FEILDING YOUTH

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 71, 21 February 1940, Page 4

FEILDING YOUTH

GALLANTRY ON ACHILLES. Selected from the hundreds of sailors on hoard for the special praise of Captain W. F. Parry, commander of H.M.S. Achilles, young Max Dorset lias brought distinction to Feilding in particular and New Zealand in general. While all the ship's crew was described by the commander as magnificent, Dorset’s conduct was particularly mentioned as being courageous. Max Dorset, who was born in Feilding, is a son of Mrs B. Potts, of Claudclands, Hamilton, and the late Mr Charles Dorset, of Kopane, and is only 17$ years of age. it appears that Dorset was stationed at a telephone in one of the gun turrets of H.M.S. Achilles during that memorable action off Montevideo in December. It must have been tile turret that was hit and in which some of the New Zealand sailors lost their lives, because Dorset was reported to have been killed. But the lad declared indignantly over the ship’s telephone: “Pm not "dead. This is me at the end of the ’phone.” It is obvious that, in the best traditions of the British Navy, he stuck to his post, fearless of crashing shell fire and scorning the onslaughts of the Graf Spec’s 11-inch shells. For the past 11 years Max Dorset has been, a resident of Hamilton. Even when he was at the Hamilton East School and later at the Hamilton Technical College, he had often proclaimed a desire to join the Navy. Just over two years ago his ambition was fulfilled when he was accepted for training on H.M.S. Philomel at the Devonporfc Naval Base, Auckland.