Jack True was a member of the Auckland Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He was mobilised in April 1940 and was sent to Britain to be trained as a wartime commissioned officer. True was posted to the cruiser HMS Neptune in August 1941. Neptune was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet operating out of Malta. Neptune led a raiding squadron of cruisers whose task was to intercept and destroy Italian convoys enroute to Libya. True was killed in action when Neptune was sunk in an enemy minefield in December 1941. He was one of 150 New Zealanders lost; only one out of Neptune’s crew of 765 survived.
The New Zealand Memorial Cross is awarded to the next of kin of all New Zealand servicemen and women who were killed, while on war service or operational service overseas in the Second World War. It is also awarded to the next of kin of those who subsequently died of wounds received while on war service, or operational service overseas, since the commencement of the Second World War. For deaths during the Second World War the first cross was awarded in the late 1940s or the 1950s to the mother. If the mother was deceased, the first cross was awarded to the father, or if he was also deceased, to the eldest sister, or the eldest brother if the military service person had no living sisters. A second cross was awarded to the widow, eldest daughter or eldest son (in that order of precedence). If the deceased military service person was not married, and had no children, only one Memorial Cross was issued. It is worn on a purple ribbon around the neck.
