Updated: 29 April, 2006
Medals - Obituaries & Biographies
Admiral Sir Desmond Dreyer, GCB, DSC has died aged 93 Gunnery officer of Ajax at the Battle of the River Plate. Ajax was the flagship of Commodore Henry Harwood's three cruisers which, in late 1939, discovered the German pocket battleship Graf Spee in the South Atlantic. Dreyer was awarded the DSC for his part in the battle. Dreyer was appointed CBE in 1957, CB in 1960 and KCB in 1963 and promoted GCB in 1967. The Telegraph May 03
Admiral Sir Charles Madden, GCB, KCB, CB, has died aged 94 (Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet from 1963 until 1965) (Daily Telegraph) More (Guardian)
Admiral Sir Gordon Tait He captured Enigma cipher settings in a coup in Arctic waters. Admiral Sir Gordon Tait, who has died aged 83, was involved in a crucial naval intelligence coup in the Arctic in 1941 and went on to win the DSC for gallantry as a submarine officer in the Mediterranean two years later. Tait was a junior officer on the light cruiser HMS Nigeria in June 1941 when she was sent, with three destroyers, on a top-secret mission against an apparently insignificant target: the German navy's weather observation ship number 2, the Lauenburg. This 344-tonne vessel was stationed off Jan Mayen island in the Arctic, between Greenland and Norway, and her weather reports were important to German surface ships and aircraft based in occupied Norway. Tait was awarded his DSC for skill and courage as gunnery officer in a series of submarine patrols, during which he helped to sink enemy ships. When he transferred, still a submariner and now a first lieutenant, to the Far East, he earned a mention in dispatches. guardian.co.uk 20 Jun 05
Adm Sir Alan West, KCB DSC - West (Officer who lost plans made First Sea Lord) (Apr 02)
Vice-Admiral
Sir Peter Compston has died aged 84
(The Times) More
Air Vice-Marshal Ronnie Knott. CB DSO, DFC, AFC and Bar has died aged 84 Successful U-boat hunter whose operations over the Gibraltar Approaches, Bay of Biscay and Western Approaches earned him a DFC and a DSO. In the peacetime RAF, Knott proved himself an exemplary flying instructor, staff officer and station commander; he was awarded an AFC in 1955 and a Bar in 1958. Appointed CB in 1947. (Dec 02)
Vice-Admiral
Jack Scatchard, CB DSC and two Bars has
died aged 90 (Daily Telegraph) -
More
(Times)
More
Rear-Admiral Jan Aylen Rear-Admiral Jan Aylen, who has died aged 93, led a special commando unit into Germany during the Second World War and persuaded Helmuth Walter, the German scientist, to work for Britain. On March 22 1942 Aylen took part in the Second Battle of Sirte and was awarded the DSC for his gallantry and skill. He was appointed OBE. and on retirement he was appointed CB.
Rear-Admiral Anthony Davies, CB, CVO has died aged 90 After his final tour in the Navy as head of the British defence liaison staff in Canberra, Anthony Davies was selected in 1966 to be the first Warden of St George’s House in Windsor Castle.He was appointed CVO for his services in 1972, and appointed CB in 1964 (Feb 03)
Rear-Admiral Terence Ridley, CB OBE has died aged 86 (Engineering Officer. OBE in 1954, CB in 1968) (Feb 02)
Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge, KCVO has died aged 83 Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge, who died on Sunday aged 83, was the first officer to rise from boy sailor to captain of the Royal Yacht Britannia and the last Briton to serve as Governor of Western Australia. MID during WWII and appointed KCVO in 1983. The Telegraph May 03
Captain Robert Lloyd, DSC has died aged 86 Bob Lloyd was in the thick of the battle against German U-boats for most of the Second World War, winning two DSCs and being mentioned in dispatches three times. (Mar 03)
Captain Michael LumbyDSO, DSC has died aged 84 (Wartime submarine skipper. DSC for sinking of U335 in 1942. Also awarded MID) (Jan 02)
Captain 'Ginger' Cavenagh-Mainwaring, DSO has died aged 94 Submariner responsible for some daring and aggressive patrols close to the enemy-held French coast in 1940. Awarded the DSO for these patrols and operations. He became an ADC to the Queen and was made a commander of the French Legion of Honour when President de Gaulle visited Britain in 1960. During the rebellion of the French Army in Algeria, Cavenagh-Mainwaring was one of a select group of British officers who obtained and read a copy of the French Army's plans for the take-over of Paris. The Telegraph Apr 03
Captain Kenneth Martin, DSC has died aged 82 One of two submariner brothers involved together in the Mediterranean and Pacific theatres during the Second World War. Sleuth and Solent were the last two submarines to return from active service. Ken was awarded the DSC, and his brother Joe a bar to his DSC. Martin was awarded the Greek Order of the Phoenix. (Dec 02)
Captain
Donald McEwen, DSC, has died aged 83
(Awarded
DSC and twice mentioned in dispatches for his service during WWII as
Navigating Officer of the light cruiser Aurora)
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Captain
Ian McKechnie has died aged 60 Ian McKechnie’s
distinguished career in naval aviation was marked by two significant
events. The first was his 1967 napalm bombing of the oil tanker Torrey
Canyon, which helped contain the ecological disaster. The second
incident, never publicised for political reasons, was his ship-to-ship
transfer by helicopter of 72 survivors from a Turkish destroyer, sunk by
friendly fire in a war zone off Cyprus in 1974. He was awarded the Turkish
Distinguished Service Medal, the only foreign recipient in the
history of Ataturk’s republic, and was granted permission to wear it
by the Queen. The Scotsman May 03 |
Captain Hank Rotherham, DSO, OBE has died aged 95 Naval aviator whose decisive report on the Bismarck set in train the pursuit that led to the German battleship's destruction. Rotherham was awarded an immediate DSO, Goddard a DSC and a third member of the aircrew a DSM. In 1940 he was attached as air staff officer to an expedition to Dakar whose purpose was the establishment of a Free French base there. Rotherham was responsible for the provision of air reconnaissance, assembling a squadron of Blenheim bombers for this purpose. For this work he was appointed OBE in 1941. In 1946 Rotherham accepted an appointment as Director of Naval Aviation in the Royal Canadian Navy. He stayed in the post for five rewarding years and decided to settle in Canada, having already married a Canadian wife in 1937. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and was active in the Naval Officers Association. His autobiography, It’s Really Quite Safe, was published in Canada in 1985. (Dec 02)
Captain Peter Samborne, OBE has died aged 78 - Commanded Britain's first nuclear-powered submarine HMS Dreadnought OBE in 1964 (Oct 02)
Captain Sir David Tibbits, DSC has died aged 92 Responsible for modernising the 400-year-old navigational authority Trinity House. Planned Operation Ironclad, the invasion of Madagascar. This required a difficult entry at night by a large fleet into Courrier Bay, which Tibbits achieved undetected and unopposed; he was awarded the DSC. knighted in 1976.
