Captain · NZ #2775 · MID
| Rank | Captain |
|---|---|
| Service number | NZ #2775 |
| Known as | “Chas” |
| Born | 1914-12-20 |
| Died | 1989-10-04 |
| Honours | MID |
| Campaign medals | 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, War Medal 1939-45, NZ War Service Medal |
| Record | https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C18997 |
Service number amended in August 2026 from #2275 to #2775, on the balance of evidence rather than on proof. The Auckland War Memorial Museum’s L.R.D.G. Membership Roll of February 1970 gives 2775. No second source has been found either way, so the superseded figure, 2275, is recorded here in case it proves to be the right one. This card was already linked to his Cenotaph record, so the number field appears simply to have lagged behind the link. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum, “Long Range Desert Group Membership Roll” — the L.R.D.G. Membership Roll of February 1970, the New Zealand Association’s own register of surviving members, https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/popular-searches/lrdg
Cenotaph-verified 27 Jul 2026 (record link added).
Born 20 December 1914 at Auckland. Aged 75 at death. Photo engraver in civilian life. Artist and draughtsman who produced fake desert maps to deceive the enemy; commissioned Feb 1941, served as platoon commander in Greece and Crete, then British Intelligence on the staffs of Generals Cunningham, Ritchie, Auchinleck and Montgomery; mentioned in despatches in Tunisia; returned to NZ with the second furlough draft, 1944. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
His Mention in Despatches was dated 6 August 1943. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
Photo engraver in civilian life. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
The prefix NZ has been added to his service number, on the authority of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph record already linked on this card — the Museum holds him as a New Zealand service person. The digits are unchanged. This roll formerly left the number unmarked, which made it look like a British number to anyone reading the field rather than the card.
See him in the full roll →This page is part of the Long Range Desert Group roll of members at lrdgarchive.org. If you hold rights to anything on it and would like it credited differently, or taken down, please see Sources and Copyright. It will be dealt with promptly.
Not By Strength But By Guile