V.C. AWARDED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 253, 24 September 1942, Page 5

V.C. AWARDED

SOLDIER FROM PAHIATUA BRAVERY IN DESERT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 24. The Prime Minister (Mr Eraser) announced to-day that Sergeant Keith Elliott, whose father is Mr F. C. Elliott, Marima rural delivery, Mangamaije, Pahiatua, has been awarded the Victoria Cross.

The citation says: "At Ruweisak at dawn on July 15 the battalion to which Sergeant Elliott belonged was attacked on three flanks by tanks. Unde-" heavy tank, machinegun, and shell fire he led tho platoon he was commanding to the cover of a ridge 300 yards away, during which he sustained a chest wound. Here he re-formed his men and led them to a dominating ridge a further 500 yards away, where they .came under heavy enemy machine-gun and mortar fire. He located enemy machinegun posts on his front and right flank. One section attacked on the right flank. "Sergeant Elliott led seven men in a bayonet charge across 500 yards of open ground in the face of heavy fire and captured four enemy machine-gun posts and an anti-tank gun, killing a number of the enemy and taking 50 prisoners. His section then came under fire from a machine-gun post on his left flank. He immediately charged this post single-handed and succeeded in capturing it, killing several of the enemy and taking 15 prisoners. "During these two assaults he sustained three more wounds in the back and legs. Although badly wounded in four places he refused to leave his men until he had re-formed them and handed over his prisoners, who now numbered 130, and arranged for his men to rejoin their battalion. "Owing to Sergeant Elliott's quick grasp of the situation, great personal courage, and leadership, 19 men who were the only survivors of B Company of his battalion captured and destroyed live machine-guns and one anti-tank gun, killed a great number of the enemy and captured 130 prisoners. Sergeant Elliott sustained only one casualty among his men and brought him back to the nearest advanced dressing station. GOOD RECORD OF SERVICE.

Sergeant Elliott went overseas with the Second Echelon as a private in a Wellington Battalion and served in Greece and Crete, being reported slightly wounded in the latter campaign in 1941, but he was able to remain with his unit. During the subsequent desert campaign he was in December last posted as missing and believed a prisoner of war, but he was released with a large number of other prisoners when our troops captured Bardia in January. He was wounded again on July 15 and admitted to hospital, being discharged 11 days later. He was promoted Lance-Corporal in June, 1940, Corporal in June, 1941, Lance-Sergeant in September, 1941, and Sergeant a month later. He is 26 years of age and in civil life was engaged in farming at Mangamaire.