Commander John Alliston A highly decorated destroyer captain during the Second World War. After the war, Alliston recorded in his autobiography, Destroyer Man, his dislike of commanding the tank-landing ship Ben Lomond during Operation Harness, a germ warfare experiment off the island of Antigua. But he failed to mention his DSO, DSC and Bar, and US Legion of Honour. telegraph.co.uk 23 Jun 04
Commander Hugh Boyce Commander Hugh Boyce, who has died aged 92, was one of the first specialist electrical officers in the Navy, and helped open North Sea ports to supply Montgomery's advancing armies. In 1944 Boyce was senior staff electrical officer in a minesweeping flotilla of 120 ships when he received an insistent message from General Montgomery that his lines of supply were bonnet-to-tail from Le Havre to the front; he was getting only 9,000 tons of supplies daily, and wanted the shipping channel to Antwerp opened at once. Boyce, after hastily dressing in khaki combat uniform with Royal Navy flashes, was sent to reconnoitre the damage inflicted by the retreating Germans; he went by motor torpedo boat to Ostend, and then by Jeep to the south bank of the Scheldt estuary where the Canadian army was preparing to advance. Whilst inspecting the port facilities at Ostend, Boyce recovered papers which revealed a controlled minefield at the mouth of the Scheldt; he made this safe, before returning to make his report and prepare a plan. He improvised experiments to destroy acoustic mines and the deadly multiple-fused Oyster-type, finding the simple hand-grenade to be effective. Despite fire from German positions on the north shore, the minesweepers cleared more than 400 mines from the Scheldt - though eight out of 50 ships were lost. Meanwhile, Boyce had to recover mines dropped by aircraft during the nights while this operation was going on. Later, he was on the bridge of the headquarters ship Prompt when, despite his earlier efforts, she was blown up by an acoustic mine. Boyce managed to get emergency power working, saving the ship from sinking until the many badly-injured engine room crew could be evacuated. For the next month Boyce worked from a shore base at Schevening, clearing the way to Rotterdam; he later recalled his joy at seeing defeated Germans dejectedly lining canal and river banks as he steamed by. He was awarded the DSC. telegraph.co.uk 28 Jun 04
Commander William Donald, DSC and Bar, MID has died aged 91 (One the most successful small ship commanders during the Norwegian campaign in 1940, and then served at sea continuously throughout the rest of the Second World War. In Stand By For Action (1956), Donald's best-selling autobiography, which is written with humour and humanity, he recalls that he commanded the corvette Guillemot and the destroyers Verdun and Ulster on convoy escort off the East Coast, at the Anzio landings and the Normandy invasion. Later he was commander of a troop transport, Glengyle, in which he rescued internees from the Japanese prison camp on Stanley, Hong Kong) (May 02)
Commander. Philip Francis, DSO and Bar, has died aged 92 (Daily Telegraph) More (Times)
Commander George Going, DSO, OBE has died aged 87 - Photo (Fleet Air Arm observer who took
Commander Ronnie Hay, DSO, DSC and Bar, has died aged 85 More
Commander Richard Jennings, DSO, DSC and Bar has died aged 98 (DSC as Gunnery Officer of the cruiser Exeter at the Battle of the River Plate; he later won a bar to his DSC and the DSO) (Times) - HMS Exeter - More (Daily Telegraph) - More
Commander Anthony Langridge, DSC has died aged 85 (DSC for his conduct as a submarine commander on patrol in the Far East in 1945)
Commander Johnnie Maughan, LVO, OBE has died aged 50 (navigator on the Royal Yacht Britannia in the mid-1990s. LVO in 1996 and OBE in 1998) (Apr 02)
Commander
Charles Owen, DSC has died aged 92 (Former naval aviator who was sunk no fewer than four times in WWII, each
time in an aircraft carrier. Awarded the DSC and the US Bronze Star Medal)
Commander Loftus Peyton-Jones, CVO, DSO, MBE, DSC has died aged 82
Commander Francis Ponsonby, OBE has died aged 70 Cold War submariner before becoming, in his last years, the diligent defence correspondent of the Armed Forces' magazine, The Officer. OBE in 1984.
