Member of the College Rifles Rugby Football Club

Signs his name as Brian Abbott in a handwritten condolence letter to STOCKLEY, John William 522328 filed on the Stockley's Probate file

Maj R. B. Abbott, MC; Ngaruawahia; born Auckland, 16 Feb 1919; insurance clerk; wounded 6 Jul 1942. (Source: Scoullar, J. L. Battle for Egypt: The Summer of 1942. p.121.)

'The 23rd Battalion, which was to carry out Phase 1 of the 5 Brigade task, the advance to the first objective, went forward to its start line. Its job was to penetrate the enemy forward defences 2000 yards away to a depth of 1400 yards and clear the way for 21 and 22 Battalions to storm the ridge in the brigade's sector.
The minutes ticked on towards 9.40. Watches were held face up to the moon and the time checked and rechecked. One minute to go, 30 seconds, 20 seconds, ten seconds, five seconds, three seconds—the small hands on the watches flickered three more times, then spurts of flame tore red holes in the moonlight and the air was shivered and blasted with noise. The whole sky was a dancing, flickering sea of scarlet. A bank of dust rose in the west as roaring destruction fell on its target. More destruction winged its way forward as bombers made their targets and turned in a wide circle back to their landing strips and another load. There was a five-minute pause while the guns laid on the first line of the creeping barrage. Then the racing motors and whirling propellers overhead filled the night with rushing noises and the sharp tang of burnt cordite drifted like battle incense across the desert.
It was bright moonlight when the assaulting companies of 21 Battalion moved through the lane in our forward minefield that the engineers had already opened for 23 Battalion. The order of march was A, B, C and D Companies, followed by Battalion Headquarters. While the battalion was marching up to 23 Battalion's objective, which was the approximate start line for the second phase of the attack, the engineers were already clearing vehicle routes through the enemy mines, and Lieutenant Abbott and Corporal Bill Marshall were putting down the start-line tapes.
They were having a very uncomfortable time with their tapes and lights, for enough guns and mortars were unsilenced to make the laying of the lines hazardous. It was largely their work here that won Abbott an immediate MC and Marshall an MM.' (Source: Cody, J.F. 21 Battalion. p. 200.) AWMM