TWO VICTORIA CROSSES

Evening Star, Issue 24016, 15 October 1941, Page 6

TWO VICTORIA CROSSES

DUNEDIN-BORN SERGEANT AND CHRISTCHURCH LIEUTENANT I HEROES OF CRETE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 15. The Prime Minister announces that His Majesty the King has approved the. award of the Victoria Cross to Second-lieutenant Charles Hazlitt .Upham and Sergeant Alfred Clive Hulme, of the New Zealand Military Forces. These are the first members of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force to win this highest coveted honour in the British Empire. Hulme has now returned to New Zealand. Behind both awards arc stories of daring, outstanding courage and coolness. Tor sheer indifference to danger, and gallantry and initiative, the exploits'’ of both New Zealanders must rank high in the history of the _ Dominion’s individual military achievements. In each case the awards are made for valorous acts in the Cretan campaign. “ During the operations in Crete,” states the citation published in the London ‘ Gazette,’ “ Second-lieutenant Upham performed a series of remarkable exploits, showing outstanding leadership, tactical skill, and utter indifference to danger. He commanded a forward platoon in the attack on Maleme on May 22, and fought his way forward over 3,oooyds, unsupported by. any other arms, and against a defence strongly organised in depth. During this operation his platoon destroyed numerous enemy posts, but on three occasions the sections were temper-

arily held up. In the first case, under heavy fire from a machinegun nest, he advanced to close quarters with pistol and grenades, so demoralising the occupants that his section was able to mop up with ease. Another of his sections was then held up by two machine guns in a house. Upham went in and placed grenades through a window, destroying the crew of one machine gun and several others, the other machine gun being silenced by the fire of his section. In the third case he crawled within 15yds of a ma-chine-gun post and killed the gunners with a grenade.”

“ When his company withdrew from Maleme, Lieutenant Lpham helped to carry the wounded men out under fire, and, together with another officer, rallied more men together to carry other wounded men out.” EPIC OF BRAVERY. The next action cited is an epic of bravery and initiative. “He was sent to bring in a company which had become isolated. With a corporal he went through enemy territory over 600yds, killing two Germans on the way. Ho found the company and brought it back to the battalion’s new position. But for this action it would have been completely cut off. “ During the following two days Lieutenant Upham’s platoon occupied an exposed position on the forward slopes, and was continuously under fire. Upham was blown over by one mortar shell and painfully wounded behind the loft shoul-

The Victoria Cross, the highest decoration I'or valour in the field open to officers and men of tho British fighting forces, is a Maltese cross of bronze, with underneath a scroll bearing the words “ For vajour.” It is worn suspended from tho left breast by a red ribbon. Tho decoration was instituted by Queen Victoria in. 1856, and is awarded very sparingly.

der by a piece of shrapnel. He also received a bullet in the foot, which ho later removed in Egypt.” With tho retirement of the British forces, TJpham did not cease to carry out his brave exploits. “At Galatos, on May 25, his platoon was heavily engaged when troops in front gave way and came under severe mortar and machine-gun fire. While his platoon stopped under cover of a ridge, TJpham went forward, observed the enemy, and brought up the platoon when the Germans advanced. They killed over 40 Germans with fire and grenades, forcing the remainder to fall back. When the platoon was ordered to retire TJpham sent it back under a platoon sergeant, and TJpham went back to warn other troops that they were being cut off.

“ When he came out himself he was fired on by two Germans. He fell and shammed dead, then crawled into a position, and, having the use of only one arm, rested his rifle in the fork of a tree. As the Germans came forward he killed both. The second German actually hit the muzzle of the rifle as he fell.”-

Again, at Spakia, Upborn added a further brilliant episode to the already long series of deeds of bravery. “ On May 13, at Spakia, .his platoon had been ordered to deal with a party of the enemy which had advanced down a ravine to near Force Headquarters. Though in exhausted condition, Upham climbed a steep hill to tho west of the ravine, placed his men in position on the slope overlooking the ravine, and himself went to tho top with a Bren gun and two riflemen. By clever tactics he induced the enemy party to expose itself. Then, at a range of 500yds, he shot 22, causing the remainder to disperse in panic. During the whole of the operations he suffered from dysentery, and was able to eat very little, in addition to being wounded and bruised. He showed superb coolness, great skill and dasb, and complete disregard of danger. Hig conduct and leadership inspired tho whole platoon to flght magnificently throughout, and, in fact, was an inspiration to the whole battalion.” Upham was born at Christchurch on October 21, 1908. He is the son of Mr J. H. Upham, of tho firm of Harper, Pascoc, Buchanan, and Upham, solicitors, Christchurch. He is a single man. Ho matriculated and gained the diploma of agriculture and was employed as a Government land vainer in the Valuation Department, Christchurch. He served five years with tho Territorials, and was promoted sergeant. Ho left Now Zealand with tho First Echelon as a sergeant, a,nd tv as