Commander Peter Richardson, DSC has died aged 78 - Awarded a DSC in 1945 for his part in sinking two U-boats on the same day in the Outer Hebrides. More (Aug 02)
Commander C.J.W. Simpson, CBE, DSC has died aged 90
Commander Nigel "Sharkey" Ward, DSC
Commander John West, MBE, DSC, MID(2) has died aged 89 Honoured for his role in three major naval battles during the Second World War. At the Second Battle of Narvik on April 11 1940, he was serving in the Tribal class destroyer Eskimo, and was mentioned in dispatches. In the Second Battle of Sirte on March 22 1942, West was navigating officer of the First World War cruiser Carlisle, and was awarded the DSC. In late 1943 West was navigator of the 6in cruiser Jamaica, consort to the battleship Duke of York, escorting convoys into and out of the Kola Inlet, when the German battleship Scharnhorst attacked convoy JW55B. West was mentioned in dispatches again for his faultless efficiency, coolness and skill under fire. After leaving the Navy he served as a retired officer in the Directorate of Naval Warfare at the Ministry of Defence, where he was appointed MBE for his part in organising a long series of Nato exercises. (Nov 02)
Commander Edward Young, DSO, DSC and Bar has died aged 89 First RNVR officer to command a submarine. Awarded the DSO and two DSCs. Young’s efficiency and coolness were rewarded by the DSC when Saracen sank the Italian submarine Granito off Sicily in November 1942. Awarded a Bar to his DSC for the results of four war patrols with the Far Eastern Fleet. Storm, based at Fremantle, Western Australia, carried out two further successful war patrols, sinking numerous schooners running the nickel-ore trade and making a devastating attack on a convoy in the Mergui Archipelago, firing 150 rounds of ammunition until her gun jammed with the heat. Young was awarded the DSO for these patrols, the last of which racked up a record distance run, for Storm, of 7,151 miles. (Jan 03)
Lieutenant-Commander Innes Hamilton, DSC and Bar has died aged 86 Officer who sailed in the famous destroyer Maori when she defied the big guns of the Bismarck. Thereafter Maori took part of a number of Malta convoys as the struggle for mastery in the Mediterranean neared its peak, with the island, its airfields and harbour at the very heart of the strategic equation. Eventually, after sustaining repeated air attacks Maori was hit at her berth in Grand Harbour by a bomb that exploded in her engine room. Some of her own ammunition detonated and she began to settle by the stern. Hamilton, the last officer to leave her, was awarded the first of his two DSCs. Later in the war Hamilton was senior officer of an escort group in the Lend Lease destroyer Dacres (formerly USS Duffy), and he subsequently took part in the naval operations that supported the Normandy landings. He ended the war with a Bar to his DSC. (Feb 03)
Lieutenant-Commander Martin Johnson, GM Officer who defused four torpedoes from a captured U-boat and later taught seamanship at Portishead. When, in August 1941, the German submarine U570 was captured after surrendering, uniquely, to an aircraft of Coastal Command, and brought in to the Vickers shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness for examination, the naval authorities anticipated with relish the chance to examine such a highly prized enemy. There was only one snag. The damage U570 had sustained from the Lockheed Hudson’s depth charges had buckled her bow plates, trapping beneath them four 500lb torpedoes and their armed warheads. Johnson was subsequently awarded the George Medal, the citation acknowledging his “gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty” timesonline.co.uk 28 Jul 04
Lieutenant-Commander
Roger Hill, DSO, DSC, has died aged 90 (DSO in
1942 for the vital part he played in Operation Pedestal, which relieved
Malta at a crucial moment in the war in the Mediterranean - DSC for his
success in attacking U-boats) (Times) More
(Daily Telegrpah) (May 01)
Lt-Cdr Martin Johnson, GM Lieutenant-Commander Martin Johnson, who has died aged 93, was awarded the George Medal for making safe four torpedoes in the only German submarine to be captured and brought to Britain during the Second World War. -570 surrendered after being depth-charged and machinegunned by an RAF Hudson south of Iceland in 1941, and was taken to Vickers' shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness. When Johnson's award for "gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty" was gazetted on December 8 1942, his friend, Lt Tim Tewson, also a GM holder, had a sign attached to Johnson's chair at the Admiralty. "No Naked Flame", it read. telegraph.co.uk 13 Jul 04
Lieutenant-Commander Dicky Kendall Lieutenant-Commander Dicky Kendall, who has died aged 82, placed a two-ton mine under the German battleship Tirpitz in the Kaa Fjord of northern Norway. On the evening of September 20 1942, after being towed 1,200 miles from Scotland in an attack submarine, Kendall boarded the miniature sub X-6. While his captain, Lt Don Cameron, navigated through a minefield on the surface, Kendall had to trim the craft to counterbalance a leak in one of the two-ton explosive charges fixed to its sides. Cameron was awarded the VC; Lt John Lorimer and Kendall received the DSO; and Engine Room Artificer Edmund Goddard the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. The Germans billeted Kendall and Lorimer in a prison camp outside Bremen with the survivors of Operation Principal, the human torpedo attack in the Mediterranean; and for several months all the most highly decorated officers in the RNVR shared the same hut. Afterwards Kendall rarely talked about Operation Source (the Tirpitz attack) or his captivity, except to boast of bribing a guard for a bottle of Champagne to celebrate his 21st birthday. He was released after 18 months, and left the Navy in 1946..telegraph.co.uk 8 Apr 06
Lieutenant-Commander Pat Kingsmill, DSO, VRD has died aged 82 Intrepid aviator who flew on the Fleet Air Arm's doomed attempt to stop the Channel Dash by German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau on February 12, 1942. Pat Kingsmill, the pilot of one of the Swordfish, was among only five survivors who were rescued from the waters of the Dover Strait. Lieutenant-Commander Eugene Esmonde, who led No 825 into the attack that day, was awarded the posthumous Victoria Cross, his crew being one of the four lost to enemy flak and fighters. Kingsmill was awarded the DSO, for his bravery on that day, as was Samples; Bunce was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. Demobilised in 1945, Kingsmill continued in the Reserve and was awarded the RN Volunteer Reserve Officers’ Decoration (VRD). More (Jan 03)
