Second-lieutenant Fergus Begg of Clinton, has been called up and will go into Burnham camp on November 8. He will be provisionally attached to the second echelon of the special force. Second-lieutenant Begg is a son of Mr James Begg, of Dunedin, a well-known sheep station owner. -Otago Daily Times, 4/11/1939.
CAPTAIN T. FERGUS BEGG
Captain T. Fergus Begg, of Dunedin, who has been reported to have been killed in action, enlisted at the outbreak of war and left New Zealand as a member of the Second Echelon with the rank of second-lieutenant in the 23rd Rifle Battalion. The battalion was in England for some months, training and doing coast defence duty. After it moved to the Middle East, Captain Begg saw service in Greece, where his detachment was among those chosen for the rearguard covering the retreat. In Egypt he was in hospital for some time as the result of an accident, but rejoined his battalion in the desert before the move to Syria. He was killed in a recent battle in Egypt. -Otago Daily Times, 28/7/1942
Just on midnight, B Company encountered heavy fire which came from behind a minefield. Bursts of tracer fire flew across the front of and towards the advancing infantry. Soon the heavier booming of a quick-fire close-support gun added to the noise of the light and heavy machine guns. Mortars also opened up and the noise of firing spread along the front of the divisional advance. Begg quickly decided to chance casualties in crossing the minefield and courageously set the example by leading his men into it. As Private Blampied wrote later: ‘It was a queer sensation crossing the minefield and one seemed to step very lightly.’ Apparently, it was either a dummy or was sown with anti-tank mines only, as no one was blown up on it. At any rate, the infantry were quickly across and, with bayonets fixed and tommy guns blazing to the front, were speedily engaged in wiping out Italian machine-gun and other posts. ‘Despite the heavy fire and bursting of hand grenades, our chaps made short work of the forward positions,’ says Blampied. Unfortunately, during one of the first bayonet charges, Captain Begg was killed by a direct burst of machine-gun fire. Private ‘Nip’ Nolan of 11 Platoon took a speedy revenge and followed up his grenade by going in with the bayonet on the machine-gun crew responsible. -Official History of the 23 Battalion.
At the morning service of the Roslyn Presbyterian Church yesterday the Minister, the Rev. E. C. Walsh, referred to the death of Temporary Captain Fergus Begg, a member of the church, who was killed in action. After Mr Walsh had spoken of the work off Captain Begg in connection with various church organisations, the congregation stood in silence as a mark of respect. -Evening Star, 3/8/1942.
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