N.Z.E.F. CASUALTY LIST

Southland Times, Issue 24819, 11 August 1942, Page 5

N.Z.E.F. CASUALTY LIST

TWO KILLED IN ACTION (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 10. The following N.Z.E.F. casualty list was issued tonight (the rank is private unless otherwise stated): — SOUTHLAND PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING, NOW REPORTED NOT MISSING BUT WOUNDED O’BRIEN, R. A. T.; wife, Mrs M. I. O’Brien, Otautau. . OTHER DISTRICTS KILLED IN ACTION Fox, H. I. S.; wife, Mrs L. R. Fox, Christchurch. Murray, L/Sgt G. A.; father. Mr G. I* Murray, Umaru. DIED OF WOUNDS, PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DIED Martin, Spr E. H., Dunedin. WOUNDED Robertson, Gnr C. H.; mother, Mrs M. Robertson, Auckland. Walton, Gnr F. A.; mother, Mrs A. M. Walton, Auckland. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING, NOW REPORTED NOT MISSING BUT WOUNDED Maurice, A., Auckland. Prentice, G., Auckland. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED WOUNDED AND MISSING, NOW REPORTED NOT MISSING Bourke, K. 0., Whangarei. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING, NOW REPORTED NOT MISSING Bedford, E. S., Wellington. Hooper, L. J., Kamo. McKay, A. D., Hamilton. McLeod, W. A, New Plymouth. Smyth, A. R., Ashburton. Struthers, A. H„ Fairlie. Wynne, J. H., Auckland. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING BELIEVED PRISONER OF WAR, NOW REPORTED NOT MISSING Pirihi, J., Opotiki. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED WOUNDED, NOW REPORTED NOT WOUNDED Thorburn, S. A., Wellington. Wadsworth, L. S., Tauranga. Walton, Gnr W. B, England.

SOUTHLAND MEN IN CASUALTY LISTS

Private Douglas McLeod Beck, who is reported missing, is a son of Mr and Mrs J. A. Beck, Lochiel. He joined the overseas forces in 1940, sailed with the 4th Reinforcements and. went through the last Libyian campaign. He is 24 years of age and received his. education at Lochiel, the Winton District High School and the Southland Technical College. He was a keen footballer and was captain of the Wintoil District High School Rugby team and a member of the Southland Technical College first fifteen when it won the South Island Technical College tournament in 1935. He joined the staff of the Southland Times in 1936 and was employed by the company at the time of his enlistment. Mr and Mrs J. Williamson, Bluff, have received a letter from their son, Private R. Williamson, who since the last Libyan campain has been missing, believed prisoner of war. Private Williamson writes that he was shipwrecked on the journey from Africa to Italy, and was picked up and landed in Crete. He is now safe and well and none the worse for his immersion.

Private George Williamson, who has been reported wounded and missing, is the eldest son of Mr and Mrs J. Williamson, Bluff. He is 28 years of age and was educated at the Bluff School. Before leaving with the 3rd Echelon he was employed on the waterfront. He was a keen rower. His brother, Private R. Williamson, is a prisoner of war in Italy. Advice has been received that Private John Urban Smith, aged 34, younger son of Mr and Mrs J. V. Smith, Bluff, has been reported missing. He was born in Bluff and educated at the Bluff School and the Southland Boys’ High School. Hfe joined the Union Steam Ship Company at Bluff and at the time of hfs enlistment was with Union Airways, Wellington. He was a keen golfer. Private William Henry Windle, youngest son of Mr and Mrs D. Windle, of Riversdale, has been reported missing. He was bom at Gore 25 years ago and he received his primary education at the Riversdale school. He later attended St. Kevin’s College at Oamaru for about four years. Private Windle took a keen interest in sport and was a member of the Riversdale Football Club.

Private Robert John Ballantyne, who is reported missing, is the second son of Mr and Mrs A. G. Ballantyne, of . Waikaka. He was bom and educated at Waikaka and at the time of his enlistment he was employed on a chaffcutter operating in the Waikaka district. He went overseas with the 4th Reinforcements.

Private Cyril Kettle, who has been reported missing, is a son of Mr and Mrs P. R. Kettle, Limehills, and was educated at the Limehills school. After leaving school he took a keen interest in football and tennis, being a member of local clubs. He was employed by Doherty’s Lime Co. Ltd. and went overseas with the sth Reinforcements. Gunner William R. Rutter, wounded and missing and believed to be a prisoner of war, is the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Thomas Rutter, of Balfour. He was bom at Balfour 26 years ago and received his education there. Later he worked on various farms about the district and at the time of his enlistment he was employed by Mr W. Bullmpre, jun., at Balfour. During the Libyan campaign last December he was taken prisoner, being rescued after eight weeks by the South Africans. Gunner Rutter was a playing member of the Balfour Football Club and he also played for the Pioneer Club at Gore during the 1940 season. Private Sidney Macauley Millar, who is reported missing, is the eldest son of Mr and Mrs J. C. Millar, Otautau. Bom at Otautau 24 years ago, he. was educated at Otautau and the Southland Boys’ High School. He took a keen interest in football and cricket, playing for the Otautau school and representing the Boys’ High School on several occasions. He was secretary of the Otautau Football Club and also the Central-Western Cricket Sub-Asso-ciation. He gained representative honours in the Western District in both football and cricket. Before enlistment Private Millar was employed in the Otautau branch of the National Bank of New Zealand.

Sergeant Alexander Bain Stewart, who has been reported wounded, is a son of Mr and Mrs J. Stewart, 97 Duke street, Invercargill. He was bom in Invercargill and educated at the Waihopai School and the Southland Technical College. He served his apprenticeship as a glass beveller with the firm of F. W. Dixon Ltd., working there till the firm closed down. He afterwards worked for a time with Messrs Aikens and Robertson. On leaving there he secured employment as foreman of a glass firm in Christchurch, from where he enlisted, going overseas with the 2nd Echelon. He served in Greece and two Libyian campaigns. Mr and Mrs H. T. Cunningham, of Bluff, have received official advice from the Minister of Defence, that their son, Private J. H. Cunningham, who was reported killed in action, is now safe at his base. Lance-Corporal T. Bickley, who was reported wounded, is now discharged from hospital. NAVAL OFFICER MISSING (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 10. The following naval casualty was announced today:— Temporary Sub-Lieutenant (1) D. N. Elwood, R.N.Z.N.V.R., missing; father, Mr I. N. Elwood, Auckland.