Bernard Freyberg

[Ali Hollington]

In Max Arthurs "Symbol of courage" book within the listing of Freyberg it mentions him winning his second bar to his DSO in an act minutes before the armistice.

What did he do?

Regards

Ali

[Guest DNH]

The citation reads as follows (London Gazette 4/10/19):

Capt and Bt Lt Col (T Brig Gen) Bernard Cyril Freyburg VC DSO RW Surrey R (GOC 88th Inf Bde)

For marked gallantry and intiative on 11th November 1918 at Lessines. He personally led the cavalry, and though at the time he only had 9 men with him, he rushed the town, capturing 100 of the enemy and preventing the blowing up of the important road bridges over the Dendre

DSO gazetted 3/6/15 and 1st Bar 1/2/1919

So there you have it - quite how an acting Brig Gen OC an Infantry Brigade found himself with 9 cavalry and a village to rush is no doubt an interesting story in itself!

Cheers

[Ali Hollington]

Cheers for the information,

I agree it seems quite an unusual event- I wonder if he was determined to finish the war with a bang!

Ali

[armourersergeant]

I have always wondered what drives men like this to do what they did.

Does anyone know if an officer of his rank would have been aware by this time of the impending armastice? What would drive a man who has seen and done so much to risk this at the last if he did? Or perhaps it was because of what he had seen that he did?

pondering

Arm.

[charlesmessenger]

The reason for Freyberg's action was concern that the Germans might destroy the Dendre bridges and hence slow up the follow up of the post-Armistice German withdrawal.

Charles M

[michaeldr]

quite how an acting Brig Gen OC an Infantry Brigade found himself with 9 cavalry and a village to rush is no doubt an interesting story in itself!

And he started his war as a temporary lieutenant RNVR in the Hood Battalion of the RND.

In his book on the ‘Hood,’ Len Sellers has this to say

“Among the new officers was Bernard Cyril Freyberg, who was to become a Royal Naval Division legend. A New Zealander who had swum for his country at international level, Freyberg trained as a dentist. In 1911 he joined the 6 Haurali regiment, a newly-formed territorial unit, and was gazetted as a second lieutenant; he later signed up as a special constable during a period of local strife involving strikers. Being a man of action, however, in March 1914, he left New Zealand on board a Royal Mail steamer, ending up serving in the Mexican Civil War; then, hearing news of the outbreak of the First World War, he made his way to England.”

And

“Bernard Freyberg, who was eventually awarded the VC, was wounded nine times during the course of the First World War. He stayed in the army, but was invalided out of the service in the 1930s. In the Second World War he joined up again, becoming commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division and seeing action in Greece, North Africa, Italy and Crete. After the war he became Governor-General of New Zealand and Deputy Governor of Windsor Castle. He died on 4th July, 1963 and is buried in St. Martha’s Church, St. Martha’s Hill.”

Quite a life

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Dave_59]

Do you ever wonder if men would (at the time) have prefered to die in combat than return home a broken man, a shadow of their former selves, due to the strain (mentally) of combat and war in general?

Dave

[Ali Hollington]

Looking at Michael's quote from Len Sellers, it struck me that if a novelist gave their hero this life story, it would probably meet with a "that wouldn't happen".

As said quite a life.

Ali

[Captain Dave]

Do you ever wonder if men would (at the time) have prefered to die in combat than return home a broken man, a shadow of their former selves, due to the strain (mentally) of combat and war in general?

I've always been amazed at how many of them simply stoicaly got on with thier lives.

On the other side I was aware of a chap who came home to 6 children with a MM who committed suicde in 1920.

By virtue of my age I have probably been spared the human wrecks that populated most countrys after the war, so my answer is probably skewed. I'm sure if I saw the maimed, knew of more suicides and experienced the war myself, my answer would be different.