SHY NATURE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 254, 25 September 1942, Page 5

SHY NATURE

GAVE CREDIT TO OTHERS. (Official War Correspondent.) CAIRO, Sept. 23. Cheers rang through a sergeants’ mess at Maadi camp at lunch-time to-day when it was announced that Sergeant Elliott had been awarded tho Victoria Cross. Auburn-haired and stocky, Elliott was eating his lunch when he was called from the mesfs by his adjutant. His colonel was waiting outside and tho colonel and adjutant were the first to congratulate him. Then tho adjutant made tho announcement in the mess. There was a tumultuous welcome as Elliott re-entered the mess. An hour later he was sitting in tho camp studio while the official artist, Captain Peter Mclntyre, sketched him for a painting in oils, and a cinematographer, Mr R. Mclntyre, made a film. He was obviously shy and bewildered by it all. When he told his history to me he told it with great reservation, laying stress on what the men with him had done and telling nothing of what he himself had done. “Tell them my pals did the job and God looked after ns,” ho said. Sergeant is a typical New Zealander in speech, in approach, in outlook, in manner. He cannot understand why he should have been awarded the, V.C. He would rather have seen it awarded to the lance-

corporal who was with him. Elliott is New Zealand’s fifth winner of the Victoria Cross in this war. He has been five times wounded — four times in the action which won him the V.C., and once in Crete. Ho has been In every action in which tho New Zealanders have fought— Greece, Crete, Libya, and Egypt. He had just rejoined his battalion on July 13 after recovering from malaria contracted in Syria. Two days later came the New Zealanders’ grim attack" on Rtnveisak Ridge. Despite four wounds ho suffered in this attack he is fit and tanned and ready to go back to tho line. Throughout his career in the Second N.Z.E.F. Elliott has been a member of the 22nd "Wellington Battalion Commanded for many months by Colonel L. AV. Andrew, a V.C., of tho last war. Elliott’s V.C. is the first decoration the battalion has won. Colonel Andrew used to call them jokingly “tho ribbonless battalion”. Since his heroic exploits on Huweisak Ridge, Elliott has been out of the front line and ho is novv on a weapon training course at the base camp. *