PRESENTARY OF MILITARY MEDAL.

Lake County Press, Issue 2787, 29 May 1919, Page 5

PRESENTARY OF MILITARY MEDAL.

At Gore on Saturday Sir James Allen held a decoration ceremony and presented medals, amongst those honored being Mrs Jopp, formerly of Arrowtown, who was presented with the Military Medal gained by her son the late Corporal James A. Jopp. In presenting the medals, Sfr James Allen referred to the noble part New Zealand had played in the war. New Zealand was the only country, with the exception, perhaps, of America, which entered the war late, which had kept up its reinforcements. New Zealanders, wherever they went, were well spoken of, and the part they took in the war would never be forgotten. They did not, however, find their retured men boasting of what they had done ; it was one of the characteristics of our race not to boast, and this was very clearly exemplified in the young men who had gene out to fight the country’s battles. It was the wish of his Majesty the King that the presentation of medals to soldiers should be as public as possible, and he, as Minister of Defence, had acceded to his wish by coming to Southland for that purpose. Holding up one of the medals, he asked those present to note particularly the colour of the riband, that when they passed a man wearing it they would recognise a man who possessed courage and who had performed noble deeds. Cheers were given for Mrs Jopp and the other recipients, with whom the Minister personally sympathised.