BIRTHDAY HONOURS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 217, 10 June 1944, Page 8

BIRTHDAY HONOURS

Members Of Expeditionary • Force The following awards to. 2nd N.Z.E.F. personnel are included in the King s Birthday Honours, according to advice received' by the Minister of Defence. -Mr. Jones: — Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (0.8. E. Lieutenant-Colonel James Edward Fitzgerald Vogel. Nevt-of-kin: Mrs. J. EVogel (wife), Woburn Road, Lower Hutt. Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (M.8.E.). 2/Lieutenant Leonard Ray Taylor. Next-of-kin: Mrs. D. C. Taylor (wife). 8 Beatty Avenue, Mt. Rpskill, Auckland. Additional Member of the Royal Red Cross. Matron Edith Mary Lewis, N.Z.A.N.S. Next-of-kin: Mrs. E. J. Carter (sister). 265 Queen’s Drive, Lyall Bay.

In civil life a well-known Wellington business man—he is a director of Levin and Company, Limited —Lieut.-Colonel Vogel was first appointed to commissioned rank as a second lieutenant in the 4th Cadet Battalion of the U elUngton Regiment. He was posted to the Reserve of Officers in 19»33, but offered his services on the outbreak of hostilities anu was posted as a lieutenant to the Wellington Battalion, which went overseas with the First Echelon. In August, 1941, he was appointed staff captain, Training Group, Maadi Catnp. He was granted the temporni-v rank of major in September, 1942, while, employed as deputy assistant quartermaster-general to a British armoured division. His rank of major was made substantive in January, 1943. The following month be was seconded for duty ns an instructor at the Middle East Junior Staff School. He became a temporary Ueut.-colonel in September last year, while employed at general headquarters, Middle East Forces. He was mentioned in dispatches in December, 1942, and again in January’of this year. He attended Staff College at Haifa in 1941. Lieutenant Taylor, who served overseas during the last war, saw further fighting in tlie Pacific last year as a member of tile Fiji commandos. He went to Fiji in the ranks of an infantry battalion in May. 11’41, and was later selected for the Southern Independent Commando unit when it was formed. He rose to the rank of sergeant-major and was one of those chosen from the whole of the Fiji commandos to form the first commando Fiji guerrilla unit. With hjs unit be saw active service in the Solomons and in New Georgia. He was commissioned in Aug ust last year and is now attached to the Fiji Labour Corps. In civil life be was a builder in business at. Auckland. ■Matron Lewis, who served with distinction overseas as a member of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service during the last war, was matron ot the Walrau Hospital, Blenheim—a position she had held tor a number of years—when she was selected as matron of No. 1 New Zealand Hospital Ship early In 1941. Sbe has retained that appointment continuously ever since, except for one voyage during which sbe remained in New Zealand, first relieving the matron-in-chlpf, ami later as the matron of the Trentbam camp hospital.