“The advance of the Regiment drew heavy enemy shell and mortar fire which continued all day. This, together with enemy mines and bad going off the road, considerably delayed the advance. Had it not been for Lieutenant-Colonel Pleasants’ initiative and drive, the advance might have been halted. During a reconnaissance on foot he was wounded in the head. He continued to direct the operations of his Regiment until ordered to hand over to his second in command. He was then evacuated to the Advanced Dressing Station. The advance of the 18th New Zealand Armoured Regiment had a direct bearing on the success of the 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade’s capture of Castel Frentano, and cleared the way for the occupation of the ridge to the west of the town by the 22nd New Zealand (Motor) Battalion.

“Again in the action on the Sfasciata Spur on 15th December 1943, Lieutenant-Colonel Pleasants’ Regiment was in support of the assaulting battalions. Despite great difficulties in bad going, he got his t5anks up to the objective at the critical time, where they beat off tank and infantry counter-attacks, and confirmed a decided success. Under heavy fire he guided the leading tank on foot for over 1,000 yards, and was painfully wounded by rifle fire in doing so, but would not leave until it was certain that the infantry would be supported in time. The example set by Lieutenant-Colonel Pleasants was at all times an inspiration to all concerned.”

Summary Military Service: Brigadier Clive Lochiel Pleasants, CBE DSO MC

Service: 2NZEF, Fiji Military Force

WW2: Greece, Crete, Africa, Italy

post-WW2: New Zealand Regular Army; Commanding Officer Fiji Military Force to Malaya.

Obituary: NZ Herald: 30/3/1988

"War Hero Started out as Teacher

Clive Lochiel Pleasants, a schoolteacher who became a distinguished soldier, died yesterday in Auckland.

Brigadier Pleasants, aged 77, will be honoured in a funeral ceremony with full military honours tomorrow at the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral in Parnell and then at Purewa Crematorium.

During the Second World War he commanded infantry and armoured units of battalion, division and brigade strength in Greece, Crete, Egypt and Italy.

He earned the Military Cross while a company commander in the 19th battalion in Crete in 1941, having to lead soldiers out of the region to Egypt after his commanding officer and second-in-command were temporarily lost in the battle.

Commission

He won the DSO the following year while in command of the 18th battalion at Orsogna, Italy, where he was wounded twice.

On his return to New Zealand at the end of the war he returned to teaching in Wanganui, but resumed Army life in 1947 when he took up a permanent commission.

Brigadier Pleasants was appointed commandant of Waiouru Military camp in the late 1940s, then commander of the Fiji military forces.

He was made a CBE in 1952 during his term in the islands.

In 1953 he became commander of the northern military district. He went to London in 1964 as Army liaison officer, retiring at the end of the following year."