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Navy hero killed on routine Sea Harrier mission A Royal Navy Sea Harrier pilot who made a dramatic escape during a dangerous mission in the Gulf was killed yesterday on a routine training flight. In 1998, Lieutenant-Commander Jack London managed to land a Sea Harrier on the deck of an aircraft carrier in the Gulf despite the roof of the cockpit shattering at 40,000ft, sending the plane spinning out of control. Instead of ejecting, he fought the controls and landed on board HMS Invincible. He was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in the Air. More More T8 (Dec 02) |
Lieutenant-Commander Kenneth Pattisson, DSC has died aged 85 -
Lieutenant-Commander 'Ben' Rice, DSM has died aged 86 Swordfish pilot who sank a U-boat at Narvik and helped the Navy to beat the Italians at Cape Matapan. U64 was the first U-boat of the war to be sunk by the Fleet Air Arm. The official report of the action commented that “it was doubtful if a shipborne aircraft had ever before been used to such good purpose”. Rice was awarded the DSM and Brown the DSC. The Times Apr 03
Lieutenant-Commander Ben Rice, DSM has died aged 86 The first rating pilot to land on an aircraft carrier, when he touched down on Courageous in February 1939, and then the first to sink a German U-boat in the Second World War. The Commander-in-Chief wrote: "Rarely has a ship-borne aircraft been used to such good purpose." Rice was awarded the DSM, his observer, Lt-Cdr Bruno Brown, the DSC, and Leading Telegraphist Air Gunner M G Pacey was mentioned in dispatches. Swordfish - Warspite The Telegraph May 03
Lieutenant-Commander Mike Tritton, DSC and 2 Bars has died aged 83 - Helped to make the Vought Corsair fighter ready for service at sea in WWII, during which he was awarded three DSCs. He was awarded the first of his DSCs for general operations in the Mediterranean from Furious and from Malta. Sent to the carrier Illustrious in the Indian Ocean, where he took command of 15 Naval Fighter Wing in April 1944, and he led them on a number of attacks on Japanese-held shore installations at Sabang and at Sourbaya and awarded a bar to his DSC. In January 1945 Tritton's 15 Naval Fighter Wing, still embarked in Illustrious, took part in Operation Meridian, a series of raids on the oil-refining complex at Palembang, Indonesia, a vitally important installation in the Japanese war effort. For this Tritton was awarded the second bar to his DSC. (Aug 02)
Sir Brooks Richards, KCMG, DSC and Bar, MID has died aged 84 Naval officer who won two DSCs in operations (SOE) to support partisans and went on to a diplomatic career in Vietnam and Greece. MID in 1940. DSC for his enterprise and gallantry in French North Africa in 1942. He received a Bar to his DSC in 1943, and for his service as Head of the French Section of SOE in Algiers was awarded the Légion d’Honneur and the Croix de Guerre. Appointed CMG in 1963, and appointed KCMG in 1976. More (Sep 02)
Neil Campbell, DSC has died aged 80 Awarded the DSC as a submariner in the Second World War "For gallantry, skill and outstanding devotion to duty whilst serving in HM Submarine Thrasher in numerous successive patrols in trying climatic conditions in the Pacific, frequently carried out in shallow and difficult waters, and in the presence of strong opposition." The Telegraph May 03
Marine Bill Sparks has died aged 85 Last surviving Cockleshell hero who paddled 85 miles into France to blow up German merchant shipping. George VI presented Sparks with the Distinguished Service Medal. More (Dec 02)
The Very Reverend Henry Lloyd, DSO, OBE, has died aged 89 (First RN chaplain to be awarded a DSO during WWII)
Sir James Cable, CMG, KCVO has died aged 80 (Diplomat and one of the most influential naval strategic thinkers of the last half-century)The
World War II Medals of Victor Johns (Naval Group)
Royal Navy Officers awarded French Medals (Commander Bob Sanguinetti and Commander The Honourable Michael Cochrane, were honoured by the award of the French Croix de Valeur Militaire for their service whilst under French command during the Kosovo campaign) (Photo) (Feb 02)
Michael Bray. DSC Michael Bray, who has died aged 83, was one of the youngest motor gun boat (MGB) commanders in the Second World War, monitoring German activity in the English Channel. He was awarded the DSC. Throughout the war Bray collected photographs taken by others and evaded the censor to send vivid letters to his parents, on which he later based his wartime memoir, One Young Man's War (1993). telegraph.co.uk 26 Jul 04
Sir Walter Blount, Bt Walter Blountwas awarded his DSC for his gallantry and initiative while in command of the high-speed motor torpedo boats of Coastal Forces during operations in the Channel, and two Bars for attacks on heavily armed German convoys and naval forces in the Adriatic. Blount earned his second DSC in October 1944 for his part in a night action against two separate convoys. Blount was awarded a second Bar to his DSC after another night action, off the Istrian coast, in February 1945. timesonline.co.uk 5 Jan 05
Royal Navy Research (Provides addresses, contacts) (f.wilson@royal-naval-reserve.co.uk)
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General Sir Cecil Blacker, CGB, OBE, MC has died aged 86 Accomplished Adjutant-General, outstanding horseman and amusing author. Military Cross during Operation Goodwood, the extension of the south-eastern corner of the beachhead in June 1944. (Oct 02)
Gen Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, who died aged 81, provided inspiring leadership in Korea at the battle of the Imjin river. When orders were received to abandon the position, Farrar-Hockley covered the withdrawal with fire and a smokescreen and he was one of the last to fall back; but, when the battalion's position was eventually overrun by the Chinese, he was taken prisoner. The citation for the DSO awarded to him for his part in the battle stated: "Throughout this desperate engagement on which the ability of the Battalion to hold its position entirely depended, Captain Farrar-Hockley was an inspiration to the defenders. His outstanding gallantry, fighting spirit and great powers of leadership heartened his men and welded them into an indomitable team. His conduct could not have been surpassed." During the two years that Farrar-Hockley spent in PoW camps, he made six attempts to escape. In 1942, after volunteering for parachute training, he was granted an emergency commission in the Parachute Regiment. At the age of 20 he was in command of a rifle company of the 6th Battalion and he won an MC during the Communist rebellion in Athens. After serving in Palestine, Farrar-Hockley returned to the Glosters and went with them to Korea. Following his release from prisoner-of-war camp, he attended Staff College before rejoining the Airborne Forces, serving as deputy assistant adjutant and quartermaster-general, then as brigade major of the 16th Parachute Brigade. He saw active service