FOUR BRAVE SAPPERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 41, 17 August 1942, Page 4

FOUR BRAVE SAPPERS

WORK OF RAILWAY UNITS

The story of the bravery of four members of a New Zealand railway operating'company in the Middle East is told in orders issued on May 1 by >the Commander of the Second New Zealand EspeditiOilaf y Force-m the Middle East, Lieutenant-G6neral Sir Bernard Freyberg. An extract front the order has been brought to the notice of the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones. "in February last a train proceeding to Merfea Matruh was bombed by enemy aircraft, causing tank Wagons to catch on fire," says the oKder, "The GO,C.*s attention has been drttwn particularly to the commendable conduct of the four undermentioned. "Their prompt action* at the risk of being badly burned, assisted in a Valuable saving of waf department stores, which otherwise would, have been a total loss. '■ . _ A ■ . ' "They are Sapper A. W. Bennett, engine-drivet\ whose iiext^of'kin is Mrs. J. E. Beiiftett, Invetc&rgill; Sapyer R. Graham, fireman, next*Of-kih Mr? M. J. Graham, Kaino; Lance^rgeant Mw D. Walsh* liexUof'-kitl Mrs, M. B. Waldh> Auckland; Sappei; H. S. Simoiis, nfext-ofckih Mr. -P. Smith, Cheviot. Att ctttty in the paybooks and ptosphal t&cbftte of the,. abovenamed will be, made accordingly.'; Mi\ .Tones aaid he had •■ also received advice of the exeell&it Work of New Zealand railway units in-the Middle East, both constructional and operating. The construction companies had carried the Western Desert line to a point hdf far short of Tobruk and the Operating companies had been running the line Under very difficult ttoaditldtts, with harassing air attacks from trie enemy. „ . ■ • "Many expressionts of comniGiidauoii ■ have been made by General Headquarters of the Middle East forced on the work of these New Zealand units," continued Mr. Joneß ( who said there was no doubt they had assisted very materially in the improvement of the supply position in the Western Desert.