Desert group's story

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33121, 11 January 1973, Page 1

Desert group's story

| The Long Range ! Desert Group, one of the limits of the New Zealand Army in the Second World War which worked behind the enemy lines, crossed uncharted deserts and parachuted into enemyoccupied countries, is one of the few units of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force without a full-scale history.

One of its early commanding officers, a British Army officer, wants to remedy this and has sent a letter to New' Zealanders asking for any souvenirs or reminiscences.

British Army officers were in charge of the unit in its

early days, but the L.R.D.G. can rightly be claimed as a “New Zealand” unit. Major-General D. L. Lloyd Owen, C.B, D. 5.0., 0.8. E., M.C., retired from the British Army late last year, and now finds time to work on a history of the unit, which he says is “near to my heart.” The L.R.D.G. was a unit in which serious students of military history were beginning to take an interest, he has written to several New Zealanders who were with him in the unit. It was also a unique unit in military history and one that had made a marked contribution towards the Allies’ victory in the war. Therefore, an effort should be made to collect documents and other things before it was too late. General Lloyd Owen thinks that the best place for (documents and relics of the ‘unit is the Imperial War

. i Museum in Ixindon, and he 11 has undertaken the task ot collecting them. 11 So far he has gathered the .(honours and awards file of i ‘ the unit, a collection of anno Stated photographs by a New -(Zealand officer, the molten : remains of a Lewis gun magazine destroyed by fire in 1 J>4l i 1 at Gebel Sherif and found by f a Royal Air Force Desert -IRescue Team in 1967, a kiwi s(painted on the engine cowlriing of a WACO aircarft t flown by Trevor Barker, of i'Christchurch, the Army’s onlv - pilot, a sun compass, Arab » headdress issued to a soldier - and a record of every officer i who served with the unit ( General Lloyd Owen has 1; written to eight New Zeas i landers who were with the t(LRD.G.. but realises that there are many more who i may be able to help, and r | gives his address as the Old e Rectorv, Newton Flotman. r I Norwich. NOR 59W, England.