Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg
7th Governor-General of New Zealand
In office 17 June 1946 – 15 August 1952
Preceded by	Sir Cyril Newall
Succeeded by	The Lord Norrie
Born	March 21, 1889 Richmond upon Thames,England
Died	July 4, 1963 Windsor, England

Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO and three Bars (March 21, 1889 — July 4, 1963), arguably New Zealand's most famous soldier and military commander, also served as Governor-General of New Zealand. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1035x999, 123 KB) Description: The Commander of the Indian and New Zealand Divisions at Cassino, Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Freyberg VC. Freyberg also commanded the British and Commonwealth troops on Crete. ... Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM (February 15, 1886 – November 30, 1963), was a British pilot and political figure who rose to the Royal Air Forces senior rank and served as Governor-General of New Zealand between... Lieutenant General Charles Willoughby Moke Norrie, 1st Baron Norrie, GCMG, GCVO, CB, DSO, MC (1893–1977) was an Australian-New Zealand general and political figure. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Richmond is a suburb in southwest London, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Windsor (IPA: usually , but also ) is a suburban town and tourist destination in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, South East England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... Military Badge of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... DSO medal The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand. ...

He became an officer in the British Army in World War I, during which he won the Victoria Cross. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ...

During the Second World War, he commanded the New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force in the Battle of Crete, the North African Campaign and the Battle of Monte Cassino. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Ngāti Tumatauenga or New Zealand Army is the land armed force of the New Zealand military and comprises around 4,500 regular personnel and 2,500 non-regulars and civilians. ... Combatants Greece New Zealand Australia United Kingdom Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength 43,000 25,000 Casualties 3,500 dead 1,900 wounded 17,500 captured 6,200–16,100 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Crete (German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) began on the morning... During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from September 13, 1940 to May 13, 1943. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Poland New Zealand India Free France Morocco Brazil and others Nazi Germany Commanders Harold Alexander Albert Kesselring Frido von Senger Strength 105,000 80,000 Casualties 54,000 20,000 The Battle of Monte Cassino (also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle...

Early life

Freyberg, born in Richmond upon Thames in England, moved to New Zealand with his parents at the age of two. He attended Wellington College from 1897 to 1904. Richmond is a suburb in southwest London, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... {{Infobox NZ For other articles under the same title, visit the disambiguation page. ...

A strong swimmer, he won the New Zealand 100-yards championship in 1906 and in 1910.

On May 22, 1911 he gained formal registration as a dentist. He worked as an assistant dentist in Morrinsville and later practised in Hamilton and in Levin. While in Morrinsville he was asked to take up a subalternship in the local Territorial Army unit, but he did not succeed in gaining the King's commission. May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Morrinsville is a town in the Waikato region of New Zealands North Island. ... Hamilton (Kirikiriroa in Maori) is New Zealands fourth largest city. ... The name Levin or Levina is of non-Jewish Russian origin. ... A subaltern is a military term for a junior officer. ...

Freyberg left New Zealand in March 1914. Records exist of him in San Francisco and in Mexico, where he may have taken part in the civil war then raging in that country. Upon hearing of the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914, he travelled to England. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... A graphical timeline is available here: Timeline of the Mexican Revolution Many portions of this article are translations of excerpts from the article Revolución Mexicana in the Spanish Wikipedia. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ...

World War I

In late 1914 Freyberg met Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, and persuaded Churchill to grant him a commission in the Hood Battalion of the newly-constituted Royal Naval Division. This article is becoming very long. ... The First Lord of the Admiralty was a British government position in charge of the Admiralty. ... The British 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a First World War division of the New Army. ...

