Ten N.Z. Soldiers WoundedlnAction

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32360, 28 July 1970, Page 28

Ten N.Z. Soldiers WoundedlnAction

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 27.

Another six New Zealand soldiers were wounded in two separate mine incidents in Vietnam yesterday. Four of the soldiers were seriously ill, the Army said this afternoon.

They are: Private A. M. Kerr, aged 21, single, of Christchurch, fragment wounds to the back, condition serious; Private M. Tipene, aged 27, single, of Auckland, shrapnel wounds to the lower legs, very seriously, ill; Private R. S. Hudson, aged 26, single, of Opotiki, shrapnel wounds to the lower legs, very seriously ill; Private J. V. R. Takuta, aged • 22, single, of Wairoa, multiple fragment wounds to both . lower legs, very seriously ill; Private H. W. Heterake,

aged 21, single, of Takanini, blast injuries to both ears, ! satisfactory; Lance-Corporal W. M. Taare, aged 24, married, of Papakura, superficial fragment wounds i to right knee and concussion, . satisfactory. All the wounded except I Lance-Corporal Taare are , members of Victor Company. , Corporal Taare is an S.A.S. ' Ranger. Five of the soldiers are in ’ the Ist Australian Field Hospital, Vung Tau. Private Kerr . is in the 24tii United States evacuation hospital, Long , Binh. With the four earlier reported casualties this makes the number of New Zealand soldiers injured yesterday 10. Victor Company is working eight miles north-west of Nui Pat base. The casualties were incurred in three separate contacts with the Viet Cong. The first was at 9 a.m., when four soldiers suffered minor injuries from shrapnel when the enemy fired a rocket projectile at them. Corporal Taare, the S.A.S. Ranger, suffered his wounds in this action.

At 2.50 p.m. an enemy mine seriously injured three New Zealanders; and at 4 p.m. another mine wounded two New Zealanders, one seriously. The four soldiers wounded in the first encounter are Private N. I. Childs, aged 20, single of Wellington; Private G. E. Malcolm, aged 21, single of Hawera; Private H. A. Ellison, aged 21, single of Hastings; and Private R. A. Foreman, aged 20, single, of Whangarei. The first three suffered wounds to the legs and Private Foreman was wounded in the right arm. All except Private Childs remained on duty.