FREYBERG, V.C.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 90, 9 January 1918, Page 6

FREYBERG, V.C.

HIS CAREER IN THE ARMY

NEW ZEALAND HERO AT

BEAUCOURT

Some account of the exploits of Bri-gadier-General Freyberg, V.C, D.5.0., j is given by Mr. Mordant Hall in an article he wrote some time rgo about tbo Royal Naval Division, a unit which ( has seen muck and varied service in < this war. The cables announced n few , days ago that General Freyberg had been personally decorated with the Vic- , toria Cross by His Majesty the King. • Mr. Mordant Hall writes:— , "One of the men whom all England j was wild about is a young New Zealander from Wellington, 27 years old, now an acting lieutenant-colonel, who was described by an eye-witness of the Ancre fighting as 'a flying figure in bandages plunging over Germans ' io Beaucourt.' Ho is/B. C. Freyberg, a born soldier and great athlete. "Before the great war this marvel of courage was fighting' for Panelio Villa in Mexico; and the instant the European conflict started Freyberg decided that ho might do better in Europe. Ho therefore deserted Villa, and set out afoot for San Francisco. His splendid constitution stood liim in good stead, and lie arrived there as fit as a fiddle, soon afterwards winning enough money in a swimming race to take kim to London. In the English capital he received a commission as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Division,,and his promotion has been rapid. "Colonel Freybcrg was caught in a live electric wire at Antwerp, out it was of so high a voltage that he was not killed, sustaining only an injury to his hand' and arm. He was even fired at by his own men, wko believed that he was a German crawling through the wire. Just before the landing in Gallinoli, on April 25. 1915, it was proposed to throw dust in the eyes of the Turks by landing a platoon at a point on the coast of the Gulf of Saros, where no serious landing was contemplated. To save the sacrifice of a platoon, Freyberg, who Was at that Gnus a company commander in the Hood Battalion, pressed to be, a lowed o thieve the same object single-handed. His wish was granted; and on the night of April 24-25, oiled and naked he swam ashore, towing' a canvas cauoe containing flares and a revoher. Ho reconnoitred the enemy's trenclus, and, tinder the covering hro or a destroyer, M «««* t «. fc alonV the beach. Ho had some difficulty in finding kis boat again. . A mysterious fin accompanied him during part of the swim. He at lirst took for a shark, but found later that it belonged to a harmless porpoise. Attei some two hours in the water, he was picked up. and for this gallant and successful feat lie, was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. In Gallinoli he was wounded hi May, again in July, 1915, and he dispatches in connection with; the sue cessful evacuation on January 0, ULo'''Hence, this sailor-soldier m a comparatively short .time attracted a good Meal of attention among the naval and military authorities; so it. was not Uprising that when ho applied - a permanent commission in-the British Armv he was given a captaincy in the Quel's -Royal West Surroyßopmont The same day, however he reeeived this news be was seconded to the iiojal Si Division, with -the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel. So he retained command of his old battahon-

%£Sehu, the. firstdispntohcs concerning the. storming o Beaucou t referred to Lieutenant-Colone 1 here as 'a naval colonel' all Britain. ■^B B wo, l deri.i ß? l.oth.sh 0 Some of his friends wore not iong in «uesing; but it was not until the. next day tha t'Freyberg in name receded ftitfor the remarkahlo exploit on the north bank of the Ancre. In the first mo sages of the Britlffli success it was set forth that in a battle where lever man fought nobly for the honour of his regiment and lus country, one individuai -act stood out.mtb peculiar SL of ihe battle told of the troops on Freyberg's left benu? held., up and that between bm and them wn/roughljs parallel with the lino rf advance,, a spur which cut.off Ae effect of the enemy's madiine-gnns. After fourteen hours of WS. bit bv bit, the sea-dog soldiers tad J uiged through,, a mile of tenches and ground sorely marked by shells. Three machine-guns then wore pushed forward well beyond that line and the still unsatisfied bailor-colonel, n s shoulder and right arm .swathej ; n bandages,, asked leave to godhead antt attack the village. His men were about on his left, endeavouringto advance across the north-westerly slope It Jas more like a matter of defence than attack The men were few in numbers, and had fought like ugers for ; fong Lure without a rest. .However, about 600 men were collected, and the daik of the night was spent in organisation. Then, in the misty dawn, some solcliei S ions came nn to reinforce the left, and onward plunged Freyberg. "Out on-the Ancre they say that he got, so far ahead of his men that he nibbed his hand over his head and murmured: 'Huh-I believe I forgot to toll them to follow me.' Wier w not this is true, only. FreybegUot s. But we do not remain in doubt as to hat he'and his men cud right aftowards. They ploughed then way through mud and. Germans, with the ■fire Jf" five machine-guns pePPf" S them They stuck right on the hg of the barrage fire, and in les than twenty minutes from. that tmie the Germans had been driven from then stronghold of Beaueourt. He, and there a German post held, and men in + n trenches faced the British bombs S cod steel Still. the Teutons soon learned that it was to >top that alarming Briton and !«•".■,,,„ "Freyberg formed a sem.-cne Uar trench around the far side of-the neff possession, and then they took tune to see what had happened to the ffU lant little band. Freyberg had »c 'ceived his fourth wound, and his bia.e MOliad dwindedto anugei^ good deal smaller. me u» . somehow, had been unkind in their speed to the Germans, and the enemy was left gaping with wnd" at the re suit of what they at first.took to nothing more than a bit of btatt. "For this remartable displas « valour JTreyberg received the Victoua C ffifremarkable dualities of leadership displayed, on the same occasion won him promotion to the lauK b,"gadier-genera.l-the youngest bn gadier hi the British Army.