General Puttick dead

Press, 26 July 1976, Page 4

General Puttick dead

PA Wellington A former Chief of General Staff and one of New Zealand’s most distinguished soldiers. Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Puttick, died this morning at Waikato Hospital. He was born in Timaru in 1890 and joined the army in 1912. first serving with the fifteenth North Auckland Regiment and then with the fifth Wellington Regiment. General Puttick went overseas with the Ist New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1914 and saw action in Egypt and France, taking part in both battles of the Somme. He was promoted to Colonel and was given command of 3 battalion. New Zealand Rifle Brigade, He was badlv wounded at Colincamps, near Amiens. He was twice mentioned in dispatches and won the Distinguished Service Order be-1 fore returning to New Zealand in 1918 where he was] appointed a major in the New ■ Zealand Staff Corps. I

| After attending a course at 'the Imperial Defence College I in London, he was promoted Ito the rank of colonel in 1937 land a year later was made

adjutant and Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters in Wellington. In 1940 General Puttick took command of the 4th Infantry Brigade. During the Second World War he fought with distinction in the engagements of Mount Olympus, and the final rearguard action of the 4th Infantry Brigade, near Marathon, has been described as an achievement worthy of the highest traditions of the British Armv. In 1942 General Puttick became Chief of the Genera' Staff and General Office* Commanding the New Zealand Military Forces. During the war he' was largely responsible for rhe orsanisa tion of New Zealand’s de fence system. General Puttick retired in 1945 and was knighted the following year. Among his numerous awards are the Dis tinguished Service Order anf bar. the United States Legion of Merit and the Greek Military Cross.