Chaplain Jesse Kingan was awarded the Military Cross in World War Two for serving with valour and distinction until he was seriously wounded.

Jesse Kingan had grown up in the Canterbury countryside and taught at a boys’ school in Silverstream before he volunteered to serve as chaplain in WW2. It was a long way away from the endless barren deserts of Egypt where there was little shelter and nowhere to hide from the enemy. For this reason, the Allied armies had developed Advanced Dressing Stations. These were mobile medical units which followed the troops as they pressed forward. They were set up using tarpaulins fixed over and around army trucks. Here wounded men from the frontlines were brought for assessment and basic treatment, before being sent for more medical care.

During the Battle of Alamein, Chaplain Kingan was working with one of these mobile teams to care for the injured, comforting and encouraging them. The fierce fighting lasted many weeks and hundreds of men were killed. The medical team had to be ready to pack everything up and move the Dressing Station within half an hour as the battles surged back and forth. In these very stressful circumstances, everyone noticed and appreciated his calm and cheerful attitude.

Jesse Kingan often visited the men at the front-lines too. He went in the ambulance cars to pick up the men who had just been wounded. He did not let either danger or exhaustion hold him back despite the fierceness of the fighting. In difficult and constantly changing situations, Chaplain Kingan performed his duty, caring for others and earning the respect of all. He was later seriously wounded in Italy but was able to return to New Zealand.

Story and photo supplied with thanks to Regimental Historian Angus Kirk, 16 Field Regt RNZA QAMR RNZAC.