Norman Frederick Chissell

In memoriam

From New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War, Petrol Company, Chapter 7, Campaign in Greece Page 89: Two hours later (at 1 a.m.) the first convoy reported in with its load of RE stores, and was despatched, at 10 a.m. on 11 April, to the FSD, returning at midday. At 3 p.m. all Petrol Company trucks were ordered out on a three-fold mission: (1) to evacuate a Greek and an Australian battalion from Amindaion to Kozani; (2) return to the Amindaion area and bring out ammunition to Kozani; (3) return to Amindaion and retrieve stocks of POL. Since by then the enemy had reached Salonika, and the evacuation of the Aliakmon line was completed, this order was modified, the petrol and ammunition being taken instead to Grevena. Lieutenant Jackson, the OC's liaison officer with the convoy, could find no trace of the Australian battalion, which had presumably been evacuated by other means. Many Greek soldiers were brought out, in a more or less demoralised state, and our drivers had some difficulty in getting them to quit the vehicles so they could carry out the rest of their assignment. During this operation Lieutenant Chissell's section of twenty-two trucks received some attention from the Luftwaffe, and he showed great resource in getting his load-carriers out of trouble by leading them down a riverbed to Trikkala, and thence back to Petrol Company headquarters. Sergeant Greig also had a narrow escape with some trucks at Kozani, bringing them out just ahead of the Germans as they entered that town. This was a period of non-stop activity for Petrol Company drivers, who played a vital part in what General Freyberg has described as a most successful withdrawal to the Line of the Passes without loss of any kind. All ammunition, petrol, and supplies dumped in forward areas were salvaged, all troops safely evacuated. These operations were helped by prevailing drizzle and low clouds, the "Miracle of the Mists", which kept troops and transport largely out of sight from marauding aircraft. But in the days that followed there was no such heaven-sent cover; and since a marked absence of the RAF in Greece was often noted, with scathing appellations such as "Rare As Fairies" and others more pungent, a word should be said about our air situation at that time. page 96: By comparison, the withdrawal of 5 Brigade was a very confused and frustrating affair. Attempts to turn the convoy eastward to a staging place at Almiros, near Volos, led to some amazing adventures, with a number of units quite befogged as to where they were expected to go. For example, D Company and most of C Company, 22 Battalion, had been turned off the road at Pharsala and diverted down a third-rate road that petered out in a mule-track to the north-west of Almiros. The Battalion Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew, VC, reached a point north of Almiros about 8 a.m. on 18 April with only two 3-ton vehicles following him. Other elements were diverted at Lamia, sent in the direction of Volos and then turned back, ending up near Molos, where the battalion eventually concentrated with the rest of 5 Brigade. During the withdrawal Petrol Company lost ten vehicles destroyed by enemy action and sustained some casualties. Norman Chissell, a most promising young officer, and an original member of the Ammunition Company, was killed by bomb blast. Drivers Cant and Corry, both excellent fellows, also gave their lives. Driver H. W. Morgan was mortally wounded, while several others received wounds, the list including Second-Lieutenant F. Trewby, Sergeant L. A. Crawley, Drivers Asher, Cashmere, and Rowe.

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