FREYBERG, V.C.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 January 1918, Page 7

FREYBERG, V.C.

UIS CAREIiP IN" THE ARMY. NEW ZEALAND lIERC AT BEAUCOUitT. Some account of the exploits of Bri-gadier-Ociieral Freyberg 1 , Y.C., D.5.0., is given by llr. Mordant Mall in an article lie wrote some time ago about tlie Royal Naval Division, a unit wbic.li has seen much and varied service in this war. The cables announced a few days ago that (■iencral Freyberg liad been personally decorated with the Victoria Cross by His Majesty the King. 'Mr. Mordant Hall writes -

"One of the men whom ail England was wild about is= a young New Zealander from Wellington, 27 years old, now a acting lieutenant-colonel, who was described by an eye-witness of the Ancre fighting as 'a flying figure in bandages plunging over Germans in Beaucnurt.' Ho is J3. C. Freyberg, a born soldier and great, athlete. "Before the great war this marvel of courage wis fighting with Pancho Villa in Mexico; and the instant the European conflict started Freyberg decided that he might do better in Europe. He therefore deserted Villa, and set out afoot for San Francisco. Ilia splendid constitution stood him in good stead, and he arrived there as fit as a fiddle, soon afterwards winning enough money in a swimming race to take him to London. In the English capital he received a commission as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Division, and his promotion has been rapid. "Colonel Freyberg was caught., in a live, electric, wire at Antwerp, but it was of so high a voltage that he was not killed, sustaining only an injury to his hand and arm. Ho was even fired at by his own men, who believed I that he was a German crawling through t'lie wire. Just before the landing in Gallipoli, on April 25, 1915, it was proposed to throw dust in the eyes of the Turks by landing a, platoon at a point on the coast of the Gulf of Saros, where no serious landing was contemplated. To save the sacrifice of a platoon, Freyberg, who was at that time a company commander in the Hood Battalion, pressed to be allowed to achieve the same object, single-handed. His wish was granted; and on the night of April -24-25, oiled and naked, he swam ashore, towing a canvas canoe containing flares and a revolver. He reconnoitred the enemy's trenches, and, under the covering fire of a destroyer, lit his flares at intervals along the beach. He had some difficulty in finding his boat again. A mysterious fin accompanied him during pai't of the swim. He at first took it for a shark, but found later that it belonged to a harmless porpoise. After some two hours in the water, he was picked up, and for this gallant and successful feat he was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. In Gallipoli he was wounded in 'May, again in July, 1915, and he was mentioned in connection with the successful evacuation on January 9, 1910. "Hence, this sailor-soldier in a comparatively short time attracted a good deal of 'attention among the naval and military authorities; so it was not surprising that when he applied for a permanent commission in the British Array he was given a captaincy in the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment. The same day, however, he received this news he was seconded to the Royal Naval Division with the temporary rank of lieu-tenant-colonel. So he retained command of his old battalion—the Hood. ' "•Inasmuch as the first dispatches concerning the storming of Benucourt referred to Lieutenant-Colonel Frey-berp . as..'a naval colonel' all Britain was wondering who this hero could be. Some of his friends were not long in guessing; but it wa-s not until the next day that Freyberg in name received credit for the remarkable exploit on the north bank of the Ancre. In the first messages of the 1 British success it was set forth that in a battle where every man fought nobly for the honor of his regiment and his country, one individual act stood out with peculiar distinctness. "A witness of the battle told of the troops on Freyberg's left being held up, and that between him and them ran, roughly, parallel with the line of advance a spur Which cut off the effect of the enemy's machine-guns. After fourteen hours of fighting, bit iby bit, the seadog soldiers had plunged "through a mile of trenches and ground sorely marked b Shells, Three machine-guns then were pushed/forward well beyond that line, and the still unsatisfied sailor-colonel' his shoulder and right arm swathed in bandages, asked leave to go ahead and attack the village. His men were about 100(1 yards "in front of the companies on his left, endeavoring to advance across the north-westerly slope. It was more iike a matter of defence than attack. The men were few in numbers, and had fought like tigers for long hours without a rest. However, about 500 men were collected, and the dark of the night was spent in organisation.. Then, in the misty dawn, some soldier battalions came up to reinforce the left, and onward plunged Freyberg. '■Out on the Ancre they say that he far ahead of his men that he | rubbed, his hand, over 'his head and murmured: 'Huh—l believe I forgot to tell tnem to follow me' Whether or not this is true, only Freyberg knows.' But do not remain in doubt as to what he and hi&.i&en did right afterwards. Thev ploughed their way through mud and' Germans, with the fire of five machineguns peppering them. They stuck r>ht on the heels of the barrage fire, and° in less than twenty minutes from that time j.be German had been driven from their stronghold of BeauconrU Here and there a German" post held, and men in thei tranches faced the British bombs and cold steel. Still the Teutons soon learned that it was impossible to stop that alarming Briton and his men. 'Freyberg formed a semi-circular trench around the far side of the new possession, and then thev took time to see what had happened to the gallant little band, Frevbero- had received his fourth wound, and his'brave 500 had dwindled to a number a good deal srnali• j ® n * lß h er % somehow, had been unkind in their speed to the German* and the-enemy wa* left gaping with | wonder at the result of what thev at oHiM nothing more than a bit "For this remarkable display of valor I retfberg received the Victoria Cros* " , remarkable qualities, of leadership displayed on the same occasion won him promotion to the rank of brigadier-gen-eral-the youngest brigadier in the British Army,