MAJOR-QUARTER-MASTER WILLIAM COLEMAN, of the Nelson Volunteers, received the Victoria decoration and also the New Zealand long service medals.

William Coleman represented Waikato in the colonial prize firing at Christchurch in 1872, at Nelson in 1873, Napier in 1874, Thames in 1875, and Brightwater at the first meeting held in 1879, and in 1880, when he joined the Waimea Rifles.

Major-Quartermaster Coleman was born at Woollongong, Illawarra district, New South Wales, Australia on 17 February, 1844 He served there from 1875 till 1880, when he removed to Nelson.

He joined the Waimea Rifles on 10 May, 1880, when he was elected lieutenant, and became quartermaster in 1889. Mr. Coleman was present, in 1881, at Parihaka, where he had charge of 500 prisoners one night.

In shooting competitions he has won several prizes in different parts of the colony, and also at the colonial prize firing at Nelson. Major Quartermaster Coleman has his private residence at Richmond.

Sergeant Alfred Clive Hulme 2nd NZ Expeditionary Force (2NZEF), 23rd Battalion (The Canterbury Regiment) 5th Brigade, 2nd Division, 2NZEF – Victoria Cross (UK)

Born in Dunedin in 1911, Clive Hulme was a wrester in his youth. A few months after the outbreak of World War II he enlisted in the New Zealand Military Forces for service abroad with the 2nd NZ Expeditionary Force. He was posted to the 23rd Battalion (Canterbury Regiment) 5th Brigade, 2nd Division, 2NZEF and served as sergeant.

He saw action during the Battle of Crete, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

The London Gazette, 10 October 1941 citation read:
“Sergeant Hulme exhibited most outstanding and inspiring qualities of leadership, initiative, skill, endurance, and most conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty from the commencement of the heavy fighting in Crete on May 1941, until he was wounded in action 28 May 1941.

On ground overlooking Maleme Aerodrome on 20 and 21 May he personally led parties of his men from the area held by the forward position and destroyed enemy organised parties who had established themselves out in front of our position, from which they brought heavy rifle, machine gun and mortar fire to bear on our defensive posts. Numerous snipers in the area were dealt with by Sergeant Hulme personally; 130 dead were counted here.

On 22, 23 and 24 May, Sergeant Hulme was continuously going out alone or with one or two men and destroying enemy snipers. On 25 May, when Sergeant Hulme had rejoined his battalion, this unit counter-attacked Galatas Village. The attack was partially held up by a large party of the enemy holding the school, from which they were inflicting heavy casualties on our troops. Sergeant Hulme went forward alone, threw grenades into the school, and so disorganised the defence that the counter-attack was able to proceed successfully.

On Tuesday, 27 May, when our troops were holding a defensive line in Suda Bay during the final retirement, five enemy snipers had worked into position on the hillside overlooking the flank of the battalion line. Sergeant Hulme volunteered to deal with the situation and stalked and killed the snipers in turn. He continued similar work successfully through the day.

On 28 May at Sylos, when an enemy heavy mortar was bombing a very important ridge held by the battalion rearguard troops, inflicting severe casualties. Sergeant Hulme, on his own initiative, penetrated the enemy lines, killed the mortar crew of four, put the mortar out of action, and thus very materially assisted the withdrawal of the main body through Stylos. From the enemy mortar position he then worked onto the left flank and killed three snipers who were causing concern to the rearguard. This made his score of enemy snipers 33 stalked and shot.

Shortly afterwards Sergeant Hulme was severely wounded in his shoulder while stalking another sniper. When ordered to the rear, in spite of his wound, he directed traffic under fire and organised stragglers of various units into section groups.”

The wounds he received on Crete saw him evacuated to NZ for treatment and rehabilitation. He was declared medically unfit in February 1942 and discharged from the 2NZEF. However, three months later he was recalled to active service. He served on the Home Front until September 1943, at which time he was discharged from the NZ Military Forces, having been promoted to warrant officer.

After the war he lived in Pongakawa near Te Puke, running a cartage company. His son Denny Hulme won the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 1967.