John Daniel Hinton, (Jack) VC, was born in Southland on 17 September 1909. Hinton is remembered primarily for his bravery in Greece during WWII, which earned him a Victoria Cross. Hinton served New Zealand as a soldier in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) during the Second World War and was awarded the Victoria Cross for leading an assault in Greece in 1941. The Victoria cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

At the outbreak of war, Hinton enlisted in Colonel Kippenberger's 20th Battalion 2nd NZEF (the Canterbury Regiment), and rapidly rose to the rank of sergeant. In Greece, during the Division’s first action, Hinton was attached to a group of soldiers who were to stay in reserve and provide reinforcements for the Division if needed. This group was sent to the Greek port of Kalamata when the Allied troops were ordered to evacuate Greece. On the night of 28 April 1941, Hinton fought his way down a narrow street, destroying several machine gun posts and attacking an armoured self propelled gun, before being severely wounded in the stomach. Attempts to evacuate Kalamata were abandoned, and the remaining Allied troops, including Hinton, were captured. Hinton spent the rest of the war in prisoner of war camps in Greece and Germany.

Medals are not normally conferred on soldiers while they are prisoners, therefore it was a major break with precedent when the announcement of the award of the Victoria Cross to Sergeant Hinton was made on 17 October 1941. Hinton was presented with the ribbon of his medal by a German general at a parade in a prisoner of war camp. Hinton at the time was being held in solitary confinement after one of several unsuccessful escape attempts.

The image above shows a group of Victoria Cross medal winners, including Jack Hinton, at a luncheon celebrating their awards. Hinton's signature can be seen second from the left. The photograph is part of the papers of Sir Walter Nash, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1957 to 1960. After defeat in the 1960 election Nash remained MP for Hutt until his death in 1968. Other images from the Nash papers have been digitised and are available to view in an online exhibition archives.govt.nz/events/walters-world-nash-collection

Archives Reference: AEFZ 22625 W5727 2596/3102/0021-022

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