GALLANTRY UNDER FIRE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2632, 1 December 1915, Page 6

GALLANTRY UNDER FIRE

BATTLE HONOURS FOR NEW ZEALANDERS

Br IWeffrnjili—Press ABsocl&tlon—Oouyrifht London) November 29.

Distinguished Conduct Medals have been awarded to the following New Zealand era :—

Field Artillerymen.—Artilleryman 0. Hill, Artilleryman E. Edwards, Driver N. Clark, Fitter D. Inglis, Bombardier J. Thomson, Gunner J. Rankin.

Other Units. —Trooper Caselberg (Mounted! Rifles), Sergt. A. Atkins (Canterbury), Troopers D. O'Connor and H. Pidgeon (Canterbury), .Lance-Corpl. H. Skinner (Otago), Ptes. C. Becker and F. Mahoney (Wellington). Edwards and'Clark, at Hill 60, volunteered to carry water under shell fire and. extinguish a , fire that had been found in a pit containing fifty high explosive shells. They: accomplished their task.

Inglis and Thomson, when threo guns had been put out of action, repaired them, and l got them into action again under'a heavy ifire. Rankin, under a continuous fire, laid a wire over a broken telephone section,' enabling the battery ooinmander to resumo control..

_ Caselberg, at Hill 60, went out several times under heavy firo and guided a number of detached parties, who, becoming scattered in the darkness, hod lost their bearings. Atkins led a section that captured and held a strong defended enemy post which, was directing a heavy fire on the head of an advancing column. O'Connor, though slightly wounded, entered a shell-swept zone and carried in two Wounded!'men. He went out again and helped a wounded officer to safety...

Pidgeon stuck to his post, ;though wounded, until he was again wounded. He also did gallant work in rescuing wounded, meii under heavy fire. Skinner, although seriously wounded, delivered important messages under heavy fire.' ,

Barker didi valuable service in supplying the firing line on the mountaintop of. Chunuk Bahr with ammunition and water; also in guiding a reinforcing regiment and bringing in a wounded man.

. Malioney volunteered to rescue men isolated within the enemy's lines, and who for fift&en "days h>d been missing. The task was one of great difficulty and danger, but Mahoney's coolness and knowledge of-scouting led ultimately to the men's rescue. Medals have also been awarded to nineteen Australians.