KING’S REGRET

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23316, 27 September 1945, Page 4

KING’S REGRET

Winner Absent From England Army Career Described N.Z.P.A.—Special Correspondent LONDON, September 25. The King personally conferred for nearly an hour at Buckingham Palace with high-ranking New Zealand officers before his Majesty decided to award a Bar to the Victoria Cross to Captain Upham—the only one of the war, and the first during his reign. Only two other Bars to the Victoria Cross have ever been awarded, both in the last war. His Majesty carefully checked through all the papers relating to Captain Upham’s exploits and asked many questions. He re'called the occasion when he decorated the New Zealander with the Victoria Cross at a Palace investiture and expressed his regret when he heard that Captain Upham had returned home, saying,he was sorry that he missed seeing him again. Recommendations that Captain Upham should receive a Bar had remained “in the tray” for nearly three years, in fact, since the battle of Ruweisat in 1942, when Captain Upham was taken prisoner. Many details had to be checked and rechecked, and some could only be given by men captured with Captain Upham. When Major-General L. M. Inglis arrived in England earlier this year he again took up the recommendation. Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg, V.C., discussed it with the Army Council during his recent visit to London. Finally the recommendation reached the King, who gives most careful personal consideration to every award of the Victoria Cross. He asked to see General Freyberg. but he had returned to Italy, so another highranking officer went to the Palace. The fact that it is only the third occasion on which the Bar to this most coveted of all decorations has been awarded adds greater distinction to the honour conferred upon the New Zealander. Both other awards were made to R.A.M.C. officers in the 1914-18 war. A Proud Woman The proudest person in England today is naturally Captain Upham’s wife, formerly Mary Eileen (Mollie) McTamney, of Otago. She became engaged to Captain Upham in 1938, and left New Zealand later that year to visit her sister in Singapore, arid came to England the following year, but by then Captain Upham had sailed for Egypt and she missed seeing him. A trained nurse and dietitian, she worked in Lower Hutt Hospital until last February, when she came to England and joined the Red Cross as a welfare officer, and went to Germany to assist in the organisation of liberated New Zealand prisoners on their way to Kent. In May she returned to England and saw Cap'tain Upham again for the first time in seven years, and was present at Buckingham Palace when he received the Victoria Cross from the King. They were married on June '6 at Barton-on-Sea, Hants, where Captain Upham’s sister, Mrs G. HolmesSiedle, lives. “I am dying to get home.” said Mrs Upham, “but like many others I am waiting for a ship." Another who is. proud and pleased at the award of the Bar to “Charlie” is Major-General H. K. Kippenberger, under whom Captain Upham began his military career in the 20th Battalion as a private. Major-General Kippenberger said: “Charlie is an extraordinarily modest and thoughtful chap, who will probably be most unhappy at the publicity that will follow the award. He was a grand soldier. Leave to Settle a Score “He joined up in October, 1939, as a private in the 20th battalion, in which, he served all his military career. lie first came to my notice when he made a request for leave, which was refused. He asked to see me, and when I inquired why he wanted leave he said because he wished to give a man a good hiding. Apparently he had not been paid a debt. He got leave and apparently gave the man a good hiding. but whether the debt was settled I do not know. He was selected a few weeks later to go to the first New Zealand 0.C.T.U., but asked permission to refuse as he was afraid he would not be able to get away to the war quickly enough. Later I sent him away with the advance party and he left the Dominion with about two days’ notice. He was in the first group sf men to be commissioned in Egypt, and his name appears as the junior officer of the Expeditionary Force in the first credation list published in May, 1940. It is true that he was at the bottom of the O.C.T.U. course, but chiefly because of his independent views. He served with me in Greece and Crete, and his V.C. won in Crete was one of the best of the war. He showed remarkable courage and endurance although he was suffering from dysentery and was practically a skeleton. There was a gj-eat deal of difficulty to get him to wear his V.C. ribbon, and frequently when he went on leave he never wore it. When we went up toward Libya in 1941 I refused to take him with me, as I felt that he would get himself killed, and I left him out. to his intense disgust, but as it turned out he was to be one of the officers that reformed the 20th battalion after it had been practically wiped out in battle. Superb Behaviour “I left the battalion shortly afterwards. and next saw him in Syria. He was then commanding a company in the 20th Battalion. He showed me the positions he had dug and they were the best and most skilfully prepared company positions I have ever seen. He served under Brigadier J. T. Burrows in the Egypt campaign of 1942. When I saw Brigadier Burrows after Mimqar Qaira the first thing he said was: ‘Charlie must have another V.C.’ because of his superb behaviour during the battle. Actually he is receiving the Bar not for those incidents but during the battle fought at Ruweisat three months later, when he was severely wounded and taken prisoner. At me period lie drove around in a jeep with a broken arm until he practically collapsed. Many men returning from the battle talked of little else but his behaviour. Throughout, his imprisonment he was defiant and recalcitrant, but earned the respect of both the Italians and Hie Germans. His name among the prisoners was legendary, and many sav lie ought to get another decoration for his behaviour during that time. He macle numerous attempts to escape; in fact, he never ceased planning escanes

until the Germans finally sent him to Colditz prison.” The first to win a Bar to the Victoria Cross was Lieutenant A. MartinLeake, who is now living at Ware. Hertfordshire. The second was Captain N. G. Chavasse, who died of wounds. Lieutenant Martin-Leake won the Victoria Cross during the Boer War on February 8. 1902. in the Transvaal battle, and the Bar during the first battle of Ypres in November, 1914 Captain Clue, a- e won tile Cross al Giiilieinont in 1915 and the Bar in September. 1917. but he did not live to receive it.