NOTABLE RECORD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 August 1941, Page 7

NOTABLE RECORD

NEW CHIEF OF STAFF LEADERSHIP IN DIFFICULT DAYS. IN MIDDLE EAST CAMPAIGNS. (From the N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent.) CAIRO, August 7. When the new Chief of the New Zealand General Staff, Brigadier E. Puttick, follows the future exploits of the Expeditionary Force his interest will be close and personal. His command of the oldest infantry brigade and, at times, of the force itself throughout long months of training and difficult operations, has given him the widest knowledge and understanding of the officers and men who are serving overseas. Brigadier Puttick’s greatest regret is that he will not have the opportunity of leading his formation into a battle in which we may meet the enemy on more equal terms. His confidence in the fighting qualities of the New Zealanders is inspiring. It was vindicated in Greece where his own brigade, assigned perhaps the most difficult of rearguard roles, engaged the enemy at three points without assistance beyond the supporting artillery. He paid the formation a high tribute when he told it at a farewell parade yesterday: “You were very easy to handle from my point of view, but did not appear to the Germans to be so easy.” His men call him a real soldier, and those who have been close to him in action admire his coolness, clear thinking under great stress, quick decisions and unflagging concern for the welfare of his men. With those qualities he’ has a place in our most vivid memories of the Greek campaign. BATTLES IN GREECE. It will be impossible to forget one dreary wet day when the brigade withdrew from the Olympus line 24 hours after the rest of the force. Though burdened with the responsibility of suddenly breaking off contact with the enemy and evacuating the troops from an exposed position the brigadier found time to stand on the roadside with a cheery word for the men as they came trudging back, weary, damp and mud stained. Later, in the pass south of Thebes and against growing odds, he employed brilliant tactics of concealment whereby the enemy was completely deceived and obliged to move with costly caution. Finally, and again not before the force had struck effectively at the Germans, he extricated it from contact with the enemy near the, embarkation beach itself. STERN TEST IN CRETE. In Crate Brigadier Puttick assumed command of the whole New Zealand force when Major-General Freyberg was placed in charge of the island's defence. No test could have been sterner. Again, however, he gives great credit to the men around him. “It is quite clear today that your efforts were well worth while,” he said. “I don’t want you to think that that is a mere sop to your vanity or to any mistakes there may have been.” The brigadier set out early to achieve and maintain a standard of physical fitness in his battalions. He sent them out from the base camp on long, gruelling marches, and then to the Western Desert to dig huge tank traps for the sole purpose of toughening every man. When he threatened to cancel the weekend leave of any soldier who failed to learn to swim the length of the camp baths he reduced the proportion of non-swimmers to 10 per cent. The brigade spent many months in the desert preparing and occupying defensive positions before it was recalled for the Balkans expedition. The brigadier’s successor is no stranger to the formation. He temporarily commanded the brigade for considerable periods in the desert and it served under him throughout the battle of Crete. Recently he paid a flying visit to Britain as Major-General Freyberg’s emissary to discuss problems arising from that action, conferring with the King, the Prime Minister, Mr Churchill, and high Government and Service authorities. He, too, has a high reputation as a fighting soldier, FAREWELL PARADE. The formal handing over of the brigade command was the occasion of yesterday’s parade. The troops made it more than that. In a fine display of ceremonial drill, splendid bearing and marching they paid a tribute to the man whom they had served for nearly two years and bade him farewell. Speaking to them before they swung past the saluting base with the new commander at their head he recalled the experiences they had shared and spoke of the tradition now behind them. “Good-bye, the very best of luck, and God bless you all,” he said. Though the dispatch does not give the name of Brigadier Puttick’s successor, he is probably Brigadier Inglis, 1 who was the officer who visited England.