A KEEN SOLDIER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 2 August 1941, Page 2

A KEEN SOLDIER

t SERVICE IN TWO WARS BRIGADIER PUTTICK’S CAREER 1 1 ACTIVITIES IN’ GREECE j Brigadier Puttick served with disL tinction during the Great War, and in . | the present conflict won further praise I by the manner in which he led the J rearguard action of the New Zealanders in Greece. He left the Dominion in command of the First Echelon of the Expeditionary Force, since when :he has been second in command to •; Major-General Freyberg. Earlier this . j year he was mentioned in dispatches , | for distinguished service, j Brigadier Puttick was born 'in Timaru in 1390. lie was educated at the Waitaki Boys’ High School, and in 1906 joined the engineering branch of , i the roads division of the Public Works , ! Department. lie was a very keen .; Territorial officer, and before 1914 he : field a commission in the 15th North i Auckland Regiment in Whangarei for 13 months. lie was also in the sth Wellington Regiment for two years He held the rank of captain in this regiment at the outbreak of war in 1914. and went with the regiment to Samoa early in August of that year with the Expeditionary Force that occupied tin territory. SERVICE IN EGYPT On returning to the Dominion in 1915 he was appointed to the Ist Battalion New Zealand Itiile Brigade as company commander. He went to ’Egypt with the brigade and took part m tin operations against the Senuss; on the western frontier of Egypt and at Alcrsa Alntruh. He was promoted ; major in 1916. and went to France with the 2nd Brigade. lie returned to New Zealand in July of that year as second in command of the 4th Battalion. commanded by the late General ■ Melvin. Later in the latter stages of the battle of Passchendaele he was in charge of the battalion. Brigadier Puttick was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in ; October, 1917. and commanded the 3rd Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade during the German offensive of March, 1918. He was severely 'wounded at Colincarnps, near Amiens. During his service in France he took part in the battles of the Somme (1916 1, Mossines and Passchendaele (1917 ». and the second battle of the Somme m 19L8. lie was awarded the D.S.O. and twice mentioned in dispatches. On recovery from his wounds he took command of the New Zealand Rifle Bri- \ bade training camp at Broclon. in ! Si a fiords hi re. in May, 1918. He returned to New Zealand in De ; cumber. 1918. and was appointed major on the New Zealand Staff Corps. < Ir. February. 192(1. he was sent to Fiji j in command of a special expedition to j ; assist the Fiji Government against the j Indian rioters. ACTIVITIES IN DOMINION Brigadier Puttick has had a varied service in New Zealand. Among the appointments has has held here are . those of staff officer in charge of Wellington Regimental District, a similar post in charge of the Auckland Regi- j mental District, and assistant quarter- i general | staff officer. Southern Command, sta- j j tinned in Christchurch, and in the ! same year he was promoted to the rank lof Lieutenant-Colonel. From 1933 to J ! 1936 he was quartermaster-general in ! Wellington, and in 1937 was promoted j to he rank of colonel, N.Z.S.C. He was adjutant and quartermastergeneral. Army Headquarters. Wellington, and second member of the Army ; Board ii 1938. and the following year was appointed O.C. Central Military District. Wellington. He received his promotion to the rank of Brigadier in January, 1940. and was appointed comnuindcr of the 4th Infantry Bri--1 gade. N.Z.E.F. During 1936 he was attached to the War Office in England for three month and subsequently attended the '937 course at the Imperial Defence College. London. He was appointed Gold Staff Officer in Westminster Abbey for the Coronation in May, 1937, ! and in the same year attended the Imperial Conference as Army adviser to the New Zealand delegation. He attended the 1936 and 1937 British ! Army manoeuvres. Brigadier Puttick married Aliss I. L.