THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT

DENVIR John

8028, Corporal, 20 Battalion, WW2

CITATION

Distinguished Conduct Medal

Gazetted 25 April 1944, Supp 36486, p1927

Corporal DENVIR was known as “Frank” among the Yugoslav Partisan Forces and for his outstanding courage in the face of danger and hardship.  The good he did to the Allied cause in Yugoslavia was enormous.  He was captured in Greece in April 1941 and after being held as a prisoner of war at Corinth was transferred to Maribor.  He escaped on 1 September 1941 but was recaptured.  He escaped again in December, hid in a coal truck and reached Ljubljana, where he was advised to stay with the Partisan Forces as rejoining the British Forces was not possible.  Corporal DENVIR was wounded three times while fighting with the Partisans and commanded a battalion of those forces

KNOWN AWARDS

Distinguished Conduct Medal

1939-45 Star

Africa Star

Italy Star

Defence Medal

War Medal 1939-45

New Zealand War Service Medal

“Spomenica” Yugoslavia

Order of Brotherhood and Unity , 1st Class

Order of Peoples Merit

Order of Merit

        (Royal permission was not obtained for the acceptance of these foreign awards)

NOTES

Born 5 May 1913, Scotland

Died 11 March 1973, Blenheim, New Zealand

Buried 13 March 1973, Omaka Cemetery, Blenheim (RSA Block 6, Plot 3)