Story of Greece and Crete

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 135, 30 July 1941, Page 6

Story of Greece and Crete

When he arrived in Crete I found out where Jack's unit was on the 2nd day and hunted him out. He was was having hmch at the time and invited me to stay but after a brief chat I returned to my own lines. I never had a chance to talk to him again except on the day before he was killed. His Company were in occupation of a hill in tfh'i front of a line which the Bn had taken up on about the 4th 'day of the German attack on Crete. It was a difficult position which Jack's Company were called upon to defend, yet ft had to be done. On ts>c 6th day a fellow signalling officer who was situated ndar me at Galatos went over to the Bn to ascertain how much telephone wire was required, and he met Jack who enquired my whereabouts, and when told that it was in charge of the signal office in Galatos, the HQ of the areo which Jack's Bn was operating m he sent his; kindest regards to ]pTe. On the Bth day—-Sunday, May 2a the attack on Galatos defences Was so fierce —from the air and ground —that Jack's Coy was compelled to withdraw through Galatos. The whole Bn had to withdraw to a new line, but not without first inflicting terrific casualties on the Hun. That wasi when the bayonet charge on the Hun in Galatos took place; the Screams and yeMs of the German victims were many and loud enough to be heard a long way off a My signal office was right in Galatos and God alone knows why it was no I hit by a "direct hit"' from an enemy bomb, or penetrated by an explosive Shell or bullet. On Avay 'through Galatos lie hailed me, but we were too busy to talk. Next morn Ing he died. It was sudden deatii. He was leading his Company out through C'anea, when, near the wireless station, his Bn was subjected to one of the most prolonged and fierce groundstraffings from the air. I was about a mile away at the tim,e amcl the length of the machine gun bursts, I remember commented on by the men I was with. Men ir Jack's Company have told me that the Bn could not afford to be dje,layed in its march out any longer and that despite the activity of the enemy planes Jack had just emerged from a grove of Olive trees when he was! hit in the back of the neck, or the back. He just fell, rolled ov'er, sighed, and died. Unfortunately he had to be left where he was (the last to be with him was the Padre) but ■ he will be remembered for the fact that his last words to his men were "Come on boys, we'll never get cfc.it unless we move on now." He was heard by his Commander who called out "That's right Cijpt.—Show youi Platoon Commanders how you can do the job." And so a valiant soldier fell, and a good mate passed awlay, nnd the New Zealand Parliament lost a member who had served hVte Partj% his Electors and the Country well and faithfully in many spheres including that of a soldier right up to the last. My heartfelt symfcijfcth-jy goes out to his wife and children find to his electorate. They must receive great comfort to know that right to the very end Jack was doing his duty. It must be a comfort to them too, to know that he did not suffer; that when his work was done his transfer to a Unit in the "Great Beyond" was immediate. . Jack had fought in two wars—l9l4-18 and in this. He was a great fellow, an orator, a busy servant of the people, a good soldier, whose talents had ior many years been devoted to the improvement of the lot of his fellowmen. He will be missed by his family, by his mates in and out of Parliament, and byi his fellow officers and men in the Army. And, as fchie only o"ther Labour Member of thp» New Zealand Parliament who served

in the Western Desert and sn Greece nnd Crete, by me very much more than I know how to say. When Jie died, he died as O'C of "A" Coy (acting), as the officer of whom Capt had been immediately junior to, was injured some time eariier In tlie battle of Crete. Now as for myself: How fortunate I was to come through it all. One chap's slumming up of his Cretan experiences struck me as being goodi. He said "I value life now more than I've ever done before; Oh life is good! I died a thousand times in Crete and yet iVn still alive; why, how, and for what purpose I escaped death only God knows but I feel sure it could only be as a result of the prayei-s I uttered myself, and the prayers of my loved ones way back home in New Zealand. I think t-hat was the, feeling of most chaps and the experience too of everyone who had even a spark of religious belief, and faith in the Higher Power to assist us in Battle and escape fr'om a country which seemed destined—■ for a time at least —to fall into tlXe hands of the enemy. At times when one just has to keep ones head down —when one daren't move, when bombers render you absolutely immobile, when shot and mortar a>nd bombs are falling all abound, there Is; nothing else to do bu't pr'ayl for protection and strength, and for the night to come quickly with it's accompanying opportunity for a little sleep. But I must start and tell the story from the time we left Egypt. After we returned from the Western Desert last January, Ave spent a period in a camp near Cairo (many names I am not permitted to menstion)" preparing for what we we to told was to be large scale training manoeuvres. By the middle of February we were fully equipped in ma-, terial and personnel, and towards the end of February moved on tcj a destination nearer to a port of embarkation. We still did not knoiw where we. were going to ultimately, although many of us, were making shrewd guesses and some a few bets. Ifn regard to that latter fact, it is true to state tlia't quite a lot of money was lost and won as a result of the success attending the efforts of the Powers That Be to guard the name of our destination as a strict secrcfc. But when, early in March we went on board a Greek ,s>hip it was difficult to get a bet against going to Greece. Our sea trip was notable mainly for the fact that we went (or two days through one of the vvors>t storms that have been encountered in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship tossed and rolled, and it rained very hard. What a contrast to conditions in Elgypt, where Ave seldom sa\\ r rain. There AA r as a great crowd of troops on our ship which "was named after the people of a certain Greek toAvn. The Greek creAV Ave-re good to us, especially as they looked upon us' as the embyro saviours of Greece, and their allies in (he defence of their land against a groAving threat of invasion by Germany. They taught us quite a ffcw Greek Avords, and all about Greek currency. We learned that the Greek unit of currency is the Drachma, of which there are 500 to the Greek £. At the present rate; <uf exchange there are 500 Drachmas (Drs for short) to the English 18/9. (The Egyptian £ is 100 Piastres and is Avorth £1 Os 7d in English) f understand that the Egyption £ is worth about Greek Drachma?. Greek money is Note form, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 Drachma notes. Darchmas in metallic form are 5, 2, 1 land V 2. So Avhen one changed a 500 Drachma note, he was liable to re r ceive a pocket full of paper in exchange. (To be continued).