ELUDES CAPTORS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 16, 20 October 1942, Page 2

ELUDES CAPTORS

N.Z. BRIGADIER

For the second time in I lie present Western Desert campaign a New Zealand brigadier hsa been captured by the enemy and has escaped. Early one morning the brigadier was taken prisoner by tanks.i A bid for freedom in a small car failed when, after proceeding about, half a mile, the car was. hit by a shell.* Tanks then appeared on the scene and the party was forced to sarrendei-. Throughout the day the brigadier remained wilit medical orderlies and others, acting as a stretcher bearer and attending to the wounded frequently under slielllire from .our own guns. Later the enemy removed some of the wounded in trucks and the brigadier ant? his party prepared to make their escape, arming themselves and carrying hand grenades. They were heard by a listening post which investigated while the New Zealanders hid in slit, trenches. The lightest of the wounded were taken away then and the stretcher cases at about midnight. "When the coast seemed clear the party of New Zealanders made their way past pocketts of German infantry * and tanks to our lines which they reached about in the morning.' They slept, in the sand, until daylight, when they found themselves close to our divisional headquarters.