Sergeant A. C. Holgerson, MM, Bronze Medal (Gk); Auckland; born Waihi, 3 Mar 1911; bushman; wounded 15 Jul 1942. (Source: Cody, J.F. 28 Maori Battalion. p.417.)

'Most of the enemy strength had been disposed along 21 Battalion's road axis. Consequently, the Maoris were not heavily engaged. The enemy's policy seemed to be to hold the top stories of houses, with other posts cunningly sited in drains; 18 Regiment's 2 and 4 Troop tanks shot up the houses while the infantry searched the drains, but the German tactic was, apparently, to hold until the Maoris were ready to close, then fall back behind the sheltering vines to the next ditch. The result was that while 21 Battalion made slow progress against a determined defence, 28 Battalion was not halted until it reached the report line which, on its sector, was the Orsoleto village. The German infantry had withdrawn as the Maoris closed up and occupied houses around a road junction on the eastern side of the village while awaiting the signal to carry on. The six support tanks also arranged themselves defensively for the time being and watched alternatively a gap that had opened between the Maoris and 21 Battalion on the right and the enemy-held area on the left where 28 Infantry Brigade had still not crossed the Marecchia. A good deal of mortar fire was coming in from that direction and casualties began to mount. Colonel Young had ordered a halt until 21 Battalion drew level and this instruction was later confirmed by the Brigadier, who also sent some Staghound armoured cars to support a reconnaissance troop of 18 Regiment tanks protecting the Maoris' open left flank.

No stretchers had been taken into the attack, but the problem of evacuating the wounded was solved by Sergeant Holgerson of 18 Regiment, who converted his Honey reconnaissance tank into an ambulance in addition to acting as a wireless link between Battalion Headquarters and the forward platoons. He personally loaded his patients into his vehicle and, in spite of being ‘stonked’ every time he showed himself, made several trips back to the RAP. He later received an immediate award of the Military Medal.' (Source: Cody, J.F. 28 Maori Battalion. pp. 417-18.; Dawson, W.D. 18 Battalion and Armoured Regiment. p. 557.)

18 Battalion, 12 Platoon member of the Bodyguard for the King of the Hellenes. AWMM