GEORGE CROSS WON

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1945, Page 5

GEORGE CROSS WON

HEROISM IN MINEFIELD OFFICER’S SELF-SACRIFICE ~RUGBY, July 20. The George Cross has been awarded post-humously to Lieutenant St. John Graham Young, Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps. The citation says:— “On July 23, 1944, Young was in command of a patrol which had been ordered to occupy a hill feature in Italy. At’about 10 p.m,, as the patrol neared the objective' explosions were heard at very close range. Young realising the patrol had run on to an enemy minefield at once ordered every man to remian where he 'was until daybreak. After nearly two hours, a member of the patrol who had been wounded and was now in great pain, began calling out for assistance. Young at once ordered the remainder of the patrol to remain where they were and began to crawl forward himself through the minefield. As he went slowly forward, groping in front of him, with his fingers, he located and rendered harmless three schu schu mines. Young then, knelt on another schu schu mine and lhe explosion blew off his right leg. Immediately, he called out to the patrol that he had been wounded, and on no account was anyone to come near him. tie then continued with great determination to crawl forward and reached the wounded man whom he found unconscious. He then applied a first aid dressing to the man’s thigh, which was shattered by a .schu schu mine. For the next five hours, Young continuously gave encouragement to his patrol, ordering his men to remain quite still, and assuring them that it would be an easy matter to extricate themselves as soon as it became light enough to see. At first light, a jemadar reached him and carried him out of the minefield. He lost consciousness shortly afterwards and died the same evening.” GEORGE MEDAL AWARD WESTPORT MAN’S BRAVERY WELLINGTON, July 20. . How Corporal Frederick George Herring, of Westport, risked almost certain death to save the lives of other members of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. in Italy, is told in the citation to the George Medal, which has been awarded to him. Although he escaped death, he suffered injuries which made necessary the amputation of his right hand and right leg when he picked up a grenade when it was about to explode. Corporal Herring is the first member of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. to win the George Medal, the award of which is confined to acts of great bravery for which purely military honours are not normally granted. The citation is as follows:—"On the night of January 10, 1945. in Casa Casetta, Corporal Herring was preparing to send 36 grenades to outposts when one fell to the floor. The impact caused the safety pin to fail out, releasing the handle and striker. Other personnel were in the same room, and without hesitation he picked tip the grenade • and attempted to get it through a doorway. The grenade exploded just as he opened the door, and Corporal Herring suffered severe injuries, necessitating the amputation of his right hand and right leg. By his self-sacrifice, courage, and gallantry, he saved his comrades from serious injury if not death,”