BRAVERY IN ITALY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 72, Issue 6242, 14 June 1946, Page 4

BRAVERY IN ITALY

AWARD OF AMERICAN BRONZE STAR FORMER TE AWAMUTU MAN HONOURED Driver John G. (Chummy) Lee a former resident of Te Awamutu was invested in Auckland on Tuesday with the American Bronze Star for bravery in Italy. The presentation was made by Colonel Robert G. Howie of the United States Army who went to Auckland from the South Pacific Base Command at Noumea for the purpose.

Driver Lee served with the Divisional Ammunition jCompany New Zealand Army Service Corps and the citation dealt with military operations at the Senio River on 9th April, 1945, and again at the Sillaro River on 15th April. During the crossing of both rivers Driver Lee’s job was to deliver parts for the construction of Bailey bridges, and on the first occasion, while working under heavy fire, he cleared a wrecked vehicle from) the route to allow vital equipment to go through. On the night of 15th April his vehicle was badly damaged by a near-miss, but “by the exercise of considerable initiative and coolness he effected repairs and delivered his load to the bridge site on time. By his actions on both occasions his equipment, of a vital and specialised nature,, was delivered to the bridge site dn schedule, thus enabling the engineers to complete their task in record time.”