James Arthur McClements

In memoriam

3019 PRIVATE N. Z. INFANTRY

Title: Appendix VII: Escapes Author: M. B. McGlynn In: Crete Publication details: Historical Publications Branch, 1953, Wellington Part of: The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-1945 Page 509 When Winter was returned to the prison camp at Galatas he heard sad news of his friend, Private J. A. McClements (18 Bn). There had been a raid on the village of Meskla but all the soldiers staying there had been forewarned and had made for the hills. Jim McClements and others lived for a time in a cave, where finally [on 3 September 1941] they were found by the Germans. Jim McClements was at the mouth of the cave cooking over an open fire. There was a shot and those inside rushed out to see Jim, with blood running from a wound in his arm, standing with his hands raised facing a patrol of Germans. Another German fired with a tommy gun and Jim fell to the ground wounded through the chest. He was still alive and when the Germans came up he said, "Don't shoot", whereupon a third German shot him through the head.

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