30169, Lance-Corporal
DAVID RUSSELL
22 N.Z. Battalion, 2nd N.Z.E.F.
Italy - February, 1945
David Russell was born in Dreghorn, Ayrshire, Scotland, on 30 March 1911, the fourth of six children born to James and Jessie Russell. His mother died when he was just six years old. When William, his eldest brother, emigrated to Australia, David followed him, and he worked on his brother's farm north of Perth for several years, before travelling around Australia. Around 1936-37 David moved to New Zealand and in 1938 he joined the staff of Napier Hospital as an orderly. He was soon engaged to his girlfriend Nancy Oliver, from Napier.
Eleven days after the war began Russell joined the NZ Army. He deployed as a private soldier with an Anti-Tank Company, leaving with the 2nd Echelon on 2 May 1940. Then, after six-months of training in Scotland, he embarked for Egypt.
In Egypt he was posted to the 22nd Battalion, NZ Infantry, and saw action in Greece and Crete. When he was evacuated to Egypt, he was promoted to lance corporal while serving at the New Zealand School of Instruction. In 1942, during the battle at Ruweisat, he was wounded and taken as a prisoner of war to Camp PG57 in Gruppignano, north of Trieste, Italy. He must have been optimistic for the future as he wrote to his girlfriend Nancy, telling her to buy an engagement ring.
When Italy capitulated in 1943, Russell escaped from a work camp and joined the Bataglione Lepre (the Hare Battalion, a group of hundreds of escaped prisoners who were hunted like "hares"). He arranged for many escaped prisoners to join an escape line to Yugoslavia, but was recaptured and sent to another prison camp, this time at Traviscosa. Once again he escaped. He was pursued south to the region of Ponte di Piave where he was hidden by some Italian families. He was soon back to work assisting escaped prisoners of war and would visit them on bicycle. In 1944 he met with a British team organising partisans and sabotage missions in the mountains. He was safe there and it was his chance to escape through Yugoslavia. Instead, he chose to stay and help other prisoners.
Russell had many narrow escapes trying to find safe routes for the escapees. He used his bicycle to good effect, repeatedly dodging enemy patrols by simply speeding away. He was captured soon after, but escaped again. Eventually his luck ran out and he was arrested, tortured and shot.
The citation from the London Gazette dated 24 December 1948 reads:
"Like so many other escaped prisoners-of-war, Lance-Corporal Russell had obtained civilian clothes and was living with an Italian peasant, Giuseppe Vettorello. He was well-known and liked by the people of the locality. According to Giuseppe Vettorello, Lance-Corporal Russell maintained contact with a number of other ex-prisoners-of-war, visiting them regularly by bicycle.
On about 22nd February, 1945, Lance-Corporal Russell was arrested by a patrol of Italian Fascist troops near the house of Giuseppe Vettorello. Giuseppe Vettorello himself was arrested on suspicion of having harboured Lance-Corporal Russell. Their captors were members of a mixed German-Italian police regiment.
The prisoners were taken to the Company Headquarters of Oberleutnant Haupt at Ponte di Piave. Here an attempt was made to force Lance-Corporal Russell to betray Giuseppe Vettorello, but he refused to do so, denying that he had ever seen him before. According to an Italian soldier who was present, Lance-Corporal Russell was beaten up by Haupt, but maintained his silence. Thanks to Lance-Corporal Russell's loyalty, Giuseppe Vettorello was released.
The Germans were evidently convinced that Lance-Corporal Russell had been in contact with other ex-prisoners-of-war and Partisans, and were determined that he should disclose their whereabouts.
He was chained to a wall in a stable, and told that, unless he gave the required information within three days, he would be shot. Again, on the testimony of two Italians who were present, Lance-Corporal Russell was beaten up, but he resolutely refused to speak. A civilian who took him food tried to persuade him to save his life, but he replied, 'Let them shoot me'.
Haupt's interpreter, an Italian says: 'The behaviour of the Englishman was splendid, and it won the admiration of Haupt himself'.
On the third day Lance-Corporal Russell was shot. The German warrant officer who witnessed the execution, says: 'The prisoner died very bravely'.
There can be no doubt whatsoever that Lance-Corporal Russell in the midst of his enemies and in the face of death, bore himself with courage and dignity of a very high order."
He is buried in the Udine Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Italy.
His medals are held at the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru, New Zealand.
The medals awarded to Lance-Corporal Russell are:
- The George Cross
- The 1939-1945 Star
- The Africa Star
- The Italy Star
- The Defence Medal
- The War Medal 1939-45
- The New Zealand War Service Medal
David Russell's Medals