PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 79, 27 December 1917, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

A Router's cable message from Louden states that a son of Mr. Afquith h,is been severely wounded in 'France. Surgeon-General R. S.' F. Henderson, Director-General of Medical Services, is at present in Auckland. Lieutenant K. It. Park, of the lto.val Flying Corps, son of Professor Park, of.Otago University, has been awarded the Military Cross and a bar to the Military Cross, on both occasions for gallantry and dovotion to duty in tho field. Mr. Neil M'Lcan, of Auckland, is a holiday visitor to Wellington. 'Flight-Lieutenant 11. B. Solomon, news of whose death was- recently received by cable, was well known in Wellington. After serving in franco lie was recalled to England for the purpos3 of instructing cadets in r.ight flying. Whilo stationed in an eastern county the late Lieutenant Solomon observed an enemy airship approaching, and set ont in his war 'plane to give battle. He was seen to ascend to a height estimated at 15,000 feet, in nrd\- to get above the invaders. Shortly afterwards machine-gun fire was heard, and Lieutenant Solomon's 'plane was noticed to fall to earth. A rush was made to the assistance of the young aeronaut, who was found strapped to his machine, quite <lead. Advice has been received in IHuirdiu that Lieutenant Godfrey Holdsworth, of the London office of the New Zealand Shipping Company, !ias_ been awarded the Military Cross, lieutenant Holdsworth is a'son of Mr. Charles Holdsworth, managing director of Iho Union Steam Ship Company, cud a grandson of Mr. E. M. Holdsworth, of Upton Terrace, Wellington. Barry, the sculling champion, was wounded by a shell on the West front a month ago, says a Press Association cable message from London. Mr. 0. N. Firth, secretary r.f the. Taranaki Bowling Centre, is on a holiday visit to Wellington.

' Private Frank Carver, of Fendalton, has been awarded tho Military Medal. Private Carver, who is eighteen years of age, enlisted at Auckland two years ago, in the New Zealand Medical Corps, and saw service in Egypt and France. He was educated at Sumner and Waiiganui. Mr. H. A. Nielsen, who died in Auckland last Monday, had a picturesque career. He served with the Danish Navy in the Battle of Heligoland in May 1864, and' distinguished himself by biavcry in that famous fight. Ho visited Copenhagen in 1910 nftcr an absence of twenty-eight years, and whilu there had an interesting audience with H.R.H. Princo '.Valdemar (vcungest brother to Queen Alexandra), Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Navy. Mr. Neilsen was on board tho samo ship as H.R.H. on Ins maiden crm'so as a naval cadet, and strain in 1871 at Christiansnnd, whither a Danish man-o'-war had been, sent on tho anniversary of the Battle of Heligoland, which took place ten years before, to place wreaths on the graves of those who fell in the fight. The flattie of Heligoland was an interesting—and to Denmark a glorious—episode of the war waged by the little country against Austria and Prussia in defence of tho provinces which Prussia took from her. Three Danish ships fought for several hours against two Austnans and three Prussians, and eventually dieve them into the neutral harbour of Heligoland, then belonging to England. The battle was the last seafight in which the old wooden iven-o'-war took part, and it was a severe one. Mr. Nielsen was the only man left at th.-s gun at which lie was stationed, the other thirteen being killed or wounded. Before the battle cnti'd be renewed news came to tho Danish admiral of the peace between the warring countries. Mr. Nielsen is survived by his son, Mr. Oscar Nielsen, his wife having predeceased him two years ago.