Lt S. H. Abel, MC; Auckland; born Sydney, 12 Jun 1916; margarine manufacturer; wounded 2 Nov 1942. (Source: Murphy, W.E. 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery. p.392)

'Long before daylight, however, Brigadier Currie had been in touch with Divisional Headquarters, making the familiar complaint that the 4th Field OPs were not forward. The CRA assured Freyberg that they would certainly be with 9 Armoured Brigade at first light; but Currie would not accept this. The OPs were in fact on the appointed ground, but there was some delay in establishing contact with the British armour—not surprising in view of the muddle into which the armour had got itself. The delay did not stop the FOOs from engaging any likely looking targets and the 4th Field guns were soon active. A far more serious matter was the lack of understanding between the three armoured formations which staged the attack: the two divisions and Currie's brigade, all of which were supposed to co-operate closely in effecting a breakthrough. But the trouble was really deeper even than this. The effort to exploit a largely successful infantry attack with armour almost completely divorced from infantry and supported, if at all, only by artillery indicated that Eighth Army thinking was still far behind that of the enemy. The Germans would not have attempted either operation without tanks and infantry in close and constant co-operation. The armoured brigade needed far more than the support of the 4th Field to make any real headway.
The 31st Anti-Tank Battery was certainly not slow in getting forward to support the armour. A Troop was right up with the leading tanks at first light, came under terrible fire, and the gun crews had to take up whatever positions seemed to offer advantage on the spur of the moment. A1 was lucky enough to come upon a pit dug to shelter a truck and gained excellent cover. The others did not fare so well. A mortar bomb soon burst near A3 and wounded all but one of its crew. A4 found reasonable cover, but several portées of an English unit clustered nearby, attracting much fire and suffering many casualties. Several wounded men came into the A4 position, followed by the driver of A4 with blood streaming from his face. An English officer drove up, halted his jeep, and was at once mortally wounded by a shell which slightly wounded the sergeant of A4. The gun position became a shambles. The tanks had withdrawn to hull-down positions and Lieutenant Abel was ordered to withdraw A Troop. It was a formidable task, but he set about it boldly and managed to bring out safely all the wounded and the three manned guns. Then he drove in his pick-up back to A3, hooked it on under fire, and towed it back. For this he earned an MC.' (Source: Murphy, W.E. 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery. pp. 391-392.) AWMM