Clayden Shuttleworth

Forenames

Clayden AWMM

Surname

Shuttleworth AWMM

Service number

WWII 23733 AWMM

Gender

Male AWMM

Birth

19 Jan 1907 AWMM

Address before enlistment

Wakefield, Nelson, New Zealand AWMM

Next of kin

Mrs C.P. Shuttleworth, (wife), c/o NZ Express Co., Auckland, New Zealand AWMM

Relationship status

Married AWMM

War

World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM

Campaign

Western Desert AWMM

Armed force / branch

Army AWMM

Service number

WWII 23733 AWMM

Military service

Adjutant, Auckland Mounted Rifles, 1932-34. AWMM

Medals and Awards

• Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) AWMM
  DSO: NZ Gazette, 21 September 1944. Citation: "This officer has commanded the 24th (NZ) Battalion since its formation in May 1940 and has trained it to a very high state of efficiency. He led it during the Greek campaign and displayed the highest qualities of leadership and a complete disregard for his own safety. On the 23 November (1941) when the officer commanding 25 Battalion had been wounded Lieutenant Colonel Shuttleworth was sent with two of the companies of his own battalion to take command of a very difficult situation which had developed on Hill 175 some five or six miles east of Sidi Rezegh. He organised the defences in that locality and was able to retain his position there in spite of three determined enemy counter attacks. The following morning he organised and directed a minor but very successful advance over the crest of Hill 175 and down its western slopes. On the night 24/25 November he led a further advance of his Battalion westwards along the Sidi Rezegh ridge a distance of some three miles and in the face of determined enemy resistance. It was only his continued presence with his foremost troops and his skilful employment of them that finally resulted in the capture of the blockhouse on that ridge on the morning of 25 November. On the night of 25/26 November he again led his Battalion in a night attack still further along the ridge to a point South West of the Mosque at Sidi Rezegh. Here on the morning of 26 November his Battalion was heavily counter attacked and suffered many casualties. Nevertheless on that same evening 26/27 November he again led his now sadly depleted Battalion in a most successful night attack in conjunction with the 26 Battalion which won for us the whole of the high ground in the Sidi Rezegh area. This attack involved 24 Battalion in further heavy casualties and the night's fighting was the fiercest this Brigade has yet experienced; but their losses did not prevent 24 Battalion from vigourously defending the ground they had won. They were attacked on 28 and again on 29 November and though they lost some ground and many casualties they continued to resist with outstanding courage. Throughout all these operations Lieutenant Colonel Shuttleworth behaved with remarkable skill and coolness. His personal courage and leadership was an inspiration to all his troops and was largely responsible for the magnificent achievements of the Battalion he so ably trained and led in battle." AWMM
• 1939-1945 Star AWMM
• Africa Star AWMM
• War Medal 1939-1945 with oak leaf AWMM
• New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM
• Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM

Military training

Graduate of Royal Military College, Sandhurst, UK, 1927. AWMM

Enlistment

WW2 Regular soldier/Civilian AWMM

Embarkation details

WW2 Second Lieutenant AWMM 24 (Auckland) Infantry Battalion AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM

Capture details

• WW2
  30 Nov 1941 AWMM
  With 24 Battalion AWMM
• WW2
  2 Jan 1942 AWMM
• WW2 POW - Oflag XII-B, Mainz, Germany AWMM
• WW2 POW - P.G. 47, Modena, Italy AWMM

Medical notes

Killed on Active Service, Cause of Death AWMM

Last rank

Lieutenant Colonel/Military AWMM
24 (Auckland) Infantry Battalion AWMM

Son of Fitzherbert Edward and Eliza Mary Shuttleworth.

Commanding Officer (CO) of 24 Infantry Battalion, February 1940-November 1941. AWMM

Death

15 May 1945 AWMM
Age  38 AWMM

Cause of death

Killed on Active Service AWMM

Cemetery

Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey, England AWMM 2. AA. 2. AWMM

Memorial name

Roll of Honour, Officers' Club Auckland, The Northern Club, 19 Princes Street, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM

Related objects

External links

• Burdon, R. (1959). 24 Battalion. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
  http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-24Ba.html
  Further Reference
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission record
  https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2928916
  Sources Used
• A message recorded by Clayden Shuttleworth in 1940 can be found on Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision's online catalogue. U-series. News from the troops. No. 1. Pts 1-3 10987.
  https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/search-use-collection/search/10987
  Further Reference
• Johnston, Sarah. (2023). “With the boys overseas: How Homefront listeners shaped the work of Aotearoa New Zealand's first battlefront broadcasters”. New Zealand Journal of Public History, 9, 33-58.
  https://phanza.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Sarah-Johnston-With-the-Boys-Overseas.pdf
  Further Reference
• Great Britain Army. (1945). Germany and German occupied territories : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer. Zenodo Record.
  https://zenodo.org/records/3955186
  Further Reference
• Great Britain Army. (1945). Italy : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer. Zenodo Record.
  https://zenodo.org/records/4560909
  Further Reference

References

• List of 2NZEF Prisoners of War. 1941-1945. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 2009/8.
• Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
  WW2 3: WW2 342
• Haigh, J., Polaschek, A. (Eds.). (1993). New Zealand and the Distinguished Service Order. Christchurch, N.Z.: Authors.
• Burdon, R. (1959). 24 Battalion. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
  Burdon, R. (1959). pp. 1-2, 4, 6, 8, 11-12, 16, 20, 23, 26-27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 47-48, 51, 60, 63, 64, 65, 68, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76-77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 86, 87.
• Fortune, G. & Bebich, M. (2008). Citizenship and remembrance : a history of the 24 NZ Infantry Battalion Association. Auckland, N.Z.: Polygraphia.
• Great Britain Army. (1945). Germany and German occupied territories : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer.
• Burdon, R. (1959). 24 Battalion. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
• Great Britain Army. (1945). Italy : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer.
• Mason, W.W. (1954) Prisoners of war. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.