WAR CROSS 1940
(Polemikos Stauros 1940)
Instituted on 11
November 1940 as a war decoration for the Second World War is was awarded
for deeds of heroism on the field of battle. It was altered on 19 April
1947 to include internal Greek conflicts up to 1952.
The decoration is awarded in three degrees of first,
second and third class, conferred with a gold, silver or bronze crown
respectively. The Cross is a crowned cross of Saint George in bronze with
crossed swords between the arms of the cross. The centre medallion bears
King George II's crowned back to back monogram. The reverse bears the date
1940. The cross is pendent on a riband of equal red, blue and red stripes
(Hieronymussen, 1970).
This decoration is commonly referred to as the Military Cross (Greek) in both the London Gazette and the official New Zealand war histories. Initially some of the crosses were received with a gold crown on the riband, this indicated a second award and so the officers were ordered to remove it. Those who were awarded the First Class Cross wore a gold circular wreath on the riband bar to indicate the level of the award. This can be seen on General Freyberg's.
The War Cross 1940 is found in several variations of design and detail. The crosses issued to New Zealanders were of two types. The first is of unknown manufacture with the Cross suspended from a hingled open-work crown, the obverse and reverse of which are shown in the left and middle photos by Roy Woolley. The Second type is manufactured by Spink and Son, Limited of London which is smaller and has a flat British type crown as shown in the photo at right by Spink and Son (Romanoff, 1987).
First style with open-work crown (obverse)
First style with open-work crown (reverse)
Second style of Spink & Son Manufacture (obverse)
WAR CROSS 1940 FIRST CLASS
4006 Major General Sir Bernard Cyril FREYBERG VC
Commander of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force and General
Officer Commanding 'Creforce' May 1941. Listed in London Gazette 7 April 1942.
Later General, The Lord Freyberg VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO and 3 Bars K St J,
1st Baron Freyberg of Wellington in New Zealand and Munstead in
the County of Surrey, Governor General of New Zealand and Deputy Constable
and Lieutenant Governor of Windsor Castle.
[Gazette Entry]
[Ribbon
Set]
31490 Brigadier Harold Eric BARROWCLOUGH
Commander 6 New Zealand Infantry Brigade in Greece. Listed in London Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Major General The Right Honourable Sir Harold Barrowclough QC KCMG CB DSO and Bar MC ED Mid, Chief Justice of New Zealand and a Privy Councillor. [Gazette Entry][Ribbon
Set]
31156 Brigadier James HARGEST
Commander 5 New Zealand Infantry Brigade in Greece and Crete 1941.
Listed in London Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Brigadier Hargest CBE DSO and
two Bars MC VD Mid. Taken prisoner of war Sidi Aziz 27 November 1941,
escaped from Italy 29 March 1943 with Brigadier Miles, killed in action
Normandy 12 August 1944. Buried Hottot-Les-Bagues War Cemetery, Calvados, France.[Gazette Entry]
9495 Brigadier Lindsay Merritt INGLIS
Commander 4 New Zealand Infantry Brigade in Crete 1941. Listed in
London Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Major General Inglis CB CBE DSO and Bar
MC VD ED Mid, Chief Justice Control Commission, Supreme Court, British
Zone Occupied Germany 1947 to 1950.[Gazette Entry]
6191 Brigadier Reginald MILES
Commander Royal Artillery, New Zealand Division Greece and Crete
1941. Listed in London Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Brigadier Miles CBE DSO
and Bar MC ED Mid. Taken prisoner of war Belhamed 1 December 1941, escaped
from Italy 29 March 1943 with Brigadier Hargest, died in Spain attempting
to reach Gibraltar 20 October 1943. Buried Figueras Municipal Cemetery,
Spain.[Gazette Entry]
6190 Brigadier Edward PUTTICK
Commander 4 New Zealand Infantry Brigade in Greece and Commander
New Zealand Division Crete 1941. Listed in London Gazette 7 April 1942.
Later Lieutenant General Sir Edward Puttick KCB DSO and Bar Mid, Chief of
General Staff New Zealand Forces August 1941 to December 1945.[Gazette Entry]
WAR CROSS 1940 THIRD CLASS
9384 Colonel Harry Selwyn KENRICK
Deputy Director of Medical Services Allied Forces Crete 1941.
Later Brigadier Kenrick CB CBE ED
Mid, Director of Medical Staff New Zealand Division, then
Superintendent-in-Chief, Auckland Hospital Board.
6194 Colonel Keith Lindsay STEWART
General Staff Officer New Zealand Division, Greece and Crete 1941.
Later Major General Sir Keith
Stewart KBE CB DSO Mid, New Zealand Chief of General Staff April 1949 to
March 1952.
40002 Lieutenant Colonel William George GENTRY
Assistant Adjutant and Quarter Master General New Zealand Division
Greece and Crete 1941. Later Major
General Sir William Gentry KBE CB DSO and Bar Mid, New Zealand Chief of
General Staff 1952 to 1955.
[Medal Group]
7265 Major Clifford WILSON
20 Battalion, attached
as liaison officer to 8 Greek Regiment, Crete 4 to 21 May 1941. Listed in
London Gazette 7 April 1942. Major Wilson Mid, killed in action in Crete
21 May 1941. Buried Suda Bay War Cemetery, Crete.[Gazette Entry]
Major Harold Geoffery WOOLER
22 Battalion, attached as liaison officer to 2 Greek Regiment Crete
May 1941. Listed in London Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Major Wooler Mid,
second in command 19 Battalion and Armoured Regiment 1942 to 1944. Then
Lieutenant Colonel Wooler mid, Camp Commandant, Papakura Camp 1953 to 1954.[Gazette Entry]
Captain Thomas Geoffery BEDDING
19 Battalion, attached as liaison officer to 1 Greek Regiment Crete
May 1941. Taken prisoner of war in Crete 24 May 1941. Listed in London
Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Major Bedding ED Mid, stood trial before a
German Army war crimes tribunal charged as being in command of Greeks who
had mutilated German wounded at Kastelli in western Crete. He was saved from
execution by the report of German soldiers who identified Bedding as the
officer who had saved them from being lynched by local Cretans.[Gazette Entry]
9254 Captain Harold Maxwell SMITH
23 Battalion, attached as liaison officer to 6 Greek Regiment Crete May 1941.
Listed in London Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Captain Smith ED.[Gazette Entry]
2585 Lieutenant Kelvin Lloyd Forest BROWN
18 Battalion attached as liaison officer to 8 Greek Regiment, Crete 1941.
Taken prisoner of war in Crete 21 May 1941 but escaped same day. Listed in
London Gazette 7 April 1942. Later Lieutenant Colonel Brown DSO ED Mid,
Aide de camp to Governor General 1952 to 1954.[Gazette Entry][Medal Group]
9283 Lieutenant Arthur Francis Gordon McGREGOR
23 Battalion, Crete May 1941. Listed in London Gazette 7 April
1942, reason for award unknown. Taken prisoner of war November 1941. Later
Lieutenant Colonel McGregor Commanding Officer of 2 New Zealand Regiment
Japan 1948.[Gazette Entry]