ON SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23940, 16 October 1939, Page 8

ON SERVICE

D.S.O. FOR NEW ZEALANDER (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON. Sept. 19. It is officially gazetted that the King has been pleased to approve the award of the Distinguished Service Order to Squadron Leader H, D McGregor, R.A.F., for distinguished services in Palestine, during recent operations. This officer comes from Hawke’s Bay. Reserve Commissions Four retired officers of air rank for which there is no immediate vacancy in their own grade have been granted commissions as group captains in the R.A.F Volunteer Reserve from September 2. All of them learned to fly before the last war. One of the four is Air Commodore F. K. Haskins. D.S.C., 52, who was a paymaster. R.N., when he took his flying certificate No. 625. on September 13, 1913. He served on the staff of Admiral Sir Roger Keyes in the Heligoland Bight action, transferred to the R.N.A.S. in October, 1914, and served in France and Belgium. He was Group Captain in charge of Administration, Air Defence of Great Britain, before his retirement in 1934 He was appointed to a permanent commission in the R.A.F in August, 1919. Major-general I C. Freyberg, V.C., has been appointed to a command. “ One of the most romantic figures of ihe last war," comments the Evening Standard, “he retired two years ago and proposed to stand for Parliament. General Freyberg is tall and burly; so his friends call him Tiny.’ He married Mrs Reginald McKenna’s sister, and he is now only 49 His military exploits stood out even in a war full of individual achievements, and he was commanding a battalion of the Royal Naval Division when he won his V.C. at the age of 26. At 27 he had his brigade.”