during this period in the EOKA campaign in Cyprus, the landings at Port Said in 1956 and the British intervention in Jordan in 1958. The following year he became chief instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, before taking command of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment in the Persian Gulf in 1962. The greatest feat of arms of his career was, perhaps, his battalion's capture, in 1964, of the Arab Nationalist stronghold at Wadi Dhubsan deep in the Radfan mountains north of Aden. The battalion was called upon to undertake a difficult 10-mile advance into mountainous enemy territory and then attack a highly inaccessible and strongly-defended rebel base. Helicopters were not available in sufficient numbers to permit an assault from the air, so his men roped themselves down the sheer sides of the flanking ridges and achieved complete surprise over the rebels in the gorge below. During a hard-fought battle, Farrar-Hockley's Scout helicopter was shot down beyond his own lines. With some difficulty, he rejoined his battalion and, finding it pinned down, he launched a well-executed attack which drove the enemy from their position. This action led to the submission of the dissident Radfani tribes and to the award of a Bar to Farrar-Hockley's DSO. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1977 on his appointment as GOC South East District, and was knighted in the Birthday Honours of that year. Major-General Dair Farrar-Hockley, followed his father into the Parachute Regiment and was awarded the MC in the Falklands War. telegraph.co.uk 14 Mar 06
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General Sir Desmond Fitzpatrick, GCB, GCVO, DSO, MBE, MC has died aged 89 An outstanding front-line commander and a highly successful staff officer; after winning an MC in Palestine in 1939 and a DSO in Germany during the Second World War he became C-in-C, BAOR, and Commander, Northern Army Group, in 1968. Appointed MBE, and appointed KCB in 1965, GCB in 1971 and GCVO in 1997. More (Oct 02) |
Brigadier 'Speedy' Hill Brigadier "Speedy" Hill, who died aged 95, won an MC and three DSOs as a commander of airborne forces during the Second World War. In May 1940, Hill was a member of Field Marshal Viscount Gort's command post, playing a leading part in the civilian evacuation of Brussels and La Panne beach during the final phase of the withdrawal. He returned to Dover in the last destroyer to leave Dunkirk, and was awarded an MC. In 1942 Hill took command of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, which was dropped at Souk El Arba, deep behind enemy lines in Tunisia. His orders were to secure the plain so that it could be used as a landing strip and then to take Beja, the road and rail centre 40 miles to the north east, in order to persuade the French garrison to fight on the Allied side. The citation for Hill's first DSO paid tribute to the brilliant handling of his force and his complete disregard of personal danger. The French recognised his gallantry with the award of the Légion d'Honneur. Hill was one of the first to join the Parachute Regiment and after being wounded in Tunisia in 1942, he was evacuated to England. Although forbidden to take exercise in hospital, he used to climb out of his window at night to stroll around the gardens. Seven weeks later, he declared himself fit and, in December, he converted the 10th Battalion, Essex Regiment, to the 9th Parachute Battalion. In April the following year, Hill took command of 3rd Parachute Brigade, consisting of the 8th and 9th Parachute Battalions and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, which he commanded on D-Day as part of the 6th Airborne Division. The 12th Parachute Battalion, took Bréville, the pivotal position from which 346th Division launched their attacks on the ridge, albeit at great cost. Hill said afterwards that the enemy had sustained considerable losses of men and equipment and a great defensive victory had been won. He was awarded a Bar to his DSO. In March 1945 Hill commanded the brigade in Operation Varsity, the battle of the Rhine Crossing, before pushing on to Wismar on the Baltic, arriving on May 2, hours before the Russians. He was wounded in action three times. He was awarded a second Bar to his DSO, and the American Silver Star. Hill was appointed military governor of Copenhagen in May and was awarded the King Haakon VII Liberty Cross for his services. telegraph.co.uk 18 Mar 06
General
Sir Walter Walker, KCB, CBE, DSO and 2 Bars has died aged 89 (DSOs
as a Gurkha commander in the Burma campaign, second in the Malayan Emergency
in the 1950s, his third in 1965 when, as Director of Operations in Borneo,
he devised and executed the tactics which thwarted President Sukarno of
Indonesia’s attempt to subvert the newly-formed Federation of Malaysia by
military means)
Lieutenant-General Sir Napier Crookenden, KCB, DSO, OBE has died aged 87 Airborne soldier who landed in the D-Day beachhead and fought his way from there to the Rhine. DSO in 1945 for his wartime services. (Nov 02)
Lt-General Sir Allan Taylor Lt-General Sir Allan Taylor, who has died aged 85, won an MC during the Normandy campaign, became Deputy-Commander-in-Chief UK Land Forces. On August 9 1944, the 7th Royal Tank Regiment was ordered to support 147 Infantry Brigade in an attack near Vimont, south of Caen. Soon after the attack started, the tanks ran into a minefield and their advance was halted. Taylor, a major in command of B Squadron, helped to clear a way through the area despite coming under heavy mortar fire and the danger from anti-personnel mines. The infantry then hit another minefield and suffered many casualties. Taylor brought his tank back to the very depleted company and, having shown them that it was safe to follow in his tank tracks, led them to their objective. He helped the infantrymen to reorganise before moving forward what remained of his squadron to support them. When darkness fell, Taylor decided to stay with the men, and this decision had a considerable effect on their morale. Taylor remained with the infantry throughout the next day, helping them to deal with several Spandau posts that were still holding out. His squadron came under sustained mortaring and machine-gunning from the enemy concealed in the thick hedges and his exhausted crews, pinned down in their tanks, were unable to dismount even for a few minutes to cook themselves a hot meal. Showing great coolness and complete disregard for his own safety, he visited all of them on foot and encouraged them to hold out. He was awarded an immediate MC. telegraph.co.uk 29 Jun 04
Maj-Gen 'Bala' Bredin Major-General 'Bala' Bredin, who died aged 88, was awarded an MC and Bar when serving with the Royal Ulster Rifles in Palestine in 1938 and an immediate DSO in Italy in 1944; he won an immediate Bar to his DSO in 1945 and received another Bar when commanding the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, on Cyprus in 1957; he was also twice mentioned in dispatches. He was appointed CB in 1969. telegraph.co.uk 3 Mar 05
