Henry Ogle Francis Thwaites

In memoriam

Service Number ~4387 Unit ~ New Zealand Army Service Corps Next of Kin ~ Mrs M. Thwaites (mother), 45 Selwyn Road, Onehunga, Auckland Enlistment Address ~ 8 Ellice Avenue, Wellington, New Zealand Occupation on Enlistment ~ Motor-Driver Son of Thomas Henry and Margaret May Thwaites, of Auckland City, New Zealand. From New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War, Petrol Company, Chapter 8, Crete Page 123: When Petrol Company reoccupied the forward positions at dawn on 21 May a strip of ‘no-man's land’ was left on their eastern flank. This strip extended from the Prison road to the summit of Pink Hill, an area offering little cover and continually raked by enemy mortars. Much of the fire came from Cemetery Hill, across the road, where the Germans had established themselves and were able to enfilade the positions of both Petrol Company and Divisional Cavalry. Later in the day a squadron of the Cavalry and an infantry company attacked Cemetery Hill and drove the Germans off, capturing several mortars and machine guns and inflicting severe casualties. But since Cemetery Hill, like Pink Hill, offered little cover, and our troops had no tools to dig in with, they also withdrew, reporting the hill to be untenable. Both sides seemed to agree on this; so Cemetery Hill also became no-man's land. Apart from continual mortaring, with attacks—and the threat of them—from enemy aircraft, the day passed fairly quietly. Sergeant-Major Chetwin took over HQ Section, supervising operations in the Company's reorganised line, while CSM James accompanied Captain Rowe on reconnaissance and liaison work. With so many casualties on the previous day among officers and sergeants, added responsibility for leadership fell to the corporals, who ably commanded the groups allotted them. Among these, Thwaites, Stewart, Ottaway, Hurdley, Bailie and Ginders were prominent. Casualties that day included a machine-gun team comprising Drivers A. N. Norton, who later died of his wounds, and Colin Standen, killed. Colin was one of five Standen brothers who served with the 2 NZEF, three of them in Petrol Company. Two lost their lives on Crete.

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