George Lawrence HOGBEN was born in Thames (NOT Auckland as most sources say) where his father Julius HOGBEN was a barrister and solicitor. The family moved to Auckland in 1920 and Lawrence was a Rhodes scholar to Oxford in 1938. On the outbreak of war he joined the Navy as a teacher as mathematics was his field. After an adventurous time in the Royal Navy mostly on board HMS Sheffield -including being attacked by the Swordfish aircraft from HMS Arc Royal (they missed) who were looking for the Bismarck. He is best know as one of the meteorologists who worked in the D-Day landings. His decorations are from this work. My research on behalf of The Treasury in Thames is ongoing. Certainly he is one of Thames most famous citizens. Roger Strong