Major-General John Cowley, CB has died aged 84 Paymaster-in-Chief of the Army who put a stop to the pay parade and made sure wives got their hands on the housekeeping. (Nov 02)
Major-General Sir James Eyre has died aged 72 Staff officer who was Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee during the Falklands war and was appointed Silver Stick in 1975. MID in 1955 for service in Cyprus, and KCVO in 1986, and CBE in 1980. (Jan 03)
Major-General Rowland Mans, CBE has died aged 81 Officer who led his troops on a record-breaking 80-mile forced march during the 1942 Madagascar campaign against the French. Appointed MBE in 1956 was advanced to OBE in 1966, and CBE in 1971. (Oct 02)
Major-General Antony Ward-Booth, OBE has died aged 75 The Parachute Regiment (Sep 02)
Major-General Robert Broke. OBE, MC has died aged 88 (MC in France in 1940, OBE in 1946 and later rose to be Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery in the 1970s) (Jan 02)
Major-General Sir Harry Flashman VC, KCB, KCIE, KLH, etc. (fictional character [?] created in the novel series by George MacDonald Fraser) (Michael Hargreave Mawson) and a report on the ribbon bar grouping of the same individual (Ed Haynes)
Major-General Errol Lonsdale, MBE has died aged 90 Commission into the Royal Army Service Corps in 1934, from where he was seconded to the Sudan Defence Force in 1938. For his bravery in the campaign against the Italians in the Sudan and Eritrea, he was made an MBE (Military) in 1942 and later mentioned in dispatches. He was commander RASC 1st Commonwealth Division in Korea 1953-54 and then in Malaya with the 1st Federal Division during the communist insurgency, for which he was again mentioned in dispatches. The Scotsman May 03
Major-General
David Lloyd Owen, CB, DSO, OBE, MC, has died aged 83
More
(Buccaneering raider behind Rommel’s front line in the sand seas
of the Western Desert)
Major General Sir Digby Raeburn, CB, KCVO, DSO has died aged 86
Major-General Sir Philip Ward, KCVO, CBE has died aged 78 Appointed CBE for his services in the Gulf and took over as General Officer Commanding London District and Major-General of the Household Division in October 1973. He knew the ceremonial aspects down to the last detail and clearly enjoyed this period of his career, of which the highlight was probably the occasion of the marriage of Princess Anne in 1973. He was appointed KCVO at the end of his tour of command. More (Jan 03)
Major-General Sir Jack Younger, Bt, has died aged 81 (Captured by the Germans in the battle for Tobruk and, after getting away from a PoW camp, spent a year fighting with Italian partisans behind enemy lines. Younger, having perfected his Italian, gathered much useful military intelligence which he sent back through partisan channels. After commanding a group of partisans engaged in sabotage for several months, in October 1944 he was ordered to return to the 8th Army with a party of escaped prisoners. He was awarded an MBE. MBE in 1945 and CBE in 1969; he became a Knight of St John in 1980.(Jun 02)
Brigadier
'Geordie' Andrews, CBE, DSO has died aged 91 (DSO in 1944 having commanded 2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, from
Normandy to the Reichswald. Also a Chevalier of the Order of Leopold,
Belgium, and awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre with palm.
CBE in 1960))
Brigadier Jock Hamilton-Baillie, MC has died age 84 PoW who took part in some of the classic prison-camp breakouts before being accorded the accolade of incarceration in Colditz. Military Cross in December 1945 in recognition of his resolute escape attempts and efforts on behalf of other prisoners in the camps where he was held before being sent to Colditz. The Times Apr 03
Brigadier Jock Hamilton-Baillie, MC has died aged 84 the engineer on the Eichstatt tunnel, through which he and 62 other men escaped from their Bavarian PoW camp in June 1943. For his part in the Eichstatt escape, and in a previous one (the "Warburg wire job") Hamilton-Baillie was awarded the MC. The Telegraph May 03
Brig Denis Ballantine Brigadier Denis Ballantine, who has died aged 85, was awarded an MC while serving with the Wiltshire Regiment in Italy in 1944. He took command of the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment in 1960 and was appointed OBE. telegraph.co.uk 25 Sep 04
Brigadier David Block, CBE, DSO, MC has died aged 93 (MC in North Africa in 1943 and the DSO in Italy the following year while serving with the 152nd (Ayrshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA)
Brigadier Geoffrey 'Billy' Beyts, DSO, MBE, MC, has died aged 92
Brigadier C. G. Buttenshaw, CBE DSO has died aged 90 - Gunner who won a DSO in the bitter fighting round Lake Comacchio at the end of the Italian campaign. Hull commanded Bladeforce, comprising the Crusader III tanks of his own regiment, the 17th/21st Lancers, a squadron of armoured cars, an artillery battery, a motor company of 10th Battalion the Rifle Brigade and an engineer squadron. It was intended to be the 1st Army’s advance guard in the dash for Tunis. He was appointed MBE for his service with Bladeforce. He was advanced to CBE on leaving the Army in 1967. The Times Apr 03
Brigadier Paul Crook Brigadier Paul Crook, who has died aged 89, won a DSO for his leadership of 3 Para Group in the assault on El Gamil airfield during the Suez Crisis. The citation for the DSO awarded to Crook stated that his gallantry under fire, his inspiring leadership and the skill with which he handled his force made an immeasurable contribution to the success of the action. He was appointed OBE in 1945 and advanced to CBE. He served as a company commander of the 1st Battalion in Malaya in operations against the Chinese Communists. He was mentioned in dispatches for the third time. He held the US Bronze Star. opinion.telegraph.co.uk 30 Oct 04
Brigadier John Daniell, CBE, DSO has died aged 99 Brigadier John Daniell, who has died aged 99, was awarded the DSO in 1944 while serving as Commander Royal Artillery with the 25th Indian Division in the Arakan peninsula, Burma. Appointed CBE in 1955. (Nov 02)
Brigadier Bill Dodd, OBE has died aged 65 (SAS Officer - appointed MBE in 1974 and advanced to OBE in 1980) (May 02)
Brigadier Sir Rainald Lewthwaite has died aged 89 English baronet who served in one battalion of the Scots Guards, and commanded another. Joined the operations staff of Headquarters Eighth Army in North Africa until shortly before the battle of El Alamein. He had been mentioned in dispatches while serving on divisional staff in 1941 and was mentioned again before leaving the Eighth Army to rejoin 2nd Bn Scots Guards in August 1942. In March the following year, he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry and tactical skill during an engagement on the border of Libya and Tunisia. He later served on the staff of Headquarters 21st Army Group prior to the Normandy invasion until December 1944, receiving the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. OBE in 1974, and a CVO in 1975 following the successful visit of the Queen to Hong Kong. The Scotsman Jun 03
