James Hargest

James Hargest
Born	4 September 1891
Died	12 August 1944
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service/branch	New Zealand Army
Years of service	1911 - 1944
Rank	Brigadier
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order & Two bars Military Cross Efficiency Decoration

Brigadier James Hargest CBE, DSO & 2 bars, MC, ED, MP, (4 September 1891 – 12 August 1944) was a New Zealand military officer and politician.

Hargest was born in Gore, where his father was a farmer. He joined the Territorial Force in 1911, and when World War I broke out, he volunteered to serve in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, being commissioned as a second lieutenant. He fought and was wounded in the Gallipoli Campaign, and later fought in France. By the end of the war, he had risen to command a battalion, and had been awarded the Military Cross, the DSO, and the French Légion d'honneur.

Upon his return to New Zealand, Hargest returned to farming, buying land near Invercargill. He became active in local affairs, and in 1931 was elected to Parliament as the MP for Invercargill. He held Invercargill from 1931 to 1935, and then Awarua from 1935 to 1944.

Initially an Independent Reform MP, Hargest was a supporter of the coalition between the United Party and the Reform Party. The coalition coalesced to become the National Party, and Hargest formally joined the new party.

With the outbreak of World War II, Hargest sought to return to military service. Initially, he was turned down on medical grounds, but this was overridden by the Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage. Hargest left New Zealand in 1940, holding the rank of Brigadier. He and his forces took part in the Battle of Crete, where his inactivity during the first two days contributed to the loss of Maleme airfield, enabling the Germans to turn the battle. After the loss of Crete, his brigade took part in the defence of Tobruk, where he was captured in November 1941. Hargest was imprisoned in Castle Vincigliata, near Florence, along with a number of other Allied officers. A group of officers, including Hargest, managed to escape — Hargest and Brigadier Reginald Miles, another New Zealander were the only two to reach safety in neutral Switzerland. With the help of the French Resistance, Hargest travelled through France to Spain, from where he flew to England in November 1943. He became the highest-ranking British officer to escape in either war. Later, he was appointed New Zealand's observer in the D-Day landings in Normandy, being attached to a British division in the 21st Army Group. He was wounded twice, and on 12 August 1944 was killed by shell fire.

James Hargest College in Invercargill is named after him.

List of honours

• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Great Britain)
• Distinguished Service Order and Two Bars (Great Britain)
• Military Cross (Great Britain)
• 1914-15 Star (Great Britain)
• British War Medal 1914-19 (Great Britain)
• Victory Medal with Mention in Despatches (Great Britain)
• 1939-45 Star (Great Britain)
• Africa Star (Great Britain)
• France and Germany Star (Great Britain)
• War Medal 1939-45 with Mention in Despatches (Great Britain)
• New Zealand War Service Medal (New Zealand)
• King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (Great Britain)
• King George VI Coronation Medal (Great Britain)
• Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration
• Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal
• New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal (New Zealand)
• New Zealand Territorial Service Medal (New Zealand)
• Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (France)
• Military Cross (Greece)

Additional Information

• Hargest, James. Farewell Campo 12 (first published 1945; mainly on his POW experiences & escape).
• Wilson, J.O. New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840–1984 (1985, 4th edition, Government Printer, Wellington)
• Gustafson, Barry. The First 50 Years: A History of the New Zealand National Party (1986, Reed Methuen, Auckland; biographical appendix of National MPs, page 319) ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
• Crawford, J. A. B., "Hargest, James", Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Volume Four (1921–1940), Claudia Orange (ed.), Allen & Unwin, 1999. ISBN 978-1-86940-203-7.
• Ross, Angus. "HARGEST, James, C.B.E., D.S.O. and 2 bars, M.C., Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, A. H. McLintock (ed.), New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 1966.
• The controversies – The Battle for Crete, New Zealand History online, History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage.