Dudley Churchill Perkins (1915 – 25 February 1944), also known as Kiwi Perkins, was a New Zealand soldier who fought in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and participated in the Cretan resistance.Elliott, Murray. ''Vasili: The Lion of Crete'', Hutchinson NZ Ltd., 1987; Efstathiadis Group, 1992. Perkins was born at

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current f ...

. Serving with the rank of

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

in the 4th Field Regiment, New Zealand Artillery, Perkins was among the British Commonwealth troops that were evacuated to

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

after the German invasion of Greece in April 1941. He was captured by the Germans after the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...

but managed to escape in two weeks.Beevor, Antony. ''Crete: The Battle and the Resistance'', John Murray Ltd, 1991. Penguin Books, 1992. After spending a year hiding in the mountains of Western Crete, he departed to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

on board a Greek submarine. During the time he spent on the island, he was impressed by the Cretans' assistance to him. Upon reaching Egypt, he joined the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

and returned to Crete as a SOE agent. On Crete, he was second-in-command to Major Xan Fielding. But unlike other agents who only served as liaisons, Perkins assembled his own guerrilla band and led it in many attacks against the Germans.Brewer, David. ''Greece, the Decade of War: Occupation, Resistance and Civil War'', I.B.Tauris, 2016. He became known as ''Vasili'' to the Cretans and ''Kiwi'' to the British, being well-respected for his courage. Perkins was killed in a German ambush near the village of

Lakkoi Lakkoi ( el, Λάκκοι), commonly spelled Lakki on road signs and maps, is a village on the Greek island of Crete in the foothills of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains). The village is situated on the road between Chania and the plateau of Omalo ...

and is buried in Suda Bay War Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Dudley Churchill 1915 births New Zealand military personnel of World War II Special Operations Executive personnel Cretan Resistance 1944 deaths Crete in World War II People from Christchurch New Zealand military personnel killed in World War II New Zealand prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany New Zealand escapees Escapees from German detention Burials at Suda Bay War Cemetery

See also

References