Lord
Aldington, Brigadier Toby Low, CBE, DSO has died aged 86
Brigadier
David Warren, DSO, MC has died aged 82 (Immediate MC during the invasion of Italy in 1943 and an immediate DSO
for his part in the D-Day landings)
Brigadier Michael Gordon-Watson, OBE, MC and 2 Bars has died aged 89 (Outstanding front-line commander who won an MC and two Bars while serving with the Irish Guards. OBE in 1949) (Jun 02)
Colonel Geoffrey Armstrong, DSO, MC has died aged 92 MC in 1942 with the Honourable Artillery Company in North Africa, and a DSO in Burma in 1945 while in command of 136 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. (Nov 02)
Colonel
T J 'Bill' Bowen, MC, has died aged 83 More
(Photo) (Immediate MC
when serving with the Worcestershire Regiment in East Africa in 1941 - Commanded the Desert Regiment of the
Trucial Oman Scouts in 1960 and the Muscat Regiment in 1961-62. Commanded
the South Arabian Federal Guard as Aden and the protectorates prepared for
independence. Appointed a Commander of the Order of South Arabia in 1967)
Colonel the Reverend Gus Claxton, MC has died aged 92 Served as Chaplain to the Dorsetshire Regiment throughout the Second World War and was awarded a Military Cross for his gallantry at the battle of Kohima in 1944. The Telegraph Apr 03
Colonel Richard Crichton, CVO, MC has died aged 85 (MC in 1940 while serving with the Coldstream Guards in Belgium shortly before the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force. Appointed CVO in 1986. In 1966, Crichton became a member of Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, the senior royal bodyguard. He published, in 1972, The Coldstream Guards 1946-1970) (Feb 02)
Colonel Moir Stormonth Darling has died aged 89 (Commanded one of the Long Range Desert Group's two squadrons in the Aegean campaign during the Second World War. Received only a mention in dispatches despite the importance of his work) (May 02)
Colonel Bill Harris, MC has died aged 88 (Immediate MC in 1941 while serving in Abyssinia) (Mar 02)
Colonel Jimmy Johnson, OBE, DSO, MC has died aged 92 Wounded and taken prisoner in France in 1940; he was then awarded an MC for his escape to Spain, and received the DSO in 1945 for his leadership and gallantry in command of the 2nd/4th Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in Italy. OBE in 1954 (Sep 02)
Colonel Sir John Lawson, Bt, DSO, MC, has died aged 89 (Volunteered for the Transjordan Frontier. Won the Military Cross for command of a combined mechanised and cavalry squadron at Beisan in the Jordan valley. Commanded “A” Squadron of the 11th during the indecisive offensives before El Alamein and was reportedly “first into Benghazi for the last time” with his squadron in November 1942 after the battle. He had already been twice mentioned in dispatches in recognition of his dash and leadership and was then awarded the DSO. Awarded the US Legion of Merit.)
Colonel Geoffrey Powell, MC Soldier who distinguished himself in the Battle of Arnhem and later turned to writing and MI5 work. The words of the citation which led to his award of the Military Cross, Powell “showed himself to be a gallant leader of men and a source of inspiration to all those around him”. He was mentioned in dispatches for his service in Java. timesonline.co.uk 10 Jan 05
Colonel Michael Singleton, CBE, MC has died aged 89 Organised a company of the Hereford Light Infantry. He was later seconded to the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and landed in France just after D-Day. Fighting across Belgium and Holland, he was wounded three times and was awarded the MC for his leadership and courage. Singleton was appointed CBE at the same investiture as his brother Tim was knighted. (Jan 030)
Colonel Tony Teague, MC has died aged 73 Korea as the Intelligence Officer of 1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers and awarded the MC. (Mar 03) MoreThe Telegraph Apr 03
Colonel
Henry 'Tod' Sweeney, MC has died aged 82 (Daily
Telegraph) (Among
the first glider-borne troops to land in France on D-Day; day afterwards,
won MC for rescuing a member of his platoon while under heavy fire) (Twice
MID)
Colonel Digby Thompson, CBE, MC has died aged 83 Military Cross for his courage and resourcefulness in infiltrating German lines while serving with the 12th Royal Lancers in Italy during the summer of 1944. Appointed ADC to the Queen in 1974 and CBE in 1990. The Telegraph Apr 03
Lieutenant-Colonel Freddie Allen Lieutenant-Colonel Freddie Allen, who has died aged 92, won two DSOs in 1945 in the battles of the Ardennes and the Reichswald. telegraph.co.uk 1 Aug 05
Lieutenant-Colonel
John Armstrong-MacDonnell, MC has died aged 90
(Awarded MC in France in 1940
while serving with the East Surrey Regiment)
Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Combe Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Combe, who has died aged 91, won an MC in Egypt in 1940, and was appointed OBE in 1944 for his services to Britain's tank forces in the run-up to D-Day. Telegraph 8 Jan 04
Lieutenant-Colonel
Johnny Cooper, MBE, DCM has died aged 80
- Among the first handful of men recruited by
David Stirling to form “L” Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade, in
Egypt in 1941. A founder member of the SAS, one of “the originals”, he
took part in operations with the regiment for almost 20 years before
reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the service of Sultan Qaboos of
Oman. (Aug 02)
Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Gordon-Creed, DSO, MC has died aged 82 SOE officer who parachuted into Greece, blew up bridges and rounded up Nazis in Germany after the war, AND survived more than a year’s tank fighting in the Western Desert and 15 months as a guerrilla leader in Greece. Awarded Military Cross as a captain for gallantry in the face of the enemy. The destruction of the viaduct led the Germans to move to Greece two divisions that might have been used in Italy. Gordon-Creed and his friend Don Stott, who was with him, each won a DSO. More (Dec 02)
Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Defrates, DSO, MC and Bar has died aged 85 (MC in Tunisia in April 1943, a Bar to his MC in Sicily that August, and the DSO in Italy in October 1944, all while serving in the 6th Battalion the Royal West Kents)
Lt-Col 'Flip' Hard, MC has died aged 85 Immediate MC in July 1943 during Operation "Husky", the Allied invasion of Sicily. (Dec 02)
