Valient New Zealanders Decorated

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23280, 16 August 1945, Page 6

Valient New Zealanders Decorated

Seven Awards Of The Victoria Cross The \ ictoria Cross is the most signal order that any sailor, soldier or airman, officer 01 man. of the British Empire can win.

This bronze cross, bearing the Lion of England over the Crown and the ’voi ds. A or I al our. takes precedence »f all British orders and decoration'.

Instituted bv Queen \ ictoria ;n 856. onl\ 1101 Victoria Crosses were awarded between that date and 1920. .Many of these awards were •osthnmous.

Epics of courage, sacrifice and levotion to dutv are written in the deeds of those who have won the •oveted honour, and New Zealand s voting nationhood is exemplified »n the valorous deeds ol seven of her sons who have been awarded the V ictoria Cross in this war Here are their stories:—

SERGEANI J V WARD No. 75 ifqcadrcn. Royal New Zealand Air Force. Munster, July 7 1941 When over the Zuicici Zee rciurnri® from a night attack on Munster the Wellington oomb.?i m which S i - geant Ward was second pilot was hit by cannon shell and incendiary bullets irom a Messerschmitt 110 Fire b" *ke out near the starboard engine fed by petrol from the split pipe It threatened to spread to the entire wing As a last resort Sergeant Ward climbed out

On the night ol April 28-29 a Ger- ' man armoured column entered Kala mai. Severe! armoured cars. 2-inch gtms. 3-inch mortars and two 6-inch guns, rapidly converged cn a large force of British and New Zealand troops awaiting to embark cn the beach Sergeant Hinton ran at the nearest gun which fired and missed him Wiping out the ereiv with two hand grenades, he went on with the bayonet, followed by New Zealanders. The Germans abandoned the first 6-inch gun and retreated into two houses. Sergeant Hinton smashed his way into each house in turn, dealing with the Germans with the bayonet. The guns were held until overwhelming German forces arrived Sergeant Hinton was wounded and taken prisoner. He was born in 1909. j and his home town is Greymouth. SERGEANT A. C. HULME I Crete. May 20-28, 1941 Leading his men forward at Maleme.! on May 20 and 21, Sergeant Hulme destroyed enemy parties who were bringing rifle, mortar and machinegun fire to bear on our defensive posts Throughout May 22 and 23. he was continually going out to destroy enemy snipers. On May 25. when the enemy held a school building at Galalos, Sergeant Hulme dislodged them with hand grenades. On May 27 he stalked and killed five enemy snipers who had worked into position on the flank of his battalion at Suda Bay At Stylo.-, on May 28, when an enemy mortar was inflicting severe casualties on the rearguard, he attacked and Killed the crew. He killed three more snipers, making a total cf 33 in all. oefore being severely wounded in the shoulder In spite of his wound, ne directed traffic under fire Sergeant Hulme was born in 1912. and his home town is Nelson.

SECOND-LIEUT. C. H. CPWI Crete, May, 22-39, IC4I

On May 22 Second-Lieutenant Upham fought his way forward 3000 yards at Maleme. and his platoon destroyed numerous enemy pests. When his company withdrew from Maleme he carried oack a wounded man under fire, and also guided back a company which had become isolated During the next two days his platoon held an exposed position under fire. Blowi over by a mortar shell, painfully wounded in the shoulder by shrapnel, and with a bullet in his foot, he remained on duty. At Galatos. on May 25, h’s platoon killed 40 Germans, forcing the enemy back. Ordered to retire, he sent his platoon back, and when fired on by two Germans he shammed dead Only able to use one arm, he killed them On May 30 at Sphakia he cleverly fought off an enemy attack, killing 22 Germans at a range of 500 yards. Second-Lieutenant Upham was born in 1910. and his home town is Christchurch

SERGEANT K. ELLIOTT Ruweisat. July 15. 1942

Under heavy tank, machine-gun and shell fire. Sergeant Elliott led his nlatoon ’o cover, receivine a ches> wound himself Re-forming his men. he led them to a dominating ridge 500 yards away, where they again came under heavy fire. Locating the enemv posts. Sergeant Elliott led seven men in a bayonet charge across 500 yards of open ground in the face ot heavy fire and captured four machine-gun posts and an anti-tank gun killing a number of the enemy and taking 50 prisoners. His section then came under fire from another post. He charged this single handed, captured it. killed several of the enemy and took 15 prisoners. Although now badly wounded in four places Sergeant Elliott refused to leave his men until he had re-form-ed them, handed ever his prisoners now 130. and had arranged for his men to rejoin their Battalion He was bom in 1916 in Mangamaire

SECOND-LIEUT. KOANA-NUI-A KIWA NGARIMU Jebel Tebaga. March 2-3. 1943

Against a position held, in great strength. Second-LieutenarfU Ngarimu led his men with great determination Undeterred by intense mortar and machine-gun fire which caused heavy casualties, he headed the advance up the face of a hill, and was himself first at the crest. He annihilated at least two machine-gun posts. When the enemy counter-attacked, Second-Lieu-tenant Ngarimu ordered his men to stand up and engage the enemy man for man The attackers were mown down. Second-Lieutenant Ngarimu personally killing several Many enemy counter-attacks launched throughout the night, were beaten off One coun-ter-attack pierced cart ot cur line Without hesitation Second-Lieutenant Ngarimu rushed to the threatened area killed some of the enemy and drove the rest out with stones and his Tom-my-gun Morning found him still holding the position Only two unwounded other ranks remained. During the next counter-attack SecondLieutenant Ngarimu. already twice wounded was killed. He was the first Maori to win the Victoria Cross

FLYING OFFICER 1.. A. TRIGG Atlantic. August. 1943

Juring August. 1943. Flving Officer L ! A. Tria-J. of the RJg.Z.A.F. who held I the D.F.C.. was flying a Liberator) bomber on patrol in the Atlantic. After searching for eight hours, the Liberator siehted a .-urfaced U-boat Flying . Officer Trigg immediately prepared to' attack. During the approach the aircraft received many hits from the submarine's anti-aircraft guns, and burst into flames, which quickly enveloped the tail. The moment was critical 'Flvjr- c- r Trigg could have brok»n off the engagement and made a forced andiug but he maintained the attack in spitp of the odds against his survival which mounted heavily as every second passed. Skimming over the Üboat at less than 50 fee’. Flving Officer Trigg dealt the final blow and the Üboat sank within 20 minutes. By •'his time Firing Officer Trica’s aircraft was blazing fiercely and. although headed for base, it never reached it Flying Officer Trigg was 29 and he was born at Houhora.

through the narrow astro-natch In spite of the terrific slip-stream o? climbed to the back of the engine breaking hand and footholds in the fabric He then stuffed an engine cover into the hole the fire was coming from and smothered it Sergeant Wards journey back was even mor~ difficult, but with the help of tne navigator he was pulled saiely oack into the aircraft. The Wellington made a safe landing He subsequently lost his life on air operations He was bom in 1919 at Wanganui.