In 1915 Freyberg became involved in the Dardanelles campaign. During the initial landings by Allied troops following the unsuccessful attempt to force the straits by sea, Freyberg swam ashore in the Gulf of Saros. Once ashore, he began lighting flares so as to distract the defending Turkish forces from the real landings taking place at Gallipoli. Despite coming under heavy Turkish fire, he returned safely from this outing, and for his action he received his first DSO. He received serious wounds on several occasions and left the peninsula when his division evacuated in January 1916. Combatants British Empire Australia India Newfoundland New Zealand United Kingdom France Turkey (Ottoman Empire) Commanders Sir Ian Hamilton Otto von Sanders Mustafa Kemal Strength 5 divisions (initial) 14 divisions (final) 6 divisions The Battle of Gallipoli (sometimes referred to as the first D-Day) took place on the Turkish peninsula... Gallipoli peninsula (Turkish: , Greek: ) is located in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. ... DSO medal The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ... Peninsula A peninsula (from Latin paene insula, almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ...

Freyberg went to France in May 1916. He received the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Somme. On November 13, 1916 at Beaucourt-sur-Ancre, France, after Freyberg's battalion had carried the initial attack through the enemy's front system of trenches, he rallied and re-formed his own much disorganised men and some others, and led them on a successful assault of the second objective, during which he suffered two wounds, but remained in command and held his ground throughout the day and the following night. When re-inforced the next morning he attacked and captured a strongly fortified village, taking 500 prisoners. Though wounded twice more, the second time severely, Freyberg refused to leave the line until he had issued final instructions. His citation described the end result of these actions, stating that "[Freyberg] enabled the lodgement of the corps to be permanently held, and on this point the line was eventually formed" for subsequent offensives. Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

During his time on the Western Front Freyberg continued to lead by example. His leadership had a cost however: Freyberg received nine wounds during his service in France, and men who served with him later in his career said hardly a part of his body did not have scars. Combatants Belgium, British Empire, France, United States, other Western Allies of WWI Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then General Ferdinand Foch Kaiser Wilhelm II Casualties ~4,800,000 Unknown though considerably higher Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the German army opened the Western...

Freyberg gained promotion to the rank of temporary brigadier and took command of a brigade in the 58th Division in April 1917, which reportedly made him the youngest general in the British Army. By the end of the war Freyberg had added a further two DSOs and the French Croix Militaire de Guerre to his name, as well receiving five more mentions in despatches after his escapade at Saros. A General is an officer of high military rank. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of both Belgium and France which was first created in 1915. ... Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) is a military award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service. ...

The Interbellum

Freyberg remained as a serving officer after the conclusion of World War I. On 14 June 1922 he married Barbara McLaren (a daughter of Sir Herbert Jekyll and the widow of Hon. Francis McLaren) at St Martha on the Hill. Barbara had two children from her previous marriage, and she and Freyberg later had a son, Paul, born in 1923. Freyberg served as a chief staff officer with the Territorial Army's 44th Home Counties Division, among other posts, during the interwar period. June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Barbara Freyberg, Baroness Freyberg GBE (d. ... Hon. ... The hill and church The church floodlit at night during Christmas St Marthas Hill is a landmark of the St Martha Parish in Surrey, England, situated between Guildford and Chilworth, Surrey. ... In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ...

World War II

Lieutenant General Freyberg at the Battle of Crete.

The British Army classified Freyberg as unfit for active service in 1937. However, following the outbreak of war in September 1939 he returned to its active list. Following an approach from the New Zealand government, Freyberg offered his services and subsequently gained appointment as commander of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force and of the New Zealand 2nd Division. Image File history File links Lieutenant_General_Freyberg_gazes_over_the_parapet. ... Image File history File links Lieutenant_General_Freyberg_gazes_over_the_parapet. ... The New Zealand 2nd Division was that countrys major land formation during much of World War II. Commanded for much of its existence by Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Freyberg. ...

