ON RETIRED PAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 21, 18 October 1937, Page 5

ON RETIRED PAY

Major-General Freyberg D0MIN10N VC.-HOIDF.R LONDON, Oct, 15. The London Gazette announces that Major-General B, C, Freyberg, the New Zealand Y.C., has been placed on retired pay, It ia understood that indispositiou due to extraordinary warTtime strain is

the reason for his. retirement. Since his promotion to a major-generalcy he has been unable to pursue" an active military life. Soldier, athlete and Viotoria CreBS winner, Major-General Freyberg has had a meteorio carepr, Born in London, and educated at Wellington College, he was expert at swimming, rowing, fqptball and boxing, While, liying in the United States he gave way to the adventnre urge, and "was fighting with Pancho Vilia in Mexico's teh-year civil war when the Great War brpke out. He sailed fQr England, joining the Naval Brigade. He ' received his flrst of nine wai- wounds in the landipg and subsequent withdrawal qf a British party "at Antwerp. He was swimming around for two hours at Gallipoli, when, staining his face and arms a dark cplour to dodge searchlights, he swarn ashore at Bulair and lit. flares to deceive the Turks into thinking that a, large party had landed. He was wimming around for twa hours before being eventually picked up. He won the Y.C. in France "in 1916, when he led his attacking force through inciedible odda of closq-up machine-gun, artillery and rifle fire. Collecting men from other disorganised units he held that pQsitien thfpughqut the. day and next night, jpspita iour- vsp.unds reeoiv* pd in the action, This position formed the chief point in the British line. Colonel Freyberg was later awarded the Q.M.G,, and jpined the Grenadjer Guards, We?t Surrey and 1st Manchester (y.C.) Regimenta. Ha made two. attemps to swim the Channel, but OU eneh pccasion imd to give up just short of snQpess pwing to trouble caused by hi? war wpunjs," His father was weU known in New Zealand before the wa? as a forestry expert.