In Italy, he was defeated again at the Second Battle of Cassino as a corps commander but later relieved Padua and Venice and was one of the first to enter Trieste, where he confronted Josip Broz Tito's Yugoslav Partisans.

A 1942 Life magazine article claimed that Freyberg went to San Francisco and Mexico around this time, and was a captain under Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution.

[20] Recent research indicates, however, that Freyberg never went to Mexico, that he spent most of his time in California as an oil field official living in Coalinga, that he left for the war by train from San Francisco and that he created the Mexico myth about himself shortly after arriving in Britain by spinning a yarn to a New Zealand journalist, perhaps hoping that some active service might help to secure a commission in the British forces.

On the night of 24 April, during the initial landings by Allied troops following the failed naval attempt to force the straits by sea, Freyberg volunteered to swim ashore in the Gulf of Saros.

Once ashore, he began lighting flares so as to distract the defending Turkish forces from the real landings taking place at Gallipoli.

[23] During the final stages of the Battle of the Somme, when commanding a battalion as a temporary lieutenant-colonel, he so distinguished himself in the capture of Beaucourt village that he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC).

[24][20] On 13 November 1916[25] at Beaucourt-sur-Ancre, France, after Freyberg's battalion had carried the initial attack through the enemy's front system of trenches, he rallied and re-formed his own much disorganised men and some others, and led them on a successful assault of the second objective, during which he suffered two wounds, but remained in command and held his ground throughout the day and the following night.

The full citation for the award, published in The London Gazette in December 1916,[24] describes the events as follows: For most conspicuous bravery and brilliant leading as a Battalion Commander.

He again rallied and re-formed all who were with him, and although unsupported in a very advanced position, he held his ground for the remainder of the day, and throughout the night, under heavy artillery and machine gun fire.

The personality, valour and utter contempt of danger on the part of this single Officer enabled the lodgment in the most advanced objective of the Corps to be permanently held, and on this point d'appui the line was eventually formed.

His bold leadership had a cost: Freyberg received nine wounds during his service in France, and men who served with him later in his career said hardly a part of his body did not have scars.

[30] When he resumed duty in January 1918, the same month in which he was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel,[31][32] he took command of the 88th Infantry Brigade, part of the 29th Division,[11][33] performing with distinction during the German spring offensives of March–April 1918.

Freyberg ended the war by leading a cavalry squadron detached from the 7th Dragoon Guards to seize a bridge at Lessines, which was achieved one minute before the armistice with Germany came into effect, thus earning him a second bar to the DSO.

[34][35][36] By the end of the war, Freyberg had added the French Croix de Guerre to his name, as well receiving five mentions in despatches after his escapade at Saros.

Early in 1919 Freyberg was granted a Regular Army commission in the Grenadier Guards and settled into peacetime soldiering, as well as attempts to swim the English Channel.

This enabled him to, at times, bypass his superior commanders and confer directly with Peter Fraser, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, on certain issues.

[50][51][52] However, many sources consider that the intelligence given to Freyberg was vague and inadequate, and did indicate the possibility of a naval landing; this compromised his ability to respond correctly to the invasion.

Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, described Freyberg as his "salamander" due to his love of fire and wanting to be always in the middle of the action.

[54] In the climactic Second Battle of El Alamein (October–November 1942) the 2nd New Zealand Division played a vital part in the breakthrough by the Eighth Army; for his leadership, Freyberg was immediately promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

By the time of the German surrender, the New Zealanders had reached Trieste, having liberated both Padua and Venice, where there was a brief standoff with Yugoslav partisans.

He showed notable concern for the welfare of his soldiers, taking a common-sense attitude to discipline and ensuring the establishment of social facilities for his men.

Freyberg, commanding the troops which fought what later became known as the Second and Third Battles of Monte Cassino, became convinced the abbey, founded in 529 AD, was being used as a military stronghold.

Freyberg died at Windsor on 4 July 1963 following the rupture of one of his war wounds, and was buried in the churchyard of St Martha on the Hill near Guildford, Surrey.

An athlete as well as a soldier, he is memorialised in the name of the Ministry of Defence's headquarters, a stadium in Auckland and Wellington's swimming pool on the site of his early victories.

A number of streets are named after him including Freyberg Place in front of the Metropolis tower in central Auckland where there is a statue of him.