PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 85, 3 January 1918, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

A Press Association cable message from Melbourne states that Mr. E. A. Eva, formerly manager for the Union Steam Ship Company in Fiji, has been appointed manager of the Commonwealth Steamship Line.

At the conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute yesterday a resolution was carried expressing sympathy with the president, Mr. L. F. ])e Berry. M.A., who through illness was'unable to be present.

An old settler of Mauriceville, Mr. Niel Nielsen, died 011 Tuesday, aged 76 years.—Press Association.

The Victoria Cross has been awarded posthumously to Captain C. S. Jeffries, of South Maitiand, Sydney. Tho act for which the decoration was awarded is thus officially described: "When his company was held up by machine-gun. fire from concrete emplacements he organised a party and rushed the emplacements. lie captured four machineguns and 3-5 prisoners. Then he led his company under heavy artillery and machine-gun lire to tho objective. Later 110 led an attack on another machincgun emplacement, capturing two ma-chine-guns and 30 prisoners. This gallant officer was killed during the attack, but it was entirely due to Ins bravery and initiative that the centre of the attack was not held up a long time."

Mr. W. H. Bennett, a member of the City Council, has been advised that his son. Private William B. Bennett, has been killed in action in I'ranee. Tho deceased, who was very popular in sporting circles, was tho manager of his father's joinery shop and his righthand man in the business. Private Bennett, who was onl.v thirty years of age, wont forward with tho J went)efghtli Reinforcements (machine-gun section), but on reaching England lie was transferred to tho infantry and sent to France. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett will have many sympathisers.

A cablegram received by Mr. and Mrs. C. liayos, late of Macfarlane Street, reports that their son, Sergeant Allen Hayes, is progressing satisfactorily in a hospital in France. Sergeant Hayes, who went away with tho Ninth Reinforcements, and has been nearly two years at the trout, was wounded on November 10.

Private William Bennett, son of Mr. W. H. Bennett, whoso death in action is reported, was educated at the Terrace School and the Technical College, and subsequently joined his father in tho building trade. As a long-distance runner he was well known in Wellington, having held tho long-distande championship and ran third in the Wellington Marathon raco somo years ago. Ho was also a member of Brougham Hill Tennis Club, and an enthusiastic angler and motor yachtsman. Ho left with the machine-gun section of the Twenty-eighth Reinforcements, but within three weeks of arrival in England was transferred to tho infantry and drafted to France.