In the chaos of the retreat from the Greek mainland campaign of 1941, London gave Freyberg command of the Allied forces during the Battle of Crete. Controversy surrounds his use of ULTRA intelligence messages during this battle. Combatants Germany Italy Bulgaria Albania, Greece, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Strength unknown unknown Casualties unknown unknown The Balkans Campaign was the Italian and German invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece during World War II. It began with Italys annexation of... The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... Combatants Greece New Zealand Australia United Kingdom Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength 43,000 25,000 Casualties 3,500 dead 1,900 wounded 17,500 captured 6,200–16,100 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Crete (German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) began on the morning... Ultra (sometimes capitalized ULTRA) was the name used by the British for intelligence resulting from decryption of German communications in World War II. The term eventually became the standard designation in both Britain and the United States for all intelligence from high-level cryptanalytic sources. ...

Freyberg continued to command the New Zealand 2nd Division through the North African and Italian campaigns of the British Eighth Army. He had become a popular commander with the New Zealand soldiers by the time he left his command (with the rank of lieutenant-general) in 1945. During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from September 13, 1940 to May 13, 1943. ... The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war. ... The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations in World War II, fighting in the campaigns in North Africa and Italy. ...

Post war

Following his retirement from the Army, Freyberg served as Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 until 1952. In this post he played a very active role, visiting all parts of New Zealand and its dependencies. Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand. ...

The Crown raised Freyberg to the peerage as Baron Freyberg of Wellington in New Zealand and of Munstead in the County of Surrey in 1951.

After his term as New Zealand Governor-General had finished Freyberg returned to England where he sat frequently in the House of Lords. On March 1, 1953 he became the Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle; he took up residence in the Norman Gateway the following year. This article is about the British House of Lords. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Windsor Castle: The Round Tower or keep dominating the castle, as seen from the River Thames. ...

In 1955, Freyberg High School in Palmerston North, New Zealand was opened. 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Freyberg High School is a State Co-Educational Secondary School in the suburb of Roslyn, Palmerston North, New Zealand. ... Palmerston North is a city in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Freyberg died at Windsor on July 4, 1963 following the rupture of one of his war wounds, and was buried in the churchyard of St Martha on the Hill in Guildford, Surrey. For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... The hill and church The church floodlit at night during Christmas St Marthas Hill is a landmark of the St Martha Parish in Surrey, England, situated between Guildford and Chilworth, Surrey. ... Statistics Population: 66819 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU9949 Administration District: Guildford Shire county: Surrey Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Surrey Historic county: Surrey Services Police force: Surrey Police Ambulance service: South East Coast Post office and telephone Post town...

The title of Baron Freyberg was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1951 for Bernard Cyril Freyberg, then Governor-General of New Zealand. ... Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, 1st Baron Newall GCB OM GCMG CBE AM (February 15, 1886 – November 30, 1963), was a British pilot and political figure who rose to the Royal Air Forces senior rank and served as Governor-General of New Zealand between... Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand. ... Lieutenant General Charles Willoughby Moke Norrie, 1st Baron Norrie, GCMG, GCVO, CB, DSO, MC (1893–1977) was an Australian-New Zealand general and political figure. ...

References

• Freyberg : Churchill's Salamander (L Barber and J Tonkin-Covell, 1989)
• Bernard Freyberg, VC : Soldier of Two Nations (Paul Freyberg, 1991)
• VCs of the First World War - The Somme (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)

During the Battle of the Somme, 51 Victoria Crosses were awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers. ... The Register of the Victoria Cross A list of all 1350 Victoria Crosses with details of each recipient ISBN 0906324033 Publisher: Cheltenham: This England Books; 1981 Size: 8vo - over 7 3/4 - 9 3/4 Pagination: 303 + 4. ... Monuments To Courage is a book by David Harvey, published in 1999. ...

External links

• Official biography at Government House, Wellington. Accessed 14 February 2006.
• First World War.com - Who's Who - Bernard Freyberg. Accessed 14 February 2006.
• "Freyberg, Bernard Cyril" at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Accessed 14 February 2006.
• New Zealand Troops who have won the Victoria Cross. Accessed 14 February 2006.
• Location of grave and VC medal (Surrey). Accessed 14 February 2006.

Some data migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission and merged. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...