ON SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17659, 24 June 1919, Page 8

ON SERVICE

CFnou Oub Own C^onHKdroKDBNT.f LONDON, April 25. An- George Hepcn.-tall (Wellington) was on a trip to England in 1914 when the war broke out, and ho joined Uio R.A.M.C. straight away. lie was in France in the first week in January, 1915, anTl lias spent inure than four years there. He lias now beep demobilised, and is in tho repatriation camp at Winchester awaiting return to Now Zealand. Mr Devantier, who w-ns born at Oniata, Taranaki. was at sea for five yeax.s before the beginning of the wax. Li October, 1914. he. left tho mercantile marine ami joined tho R.F.A. in London, proceeding o\ors«is a few months later. He was fortunate enough to come through tho u'hol.; of the lighting in France without injury, and he is now awaiting repatriation. Lieutenant S. T. Slidolph, R.A.F. (Wellington), who was with tho famous 74th Squadron in Franco up to the end c.r tho fighting, came to England in January, ui.d is now awaiting return to New Zealand. Mr Fred Herbert (Auckland) was a steward on the Orari before join;n! r tho British Army in May, 1917. He went to i'raneo a month or two later, and was gassed at the battle of Cambrai. On beiiv discharged from hospital, he was trans* jeirecl to tho ivoy;il Defence Corps, and ho has since boon at Gloucester gnardin" German prisoners. He is now at Winchester awaiting: repatriation. Lieutenant H. G. Ilatchwell, R N R. has been employed as a boarding officer in the Downs Flotilla since October 1914 Lieutenant A. L. Fraser, R.N.R'., is 'a 6 of r , Mr , S. Fraser, formerly manager of the Bank- of New Zealand at Lyttolton, and afterwards of the Treasury in Wellington. Ho has spent 12 years at sea. Earfv ?p , t -' I P war 1 ho w ? s carrying troops iii the iffi™ ' ■ n : n = , t0 En 6l«nd as extra officer m the Otaki, lie got his commission m July,. 1916, and was appointed to a paddle mine-sweeper, of which ho lias lately been in command. The vessel has now been handed over to the owners, and LieuILmI Hexbairf. transfened c ™«d Lieutenant G. G. Rich. M.C., Ist Iv EH has resigned his commission. Ho is th' 4 only son of Mr M. G. Rich, w'ho was a member of the Second Canterbury Military ..ervice Board. At- tho beginning of tho war Lloutenant Rich ■ was with the CanterfM ° untec ! but was recommended tor an Imperial Commission in May, 1916. , April 29. Captain E. 11. G. R. Evans, R.M.. who commanded tho destroyer Broke in tho action of tho Broko and Swift against a Gorman destroyer ilotilla off Dover, has rejoined the Dover Patrol. Ho is at present ac.ing as Senior, Naval Officer at Ostend. responsible for the wholo of tho ships there Engineer Sub-lieutenant Walter Sommervalle (Auckland) who was a son of the late Colonel J. R. Sommervillo, was serving in t he transport Tahiti as third engineer until the end of 1916. Joining the N Z K F later he served in Flanders u.nd on tho Somme with the Auckland Regiment, and in August 1918 was transferred to the R.N.R. with which ho has served ever since. Mr Sorome-rville had four brothers on active service, two of them having been killed and two severely wounded. Major S. L. Sommerville was killed in Palestine a year ago and Major J. A. Sommerville, D.5.0., has'been twice mentioned. Sister E. G. Williams. Q.A.I.M.N.S.R, (To Auto), who has been at the Military Hospital at Felixstowe for the past year, is now at the Fargo Military Hospital on Salisbury Plain. Lieutenant M. C. Armitage, R.N.V.R, (Auckland), expects to be retained for some months in tho Mine Clearing Service. Corporal H. Birooke. of the 35th Battalion, A.I.F. (Palmorston North) has left on his return to Australia. Lieutenant C. V. Connolly, R.N.V.R. (Auckland), after spending "a couple of months in England at the end of two years' perviice >n tho Aegean, has left again for the East This time ho goes to take command of another motor launch on tho at Belgrade. He is travelling to his destination overland through Franceand Ttnly and Trieste. P.'ivma=tcr - lieutenant Arthur Hirst,R.N.R.. formerly of Taranaki, has been invalided from the service after four years in various capacities in the North Sea. Lieutenant Hirst came to England in the service of tho Bank- of Now Zealand about 10 years ago, and liefore tho war was studying music in Germany. Fortunately he was on holiday in Scandinavia when war broke out." He is leaving this week on a voyage for the bene-

fib of J lis ileal th. to Colon, thenco up Uio \vostorn coast of Noi'th America to t>an l 1 uincitfeo, then buck to liuglnnd overland. Lieutenant K Al. (Jibbs, who was an OI<! Boy of Otiigo Hoys' High School, and was •/"' some years in the service of the New Zealand Shipping Company', came to tin; tiont with the Wellington Regiment in 1916, unci in April the following year was nominated for a commission. This ho obtained in tho It.C!.A. in .February, 1918, and Jie hius been serving with a Siege liattery over since. 110 is now with tho lUiino army. .Second Lieutenant ]■'. (J. tfossott,' 2nd iveserve Regiment of Ca.va.lry, lias been promoted lieutenant. Ho was formerly a sergeant in tho N.Z.K.1 1 '., and was nominated tor an Imperial commission in November, 1916, being discharged from the N.Z.E.F. in duo oourse. Lieutenant 11. W. G. Park, R.N.R., has just boon released and is awaiting repatriation Ho was boni at Ilokitika, and after qualifying as a marine engineer was studying law when tho war broke out. Ho volunteered early for naval work, and eventually attested in tho N.Z.E.F., in December, 1916. After serving for some time in Franco with Ji T> xt't'Iffton1 ffton K<? K imont ho transferred to the R.N.R. us engineer sub-lieutenant, and ho has served in depot ships at Rosyth, training motor mechanics at Liverpool, ami in store-carriers at Scapa Flow and Queenstown. Sub-lieutenant, R, E. Price, R.N.R., who left New Zealand with reinforcpments in June 1917, transferred to the R.N.R. in March, 1918; and was given charge of the J. U S Addie. He was then appointed to bo first lieutenant in a licet messenger layin«cables anfl instruments for submarine detection. Recently in tho tug Frisky he towed out to Sicily U.O. 98 as nnrt of the spoils of \var for the Italians and brought home the torpedo oiler Sunic. Lieutenant Price has now been released, and will shortly return to aow Zealand.