NEW ZEALANDER’S ESCAPE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1939, Page 5

NEW ZEALANDER’S ESCAPE

IN TRANSJORDAN BATTLE. i I LONDON. March 13. Lieutenant-colonel John Inglis Chrystall. of Christchurch, and an old boy of Christ’s College, who commands the Transjordan Frontier Force, had a narrow escape from death during a recent desert, battle between the force and Arab terrorists. The New Zealander was observing' the progress of the action from an aeroplane piloted by Pilot Sergeant John Coggins, of the Royal Air Force. When Coggins flew low over the territory io give the colonel a better view the Arabs opened lire on the machine, ■.•.lnch was iul ten times. One bullet, c.trimk Sergeant Coggins, but. lighting the weakness which arose from loss! <>f blood, he retained control of the! plane and turned for home. After j landing safely on the aerodrome the pilot, collapsed and was taken to hospital in a serious condition. I One report says that Coggins shout-1 ed to Lieutenant-colonel Chrystall to! use his parachute, but that the New; Zealander refused and gave the; wounded man what help ho could. In the engagement Lieutenant S. T. Macadam, of the Arab Legion, was, killed and four of his men were wounded. The terrorists’ casualties were estimated at 45. The band crossed into Transjordan some days before and information was received, which showed that they were moving up towards Palestine.- Detachments ( of the Transjordan Frontier Force, 1 , the Transjordan Police, and the Arab ( Legion under Peake Pasha began to f search, and located the gang near, Zernal, on the eastern side of the River Jordan. Supported by R.A.F. planes ( they attacked, the.fighting lasting until dark. Lieutenant-colonel Chrystall -was at Christ’s College from 1897 to 1904. He spent 1906-7 at Lincoln Agricultural College, and, gaining a diploma in agriculture, he took up land in Hawke’s Bay. He left New Zealand in 1912 to enlist in the 7th Queen’s • Own thr>n Rfntionpcl at Ran-

galore, South India. In November, 1914, he was granted a. commission in tho lflih Hussars, and he served throughout the Great War in France,; Persia and Mesopotamia. J From 1919 to 1921 he served at General Headquarters in Mesopotamia. ‘He was .awarded the M.C. and was mentioned three times in despatches. In 1922 he was appointed to the Egyption Army and commanded a squadron of cavalry in the Sudan for three years. The appointment to Commandant of Police of Kordofan Province, Sudan, followed and he ho 1 ' 1 , the postiion for three and a-half years. In-January, 1929, he rejoined the 18th18th Hussars, and was attached to them for a foreign tour of service layer in the year when the regiment rnov-i ed to Cairo. In 1936 he attended a senior officers’ course in Belgium, | Bomlwv