VALIANT FIGHT
Gunboat At Shanghai’s
LONDON. October 25.
Gather than obey an order to surrender, IS men in the 300-ton gunboat Peterel, led by their 63-year-old commanding officer, chose to light it out with a Japauese cruiser, a destroyer, and a gunboat. They fought till, swamped in tire and smoke and with every man on board wounded, their little craft sank under them. .... , . ~ This gallant episode is described in the announcement in the .“London Gazette’ that the D.S.C. was awarded three years ago to Lieutenant Stephen Polkinghorn, R.N.R.. of Waiuku. It occurred in harbour, when the Japanese took over the Shanghai Interna-, tional Settlement on December S, 1941. All the armament in working order that the Peterel had was two machineguns. Lieutenant Polkinghorn was severely wounded. When the news of his action reached the Admiralty he was awarded the D.S.C.. but the award was not announced for fea,r of Japanese reprisals. Now he has been' released from . a prisoner-of-war camp, and is returning to New Zealand.
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 39, Issue 28, 27 October 1945, Page 7
Word Count
166VALIANT FIGHT Dominion, Volume 39, Issue 28, 27 October 1945, Page 7
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