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Lieutenant Richard Edward Anthony PHILIPS (2681)
15 Platoon, C Company, 18th Battalion New Zealand Infantry Date of birth: 15th February 1907 Date of death: 4th September 1942 Died of wounds aged 35 Buried at El Alamein War Cemetery Plot XXX Row E Grave 2
Richard Edward Anthony Philips was born at Cheadle in Staffordshire on the 15th of February 1907 the eldest son of the Reverend George William Philips and Florence (nee Eardley-Wilmot) Philips, later of Checkley Cottage, Haywards Heath in Sussex. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Fields House from January 1921 to July 1924. He sailed for New Zealand on the 11th of November 1927 on board the SS Rimutaka where he became a sheep farmer at Ngapuhi, Kaikohe, Northland. On the outbreak of war he enlisted in the army and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on the 17th of January 1942. He was posted to the 18th Battalion New Zealand Infantry where he was placed in command of 15 Platoon of C Company. By late August 1942 the battalion were fighting in the Western Desert against Rommel’s Africa Korps near the railway halt at El Alamein. On the 31st of August 1942 the battalion was ordered to be ready for action at short notice as the Germans were attacking to the south in what turned out to be their last bid for Egypt. The men watched the flashes of artillery fire in the distance and despite being in their weapons’ pits all night they were not called upon. The battle further south went on for three days before the Germans were forced to withdraw as they were short of fuel and the fighting proved to be indecisive. This activity on another part of the front seemed to stir activity amongst the enemy troops in front of the 18th Battalion positions, as movement was observed in no mans land which had been quiet for weeks. The enemy were seen to be building a sangar in a hollow called Deir el Angar about 1,000 yards in front of C Company. They began firing mortar rounds at the New Zealanders and their snipers became more active. The New Zealanders retaliated with mortars and with a successful raid by 14 Platoon against the new enemy position. The weather was very hot, the air was dusty and rumours were flying that the Germans were retreating and that the New Zealanders were to cut off their retreat. They were briefed for a raid on the new positions at Angar which would have artillery and machine guns in support but would be without tanks. The enemy were a mixture of German paratroops and Italian infantry and the battalion would make a diversionary raid on the night of the 3rd of September causing as a much damage as possible, then pulling back in the hope of distracting the enemy from the main New Zealand effort which was to be directed elsewhere. The plan was for B Company to clear the minefield in front of them and file out into no mans land with C Company moving through the gap behind them. Then they would move forward to the enemy sangar two and a half miles away. Behind them would come Bren gun carriers and anti tank guns to support the attack. Just before the attack began the enemy opened fire with artillery and small arms which created a delay in clearing the mine field, a job which was then rushed and resulted in an anti tank gun, which was moving up closely behind B Company, hitting a mine. This caused B and C Companies to back out of the minefield and as a result they were late getting to the start line for the attack. Captain Brown of C Company recalled what happened after the enemy opened fire on him and his men:- “We had to file down the gap past the destroyed 2 pounder portee and straight out on to the start line.... By the time C Company were starting to reach the start line the artillery fire plan had commenced. There was no time to shake down—the rear platoons simply ran out from the minefield gap, turned left and ran south to get up close to our artillery barrage. After progressing about 400/500 yards south the Italians started to fire north. It was one of the heaviest small arms concentrations I can remember during the whole war—we were saved because between our start line and the objective the ground dipped about 5 ft and all the Italians' fire went over our heads or most of it. Mortar bombs also splashed round the area in front of the sangars, and there were several casualties before the companies got to striking distance, but they reached the enemy's line still in good formation, and battle was joined at hand-to-hand range. For B Company on the right the actual encounter among the sangars was quite an anti-climax, for few Italians had cared to remain. The three platoons worked their way down through the positions more or less independently, making a systematic search and dragging out one or two unwilling prisoners, but there was little actual fighting. C Company, on the contrary, had quite a lively time. Some Italians on its front played safe and made off, and others surrendered without argument, but some machine guns kept firing from the company's left flank, and a few steadfast Ities faced the attackers and exchanged hand grenades with them till they were killed or captured one by one. C Company itself took a lot of casualties in this short clash, including all its platoon commanders—Lieutenant Taylor of 14 Platoon and Second-Lieutenant Philips of 15 Platoon killed, and Second-Lieutenant Hirst of 13 Platoon wounded. Soon however it was obvious that the momentum of our attack had spent itself and that the enemy were becoming more active and I could expect a counter attack before long. I decided staying on any longer would achieve nothing but would certainly make it difficult for us to get out. So I put the success signal (Very lights) up and organised the withdrawal.” When coupled with the failure of the main attack 18th Battalion’s diversion had not been a success and had produced a large number of casualties with “nothing to show for it.” It turned out to be their last action of the war.

Fields House