A double VC! , & also a great general

[dieseltaylor]

I was browsing around and came across these NZ gents. I have always admired Freyberg but forgot he had a VC.

Lyndon Watson wrote:

"I took my father, who served with Charlie Upham in the 20th, to the funeral on Friday, and I found the subject too close to many emotions to write about for all the world to read.

"Upham's battalion, the 20th, was, in my biased opinion, the most distinguished of all New Zealand regiments in the Second World War. Together with the other battalions that comprised the 4th Brigade (the 18th Auckland, 19th Wellington and 20th South Island battalions), it was made up

of the first and keenest men who volunteered in 1939, and it bore the brunt of the actions in Crete (where Upham won his first V.C. for attacking and destroying machine-gun posts in face of their fire), at Belhamed, and at Ruweisat Ridge which was, like Stalingrad in the same year, one of the crucial battles of the war (and where Upham won his second V.C. for running in the open at advancing tanks and attacking them with hand-grenades). At each of those battles the 20th was nearly destroyed, and it was rebuilt

each time around the survivors who somehow kept its extraordinary spirit alive. Its third Victoria Cross was won by Sergeant Jack Hinton, who died in June 97.

"When Upham returned from the war, the people of Canterbury raised 10,000 pounds by public donation to buy him a farm. That was enough to buy a very good farm, but Upham declined and had the money put into an educational trust. He eventually bought a houseless block with a rehab.

loan and turned it into a farm with his own hard work."

Charles Upham died in November 1994.

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Bernard Freyberg

James Lawry wrote:

Started as a Morrinsville dentist, distinguished himself at Gallipoli, 3 DSOs and a VC (for personal valour in the battle for Beaucourt). Major-General in WWII commanding 2nd NZ Epeditionary force. As Lieut. General Sir Bernard Freyberg he was Governor-General of NZ for 6 years.