appointed second lieutenant) in Egypt on November 2, 1940. He fought through the Greece and Crete campaigns, and was reported safe with his unit on June 17, 1941. DUNEDIN-BORN HERO. Hulme, who w r as born on January 24, 1911, in Dunedin, is a_ married man with twojchildren, aged six and two and a-half years. He left with the Second Echelon, and was confirmed in the rank of sergeant on May 24, 1940. Prior to enlistment he had four years’ Territorial training. He followed the occupation of a labourer. Hulme was first reported wounded on June 13, 1941. A gunshot wound perforated his right forearm, and ho was invalided back to New Zealand, arriving on July 10, and despatched to the Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer Springs, and later transferred to the Sanatorium, Rotorua, for further treatment, which he is still undergoing. Sergeant Alfred Clive Hulme’s award is made for conspicuous service at Maleme, Galatos, Suda Bay, and Stylos between May 20 and 28. < “ This non-commissioncd officer exhibited the most outstanding and inspiring qualities of leadership, initiative, skill, and endurance, and the most conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty from the commencement of tho heavy fighting in Crete on May 20 till he was wounded in action on May 28,” states the citation published in a London ‘ Gazette.’ ” On ground overlooking Maleme aerodrome on May 20 and 21 he personally led parties of his men from an area held by a field punishment centre sub-unit, and destroyed enemy organised parties who had established themselves in front of our position, from which they brought heavy rifle, machine-gun, and mortar fire to bear on our defensive posts. Sergeant Hulme personally dealt with numerous snipers in this area. “ He was continually going out alone or with a few men destroying enemy snipers. On May 22, 23, and 24 130 enemy dead were counted in this area. “ Hulmo rejoined the battalion on May 25, in time to take part in the counter-attack on Galatos Village, in which he particularly distinguished himself by his courageous example. “ The attack was partially held up by a large party of enemy holdin the school, from which they were inflicting heavy casualties on our troops,” the citation continues. “ Hulme went forward alone and threw grenades into the school, which so disorganised the defence that the counter-attack was able to proceed successfully. “His example was a great inspiration to the men near him. It was at Suda (Bay and Stylos during the final retirement that Hulme. by the highest initiative, valour, skill in handling weapons, aud_ ability to stalk, effected the most stirring of all his exploits.”

BAGGED 33 SNIPERS. The citation continues: “ Our forces were holding a defensive line at Suda Bay on May _ 27. Five enemy snipers had worked into position on the hillside overlooking the flanlk of Hulme’s battalion,line. Ho promptly volunteered to deal with the situation, and stalked and killed the snipers in turn, continuing similar work successfully throughout the day. The major in his battalion later testified to having watched Hulme’s skilful operations through field glasses. “ At Stylos on May 28, when an enemy heavy mortar was severely bombing every important ridge held by his battalion of rearguard troops, inflicting severe casualties, Hulme, on his own initiative, penetrated the enemy lines, killed the mortar crew of four, and put the mortar out of action, thus very materially assisting the withdrawal of the main body through Stylos. From the enemy mortar position Hulme then worked to the left flank and killed three snipers who were causing concern to the rearguard. This made his score of enemy snipers 33 stalked and shot.

“ Shortly afterwards, whilst stalking yet another sniper, Hulme was severely wounded in the shoulder. When ordered to the rear, in spite of tho wound, Hulme directed the traffic under fire and organised the stragglers of various units into section groups. “ Throughout the whole operations in Crete,” the citation adds, “ Hulme exhibited the most conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.”

SERVED WITH CANTERBURY BATTALION. Although Sergeant Hulme was born in Dunedin, ho was not attached to any Otago unit overseas. _ Records kept at the Drill Hall, Kensington, show that he enlisted with the 23rd Canterbury Battalion. The only address in the possession of the authorities here is care of the Post Office, Nelson, no private address of any nature being given. His wife is Mrs R. M. Hulme, and her address is also given as Post Office, Nelson. GOVERNMENT CONGRATULATIONS. Telegrams of congratulation on the signal _ recognition of tho gallantry of the winners of the V.C. have been despatched by tho Government.