OBITUARY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 278, 24 November 1945, Page 3

OBITUARY

LIEUT.-COL. J. E. ANDERSON

(By a Parliamentary Reporter) Wellington, Nov. 6

Lieutenant-Colonej John Edward Anderson, 0.8. E., M.C., Croix de Guerre with palm R.E., who died in Wellington yesterday at the age of 57, had a brialllant career as an engineer and soldier. He was awarded the 0.8. E. in 1942 for his work in command of the engineers who laid the famous Western Deiert railway from Mersa Matruh to. Tobruk, a distance of 230 miles. His capacity for organisation resulted in his command’s astounding feat of laying four miles of rails in a day. At the outbreak of war, as resident engineer of the Public Works Department at Christchurch, he was in charge of the urgent defence programme, including .he construction of Burnham camp and Wigram and Hare wood aerodromes. Colonel Anderson, who was an associate member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, was born at Cus., and educated at the Rangiora High School. Joining the Public Works Department in 1907 he was employed chiefly on railway survey and cons.ruction work unti] 1913, when he went to Canada to gain experience. For part of his

time in Canada he was a designing draughtsman for the Canadian Pacific Railways. From 1915 to 1919 he served, with the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of major, and winning he Military Cross and the Croix de Guerre with palm. He was C.R.E. (commanding officer of divisional engineer.) to one of the Guards divisions, and was the youngest C.R.E. in the British Army.

Colonel Anderson went to Iraq after the last war, holding high positions in the administration. 11l health compelled his return to Ne t Zealand in 1922. He practised as a consulting engineer in the Bay of Plenty district and was later engineer for the borough of Thames. He rejoined tire Public Works Department in 1929, and was stationed at Stratford until 1937’ when he went to the Kermadec Islands to make investigations concerning air, radio, and meteorological stations. He was appointed to Christchurch in the following year. When a construction and survey group was formed to go overseas with the 2nd Echelon he was appointed commanding officer. After service in the Western Desert his group was associated with South African and Australian engineers in the construction of a difficult length of line between Haifa and Tripoli in Syria. He then left the New’ Zealand forces and rejoined the Royal Engineers to command an Indian group, engaged for two years in trying conditions in Burma. He came home on leave last July, and died in the Wellington Hospital, Hfe leaves a wife, four sons, and two daughters. One of his sons is an officer in the Royal Navy. Colonel Anderson was given a military