A VERY GALLANT SOLDIER.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 1, 22 August 1944, Page 4

A VERY GALLANT SOLDIER.

THE death in action of Brigadier James Hargest, C.8.E., D.5.0., M.C., M.P., removes one of the Dominion's leading military figures from the war theatre where New Zea-i landers serving under him have already won imperishable fame. Born at Gore in 1891, Brigadier Hargest was a son of early Southland settlers. His military career began in; 1914 when he left New Zealand with the Main Body as a second lieutenant. ®A member of the Otago Mounted Rifles,] he served in Egypt and later accompanied the regiment to Gallipoli. Early in the Suvla Bay battle in August, 1915, he was wounded, but he carried through to his objective and was the only officer in his squadron to survive the\ attack. He was invalided to Egypt and back to New Zealand late in 1915. Returning he saw action in France, where he rose to the position of Lieutenant-Colonel at the age of 26. On outbreak of hostilities in the present war, he went overseas at the head of the Second Echeion. He took a leading part in the fighting in Greece and Crete, and in 1941 was taken prisoner with Brigadier R. Miles at Bardia. Escaping the two made their way through Switzerland and across Nazi-controlled France, reaching England at the end of last year. Brigadier Hargest entered the Normandy campaign in June, and his death last week closes the career of one of New Zealand's most adventurous and most decorated sons.