DUDECK William Edward

21756, Sergeant, 7th Field Company, New Zealand Engineers, WW1

Service in WW2

CITATION

Distinguished Conduct Medal

Gazetted

Sergeant Dudeck, as Section Sergeant in a Field Company played an outstanding part in his section’s activities in the campaign which began at El Alamein, Egypt.  When his section had the difficult task of gapping the minefields in the Alamein attacks, Sergeant Dudeck showed determination and leadership of a very high order and was exceptionally steady in the face of continuous heavy fire when laying mines on the night of 26-27 October 1942 forward of the 28 NZ (Maori) Battalion.  His coolness and gallantry were an inspiration to his men under the most difficult conditions. After advancing from El Alamein, Sergeant Dudeck was in command of the mine-clearing at Halfaya Pass where he was wounded and evacuated to a casualty clearing station.  Before his wound was healed he was back with his section supervising and directing the clearing of mines from the Bardia-Tobruk road. On the Nofila-Sultan road over 600 mines and booby traps were lifted and due largely to Sergeant Dudeck’s excellent supervision and careful organisation the work was successfully completed without a casualty.  In the move up to Tripoli Sergeant Dudeck had command of the section and as usual displayed energy and courage in lifting pockets of mines at road corners, through defiles and adjacent to demolitions, particularly in the Sedada-Beni Uli-Tarhuna area.  On occasions this work had to be done with all speed in the face of heavy shelling and machine-gun fire and it was due almost entirely to the coolness and personal example of Sergeant Dudeck that the mines and booby traps were lifted to allow the advance party to proceed 

Mention in Despatches

KNOWN AWARDS

Distinguished Conduct Medal

1939-45 Star

Africa Star

      8th Army

Defence Medal

War Medal 1939-45

      Mention in Despatches

New Zealand War Service Medal

NOTES

Born 17 September 1910, New Zealand

Died

THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT