WO II R. J. G. Mack, MM; Papakura; born NZ 3 Apr 1917; hospital orderly. (Source: Ross, A. 23 Battalion. p.110.)

'Corporal Mack and Privates Harrisson, Baker and Hoggard kept their Vickers gun firing during this engagement. Later, this gun crew shammed death when their gun position was overrun in the dark and they withdrew to safety only when the Germans had withdrawn in the early hours of the morning. The mortars in the 8 Platoon position were too hot to move in the withdrawal but they and the machine gun were recovered next morning by a Bren-carrier patrol which reported that, in addition to the twenty enemy dead buried that morning by A Company, there were several fresh German graves in the advanced battlefield. A Company lost 3 killed, 2 wounded and 18 missing. The question of why the Germans had not followed up their success by a more determined attack on the Fort was discussed at the time. German documents have since provided the answer: the order to break off contact and return to the starting point arrived, having been issued at the direct command of General Rommel, who had reached Bardia and had decided on another operation.' (Source: Ross, A. 23 Battalion. pp. 110, 111.) AWMM