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medal, campaign

On display
human history
  • Other Name

    1939-45 Star, WW2 (descriptive name)

    285658 2nd Lieutenant Bruce Ingham Dent MC, 1st Battalion Fiji Defence Force, New Zealand Infantry, WW2 (associated name)

  • Description

    1939-45 Star, WW2

    awarded to 2nd Lt. Bruce Ingham Dent 285658; 1st Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment, New Zealand Third Division, Bougainville 1943-1944.

    six-pointed bronze star; ring suspension; with ribbon

    obverse: in the centre the Royal cypher GRI with VI below; cypher is surmounted by a crown superimposed on circlet with title: THE 1939-1945 STAR

    ribbon: equal bands of dark blue, red and light blue (symbolising the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force)

    issued unnamed

  • Place
  • Associated Place
  • Accession Number
    2014.68.3
  • Accession Date
    10 Sep 2014
  • Other Id

    Spink: 154 (Spink 1988)

  • Department
  • Display Room
medal, campaign, 2014.68.3, Spink: 154, Photographed by:… … Read more

Images and documents

Images

Artefact

  • Display location

    Pou Maumahara drawer bank 10, drawer A, medal position 20

  • Credit Line
    Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira, 2014.68.3
    Gift of Beverley Ingham Wilding
  • Primary Maker

     Royal Mint (Medallist)

  • Place
  • Date
    [1945]
  • Associated Notes

    1939-45 Star

    2nd Lieutenant Bruce Ingham Dent MC, Fiji Defence Force, New Zealand Infantry, Third Division, WW2)

    2nd Lieutenant Dent MC joined the army in November 1941 and left for Fiji in December 1942 where he helped train the 4th Battalion of the Fiji Infantry Regiment. Nine months later he received his commission and joined the 1st Battalion Fijian Infantry Regiment which was serving in the Solomon Islands. On December 21, 1943 the Battalion was moved to Bougainville where it was engaged in jungle warfare.

    Dent was killed in action on 25 March 1944, and awarded the Military Cross posthumously for “outstanding leadership during the Ibu campaign,” Bougainville. He is buried in New Caledonia at the Bourail New Zealand Cemetery.

  • Associated Event
    WW2; 1939-1945
    Pacific Theatre of War
  • Associated Person
  • Associated Place
  • Associated Date
    1942-1944
  • Period
  • Media
  • Measurement Description
    medal: 43mm diameter
    ribbon: 32mm wide
    envelope: 92mm long
    envelope: 50mm wide
  • Measurement Reading

    43mm (medal)

    32mm (ribbon)

  • Subject Category
  • Classification
  • Media/Materials Notes

    medal

    ribbon

  • Last Update
    19 Mar 2024
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