Public Contributions:

Colin was the youngest son of Horace & Lucy Hammond. His oldest brother Lance Masefield Hammond was Main Body - Wellington Infantry - served at Gallipoli. His brother Richard Francis Hammond (23/...2197) fought on the Western Front in WW1. After the NZEF were defeated in Greece and two Brigages were withdrawn to Crete, the Petrol Company fought as a Rifle Company in Crete. Because they were older more mature men, they stood up to the invading Nazi paratroopers exceedingly well. They killed a lot of German paratroopers. Colin Hammond's Mother was devasted by the death of her youngest child. Read More

My GG Uncle Colin was KIA at the Meleme Airfield on Crete. He fought with the Petrol Company, who were mainly older guys. They did not fight as a Service Corps but as front line infantry. They killed... many, many Germans and fought at least as well as the Rifle Companies of the New Zealand Infantry Battalions. They fought hard, and died hard. The invasion began after dawn on 20 May 1941 with a heavy bombardment by the Luftwaffe (German air force). For the New Zealanders on Crete – who had endured daily air attacks for over a week – the arrival of German aircraft promised just another day of bombing and strafing. Around 7.30 a.m. there was a lull in the attack, during which many of the men prepared to have breakfast. Before they had a chance to eat, a more intense air bombardment began. Shortly after 8 a.m. gliders began to appear in the sky – the first sign that something significant was happening. As the gliders passed overhead German transport planes lumbered into view and began emptying masses of paratroops and supply canisters. The sky above the New Zealanders was soon filled with a multitude of coloured parachutes. Reactions to the invasion: "I was scared stiff.", Spr John Haines, 7th Field Coy. "Here the bastards come! My reaction was one of excitement.", Pte Ivan Divehall, 19th Bn. "So this is it.". Our OC simply said, "This is for real boys, put your bayonets on, it’s either you or them." Pte Walter Gibbons, 23rd Bn, "I cried like a child, really frightened, then got stuck into the enemy." Pte Howard Thomas, Div HQ, "I was astonished. Some of our late arrivals from Greece told us of the parachutists at Corinth. ‘Bullshit’, we said – all the more realistic when the Deutsch did arrive." Tpr Bill Boyce, 4th Field Ambulance, "Those on the ground were stunned by the spectacle above them." After a brief moment of hesitation the defenders grabbed their weapons and began firing on the figures floating down towards them. Rifles and machine guns took a terrible toll. Many paratroops died before they reached the ground while others were hit as they struggled to remove their cumbersome parachute harnesses. Cretans too became involved in the battle. Local villagers, armed with shotguns, axes and spades, attacked paratroops who landed near their homes. The Cretan population would later suffer terrible reprisals from the German occupation force for these actions. Initial fighting was confined to the areas around Maleme and Canea–Galatas. About 50 gliders came down around Maleme – mainly along the dry Tavronitis riverbed. Paratroops were also dropped to the west, south and east of the Maleme airfield, with orders to seize control of the airfield and high ground overlooking it. Those who landed to the south and east came down amongst New Zealand units and were cut to pieces. In one parachute battalion, two-thirds of the men were killed. It was a different story west of the airfield. Most of the gliders had managed to land safely in an area that could not be observed by defenders on the higher ground. A substantial number of paratroops had also dropped in and around the Tavronitis riverbed – an area Freyberg had left undefended. These troops wasted little time in reorganising themselves and were soon threatening the airfield. Defending the key positions at Maleme was 22nd Battalion. Under the command of First World War Victoria Cross (VC) winner Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie Andrew, the battalion occupied positions along the western edges of the airfield as well the substantial hill – known as Point 107 – overlooking it. By the afternoon the situation was serious enough for Andrew to seek additional support from 23rd Battalion, located to his east. This request was turned down by Brigadier James Hargest, commander of 5th (NZ) Brigade, who mistakenly believed 23rd Battalion was tied up dealing with enemy paratroops in its area. In desperation Andrew decided to use his meagre reserve – two tanks and an infantry platoon – to drive the Germans back from the edge of the airfield. But the counter-attack petered out when the tanks broke down. Unable to contact his forward companies and fearing that the rest of the battalion would be cut off, Andrew decided to pull back from Point 107 to a nearby ridge. Hargest agreed to the withdrawal – famously replying, ‘if you must, you must’ – before ordering two companies forward to reinforce 22nd Battalion. One of these companies briefly reoccupied Point 107 before falling back, while the other failed to make contact in the dark and also withdrew. Andrew pulled his battalion back to link up with 21st Battalion in the east, leaving behind two forward companies fighting on the western edge of the airfield. Both companies managed to extricate themselves when they found that the rest of the battalion had withdrawn. On 23 May the bulk of the New Zealand forces around Maleme airfield retreated to a new defensive line at Platanias. This position was soon threatened by fresh German forces moving in from the south and the New Zealanders were forced back toward Galatas. Read More