Alfred (Clive) Hulme, VC

Alfred Clive Hulme VC (24 January 1911 – 2 September 1982) was a New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He received the decoration for his actions during the Battle of Crete in 1941. He was also the father of champion Formula One racing driver Denny Hulme.

Citation:

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 20 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; one hundred and thirty 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 Stylos, 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 thirty three stalked and shot. Shortly afterwards Sergeant Hulme was severely wounded in the 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. Source: The London Gazette, No. 35306, 10 October 1941.

Hulme's VC was displayed at the QEII Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru, New Zealand. On 2 December 2007 it was one of nine Victoria Crosses that were among a hundred medals stolen from the museum. On 16 February 2008, New Zealand Police announced all the medals had been recovered as a result of a NZ$300,000 reward offered by Michael Ashcroft and Tom Sturgess.

Biographies:

• Wikipedia contributors, 'Clive Hulme', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
• Richard J. Taylor. 'Hulme, Alfred Clive', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
• National Army Museum Bio Sgt Hulme VC (162KB PDF)

Links:

• Cenotaph Record
• Fury over attack on father's war service 2006