SECOND BRIGADE

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 259, 2 August 1928, Page 12

SECOND BRIGADE

MEMORIES OF GALLIPOLI, EGYPT, AND FRANCE REUNION IN WELLINGTON Many memories will be revived of historic episodes on the battlefields of Gallipoli, Egypt, and France,. at the. forthcoming reunion of the Second (Army) Brigade, N.Z.F.A., in Wellington, on August 11. There will be present members from. Auckland, Wanganui, Wellington, Christchurch, and other parts of the Dominion, who served in the brigade. Colonel N. S. Falla, C.M.G., D. 5.0., who commanded the brigade m France, will The second brigade was formed in Gallipoli of the artillery of the New Zealand and Australian Division. It consisted in the first place of the second battery, and the fifth and fourth batteries, and it was commanded by Colonel F- BSykes, D. 5.0., who, up till then, had been battery commander of the second battery. The interesting point is that the fourth howitzer battery was the only 4.5 battery on Gallipoli, was the first to land at Anzac, and the most valued battery during the early days of the occupation. The second battery was in a position almost in the front line, and did some wonderful work in repelling the great Turkish counter attacks in 1915- .. , After the evacuation oi Gallipoli, tn® brigade was reformed in Egypt of the 2nd, sth, 9th, and 6th batteries. For a short time it was employed on the buez Canal defences, and in April, 1916, accompanied the rest of the recently-formed New Zealand Division to France., It was in action practically continuously in France from April, 1916, until the Armistice, two and a half years _* took part in the battles of the Somme and Messines. and did splendid work during the great German attack on the north of the British lines towards the Channel , Coast in April, 1918, e , t was attached to a British corps. . Shortly afterwards it rejoined the division in the Somme area. It saw varied service, as on account of it being an army brigade it was several times withdrawn from the New Zealand Division and attached »to the British Corps. It is an interesting fact that several times during the great advance in IJlb, it served in the corps of Sir Charles Fergusson. now Governor-General of New Zealand. In March, 191 S, Colonel F. H. Sykes rejoined the British Army, atia Colonel N. S. Falla 'or®’’ tB.. maud of the Brigade until the Armistice.