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The Prime Minister to General Freyberg

It was with very great relief that I received your message from the battlefield and also the further advice from General Auchinleck that you are well and in good heart. His report that the Division had fought magnificently was fully in keeping with our own expectations. Will you please convey, on behalf of the Government and people of page 80 New Zealand, a message of congratulation to the officers and men under your command. The reports of the bitter fighting in which you have been engaged have led us to expect severe casualties. I can assure you that the people of the Dominion are deeply moved by the achievements of the heroic and indomitable New Zealand Division in the face of such heavy odds, and on their behalf I would like to send through you a message of sincere sympathy to all those who have been wounded in battle and to express the hope that they will speedily recover.