237 Arnold Savage Pl Richmond, new street sign
Reason for the name
This street in Richmond is named in honour of Gunner Arnold Ernest Savage 4th Field Regiment, NZ Artillery who was killed in action in Italy 1943 during World War 2.
Fallen servicemen have been remembered across Tasman district in various ways including the naming of streets and buildings, the planting of trees and the installation of monuments. In conjunction with the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the fighting between Germany and the Allies during World War I, Tasman District Council installed new street signs acknowledging the service of fallen soldiers from Richmond. The move comes after the Richmond Waimea RSA asked the council to take part in the Poppy Places project by adding poppies to street signs named after fallen soldiers.
Richmond Waimea RSA president Ross Norgate and Tasman District Council’s Megan Bell managed the project. Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne said the council was proud to be part of the project.
Author: The Poppy Places Trust
The Auckland War Memorial Museum online Cenotaph Record provided the following information on 29208 Gunner Arnold Earnest Savage.
Arnold was employed before enlistment as a carpenter. He lived in Richmond Road, Nelson and Mrs F.M. Savage his mother, is listed as his next of kin. Arnold joined the Artillery Corps of the Army being posted to the 4th Field Regiment and joined 2NZEF in Italy as an Artillery reinforcement. He was killed in action on 7 December 1943 aged 24. Arnold is buried in the Sangro River War Cemetery, Italy XVI. A. 6.
Crossing the Sangro river and the second attack on the town of Orsogna were major battles in Italy and Arnold’s 4th Field Regiment was heavily involved. The action involving his death has been written as follows:
In the same night the Sangro rose sharply and undermined both bridges, halting traffic and causing restrictions in the expenditure of ammunition—for the field guns 40 rounds per gun for observed shooting and 20 for tasks. The ammunition supply soon improved, however, and in the next two days 50,000 rounds of 25-pounder ammunition were issued to the regiments, mainly to support a divisional attack in the afternoon of 7 December. This was to be a frontal assault on Orsogna and on a 2000-yard stretch of the narrow ridge to the north-east. On the 6th Q Troop, to cover this narrow ridge, hauled its four 17-pounders by night up the parallel ridge of San Felice, north-west of Castelfrentano, and emplaced them there at 200-yard intervals.
The day of the attack was wet and misty and heavy air attacks, which were also planned, were consequently much reduced. The guns, however, fired according to plan. The 4th Field on the left and the 5th Field on the right, with the 111th Field superimposed over both, fired from 1 to 2.30 p.m. 300 yards ahead of the start line and then lifted 100 yards every six minutes until their fire reached 500 yards west of Orsogna. This meant on the left a total of 23 lifts and on the right fewer than this, because of the shape of the ridge. Concurrently the 6th Field fired smoke for 20 minutes on the Sfasciata ridge which dominated the right flank of the advance, and then concentrations of High Explosive on it until 4.10 p.m. Three troops of medium guns at the same time shelled Orsogna and the road to the west and a fourth troop shelled the Sfasciata ridge. The 1st Air-Landing Light Regiment, RA, fired on the main road on both sides of the town. Four medium troops and a 3.7 troop of 152 Battery fired a series of 20 CB tasks lasting a total of 98 minutes. The total required per field gun in 46 Battery was 336 rounds and the 4th Field expenditure, including later DF tasks, was 8022 rounds of high explosive and 102 of smoke.
The barrage inevitably cut all the telephone cables running along the ridge, damaged many wireless sets, and almost completely obstructed the flow of orders and information on which the coherence of the defence depended. Counter-attacks nevertheless developed and the guns responded to many calls for DF tasks until late in the night. The enemy, in turn, shelled the gun areas, though with far less weight. Again the 4th Field were unlucky, this time 46 Battery. Three gunners of B Troop were killed and one gunner of BHQ. The 5th Field lost one gunner. The B Troop gunners were C. E. Anderson, A. R. Laird and A. E. Savage; the 46 BHQ gunner was H. L. Kinzett; and the 5th Field gunner was O. C. Martin.
