the Main Body. He landed on Oaliipoli in tho jirsfc boat convey- v ing New Zealand troops ashoro, and remnined l!*.cro continuously till tho -' _ evaluation, leaving ill the last boat., , On the expansion of the Now Zealand Expeditionary Force to a division in October, 1913, ho was appointed brigade-major of Divisional Artillery, winch appointment ho held till August this year. - Wishing to obtain further experience in tho field, ho relinquished the position at his own request to command a battery, and on the day of his death had just taken over temporal command of si brigade of field artillery; He served continuously m Egypt Galliooli. and France from the end of 1914 till liis death. He was enwaged to be married to a second cousin ni Tlngland after the war. and had decided to resume his profession of tho „ Jaw. His C-R.A. states: "I considered Major Richmond one of the most brilliant young officers T have ever known. ; A's brigade-major, his orders were never misunderstood. They were so clear and concise. Ho was tactful, and had a charming manner. Ho was artistic and . musical, and extremely well road. Ho himself had considerable literary ability. He hated-war and bloodshed, and yet during all this war he never left the , front except on" brief leave. No thought of danger ever deterred him from doing his duty, and his standard . of duty was a high one."-