N.Z. OFFICERS’ AWARDS

Grey River Argus, 20 August 1942, Page 1

N.Z. OFFICERS’ AWARDS

GALLANTRY IN ACTION Middle East Service MORE IN EGYPT. (N.Z.E.F. war correspondent). CAIRO, August 18. Five more New Zealandei.s are included in a further list of immediate • awards for bravery in the battle lor ' Egypt, announced by the Middle j £.ast headquarters to-day. They are: — D. 5.0.: Lieutenant Colonel J. N. Peart, Auckland. . M.C.: Lieutenant K. J. Fraser. Wellington. D.C.M.: Corporal A. J. Voss. Tail; ranga. M.M.: Regimental Sergeant-Major A. B. H. Naughton. Whangarei. and Sergeant W. J. Kennedy. Tauranga. THE CITATIONS. CAIRO, August 18. Lieutenant-Colonel Peart, formerly beadmaster of King’s College, Auckland,. received the D.S.O. “lor outstanding leadership, bravery and determination,” says the citation. At the El Terier depression on the night of July 21-22 Lieut.-Col. Peart led his South Island battalion in the New Zealand Sixth Brigade attack on the -depression. The, battalion reached its objective to find twelve enemy tanks occupying it. Under Lieut.-Col. Peart’s direction forward companies attacked the tanks, and knocked out three with stick grenades. A reserve ammunition truck was blown up by the tanks’ fire and ' a reserve of anti-tank grenades destroyed. Contact with the remainder of the brigade on the left flank could not be made-, although three successive patrols were sent out. At 4.30 a.m., when all efforts -to make contact or obtain anti-tank support failed, Lieut.-Col. Peart withdrew the survivors from forward companies, leaving B. Company in an intermediate position on the- flank of the Fifth New Zealand Brigade.' At 8 a.m. when some Grant tanks of an armoured brigade finally appeared, Lieut.-Col. Peart personally led his reserve company and tanks forward to the depression and engaged the enemy tanks until there was no longer an infantry tank. “During all the fighting Lieut.-Col. Peart was constantly moving about among his men, encouraging them, and at all time setting a high example of courage and nerseverance. It was due to his outstanding leadership, discrimination and sound judgment that the battaLon remained a fighting unit.” Lie-ut.-Col. Peart’s battalion was commanded at Sidi Rezegh last November bv an All Black, Lieut.-Col. J. R. Page, who was wounded in the famous attack on the Sidi Rezegh blockhouse. A story of coolness and courage in the face of constant danger is revealed in the citation covering the award of the M.C. to Lieutenant K. J. Frazer, a son of Mr Justice Frazer. On July 15 the Fourth New Zealand Machine-gun Company was attached to Brigade Headquarters during the attack on Ruweisat Ridge. Enemy tanks were encountered, and Brigade Headquarters moved back. Lieut Frazer was ordered to go forward f.nd join a South Island battalion. He took his platoon forward under heavy lire until stopped by three enemv tanks at ■ two hundred yards range. Instead of moving hack he remained still and in the halt light was undiscovered. Soon after he sighted four enemy guns, and with his platoon engaged them so successfully that the enemy abandoned the guns and withdrew. Shortly after a nody of enemy troops with prisoners was sighted. Lieut. Frazer advanced with his platoon, released the Fifth Brigade defence platoon, and captured enemy guards. Throughput the rest of the day he remained in an exposed and isolated position, end engaged numerous targets successfully. At 9 p.m. lie returned to Brigade Headquarters with impoitant information about our own troops. He was an inspiration to his D - Corporal A. J. Voss attacked and 1 destroyed an enemy medium ma-chine-gun post and its crew w.itn hand grenades on the morning July 15, during' the attack on Ru- > weisat Ridge. Later in the morning, a'-though hand grenades were thrown at him bv the tank crew Corporal i Voss attacked a tan’.: with a» pick in an effort to damage its tracks. Hethen moved out and brought in two wounded men under heavy fire trom mortars and tank machine-guns. During the whole attack Corp-oral Voss showed indifference to personal safety. He led h.is men witli determination and vigour. In the course of a night attack on July 22 Corporal Vess’s platooiw attacked what appeared to he a machine-gun post. On

nearing the objective six enemy tanks were encountered, supported hy infantry. As the line of withdrawal. was cut oil by tank and machine-gun fire, the attack was continued. Voss led his section •igainst two tanks, and by the use of anti-tank grenades forced them to retire' damaged. He also destroyed several of the enemy with grenades and forced the remainder co retire. When the order to retire was given Corporal Voss rallied his men and brought them out intact. , When the New Zealanders browe through the German panzer rin ® at Minqar Qiam on the night oi June 27-28, Regimental SergeantMajor Naughton dismounted from] his trucK to straighten out a tangle i of transport at one of the points; where the convoy changed direction. ; He remained there.' under intense fire l of all types directing Lralfic. He was i undoubtedly responsible for the fact I that a large percentage of transport of both his own and other units kept to the right track, and was not irletrisvably lost. He was then knocked unconscious by a ) (Shell . splinter which dented his steel hel-1 met. and when he recovered all; transport had disappeared. Although still suffering from shock he walked through the enemy lines, and, by I walking and riding where he could i get lifts, managed to get back to his own unit two days later, exhausted. , In spite of his condition he insisted on resuming duties immediately. When Sergeant Kennedy’s platoon commander was killed during a night attack on Ruweisat Ridge on July 14-15 he collected his men and fought on to his objective. When he arilved he found his company had been broken up, so he collected all he could and took command. In the evening enemy tanks over-ran the position. Sergeant Kennedy kept control of his men, and when he saw that the position could not be held lie placed all his men on an abandoned portee and drove off under heavy fire. The portee was hit, and some

of the men wounded. Sgt. Kennedy struggled on with his portee. Eventually he brought his men to safetj 7 . ‘•Throughout tne action his conduct was a marvellous example to his men,” says the citation. “His fine leadership kept them together under very ditncuit circumstances.” WELLINGTON, August 13. Advice has been received from the War Ollice London, that the King has approved of the following .immediate awards to officers of fhe Second N.Z.E.F. serving in the Middle East;—Distinguished Service Order. Ma? jor H. M. Mcllroy. Bar to Military Cross. Captain F. A. McPhail, • • : Military Cross, Lieutenant G. ‘ S. Cooper. ~ Major Mcllrov received his first appointment to a commission in .the North Auckland regiment in 1932 and in February 1940 was oosted to the Second N.Z.E.F. in the temporal rank of Captain. He went overseas with the Second Echelon and attained a field- rank this year. He was an accountant in civil life and resides at Dargaville.

Captain McPhail pased out from the Armv School of instruction in November 1939. and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Second N.Z.E.F., South Island battalion, and went overseas with the Second Echelon. He was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry and distinguished services in the Greek camnaign. He was promoted to his present rank in December last. He was formerly on the Christchurch staff of the Bank of New Zealand. His father is Mr. E. McPhail of Rangio.ra. Lieutenant Cooper was commissioned in 1941. He left left New Zealand with the Fourth Reinforcements and promoted to Lieutenant >n 'T'tlv ot last year. His home is in Christchurch. He was an accountant in civil life. His next of kin is Mrs. D ,F. Cooper, Timaru,