Lieutenant-Colonel Alec Harper, DSO has died aged 92 Commanded the 3rd/9th Gurkha Rifles on the second Chindit expedition behind Japanese lines in Burma where he was awarded an immediate DSO in Java. The Telegraph March 03
Lieutenant-Colonel H. Jones, VC OBE (Falkland Island VC)
Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart Howard-Jones, DSO, MC has died aged 88 (Tank commander who led his men with vigour and determination in the fighting that followed the Normandy landings. in command of a squadron of 1st Royal Tank Regiment when 7th Armoured Division disembarked in the immediate follow-up to the landings in Normandy on June 7, 1944. He quickly distinguished himself in the action to secure the Cheux ridge and was awarded the Military Cross for his vigorous and determined leadership in the fighting round Le Haut de Bourg in support of the 49th West Riding Division, during the move to outflank Caen to the west which began on June 25. The citation for the DSO Howard-Jones received for the Rhine operation stated: “As a result of this officer’s meticulous preparation and organisation, the assault was made without the loss of a single landing craft.” More (Apr 02)
Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Massey, MC has died aged 88 (Indian cavalry officer who was decorated for his gallantry and leadership in the defence of Pear Hill against the Japanese) (Mar 02)
Lt-Col Sir Evan Nepean, Bt, has died aged 92 (One of the world's best-known operators of amateur radio, call sign G5YN; last surviving member of the British Political Mission to Tibet in 1936) (Mar 02)
Lt-Col Allister Noble, MC has died aged 87 Late of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, had the distinction of liberating the mountain state of San Marino from the German army in 1944. At the time, he was only 28, the youngest commanding officer in the 4th Indian Division, and had already distinguished himself in battle in North Africa. As noted in his citation for the Military Cross: "Throughout the action he showed the most determined leadership and an aggressive spirit which was an example to all ranks, and contributed in no small degree to the success of the Brigade operation." The Scotsman May 03
Lieutenant-Colonel Monty Ormsby Lieutenant-Colonel Monty Ormsby, who has died aged 89, was a fighting commander of a very high order and won a Military Cross at the first Battle of Cassino and a Bar in Malaya. He was appointed MBE in 1981. telegraph.co.uk 3 Apr 06
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Purvis, MC has died aged 91 (MC for his exploits with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in enemy-occupied Serbia and France in the Second World War)
Lieutenant-Colonel H. J. Orpen-Smellie, OBE has died aged 72 (Career soldier who was one of Britain’s finest shots and won 21 major trophies at Bisley. captained the Army VIII for 14 years and was one of only two people to have shot in all five of the major inter-services matches in any one year. He was appointed to the military OBE in 1979 for services to shooting. In civilian target shooting he reached the final of the Queen’s Prize on 22 occasions, coming second in 1970. He won 21 major trophies at the Bisley meeting, and represented Great Britain in the Kolapore on ten occasions, and England 17 times in the National and 15 times in the Mackinnon matches. With appearances in the Long Range World Championships for the Palma Trophy, and the Australia matches, he was a member of the elite group to have shot in the “Big Five” matches, the Palma being the only one in which he did not captain his country. He confessed that his one regret was that he never managed to win either the Queen’s Prize or the Army Queen’s Medal) More (May 02)
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry van Straubenzee, DSO has died aged 88 (DSO while commanding 12 Royal Tank Regiment in support of the Canadians' assault on the heavily fortified Gothic Line spread across northern Italy during the autumn of 1944) (Apr 02)
Lieutenant-Colonel John Williams, MBE, DCM has died aged 67 (Distinguished Conduct Medal and lost an eye in the now all but forgotten campaign fought by British Commonwealth forces in North Borneo on behalf of the Federation of Malaysia (Feb 02)
Lt-Col Desmond Woods, MC and Bar has died aged 85 - MC in Palestine in 1938, while serving with the Royal Ulster Rifles, and was awarded a Bar to it in Italy in 1944; at the age of 21, he was the youngest British Army officer to hold the decoration. (Sep 02)
Major Sir Ralph Anstruther, Bt, GCVO, MC, MID has died, aged 80 More (One of the last of the old-timers of the Queen Mother's court and served as her equerry from 1959, assistant private secretary from 1959 to 1964, and her treasurer from 1961. His most public duty was to lay the Queen Mother's wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. He was also very much a personal friend of the Queen Mother, accompanying her on excursions to France and Italy, staying at Sandringham for her annual visit to the flower show, and also participating in her Scottish life. won the Military Cross in 1943, and was attached to Harold Macmillan's wartime staff. He served in Malaya from 1948 to 1950 and was mentioned in dispatches. CVO in 1967, KCVO in 1976, and advanced to GCVO in 1992) (May 02
Major James Cottle, DSO has died aged 84 Awarded DSO in 1951 while commanding D Company, 1st Battalion, the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in Korea. (Nov 02)
Major Jim Davies, MC, MBE has died age 89 A Special Operations Executive officer. For his work in Greece awarded an MC and appointed MBE (Mil). The Telegraph Apr 03 More
Major Alastair Dunlop, MC* has died aged 85 MC and Bar while serving with the Bombay Grenadiers in the Burma campaign. On February 1 1945, A Company 3rd Battalion 4th Bombay Grenadiers, commanded by Dunlop, then a major, dug in across the Irrawaddy from Kyaukmyaung and held the bridgehead. During the subsequent advance to relieve Yeshin, the company was protecting a squadron of the 150th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps when the Japanese managed to get within range of the tanks and inflicted heavy casualties. At one point, Dunlop seized a Bren gun from a wounded man and, without any regard for his own safety, engaged the enemy while the casualties were evacuated; not a single Japanese was able to close with the tanks and destroy them. For his gallantry and skilful handling of his company, he was awarded an immediate MC. In March 1945, after heavy fighting in the attack on Kule, A Company, in support of the 150th Regiment RAC, as part of 19th Indian Infantry Division, took part in the capture of Mandalay and Fort Dufferin. Dunlop was awarded a Bar to his MC. The citation stated that: "Major Dunlop had shown the most magnificent example of coolness and courage." The Telegraph Jul 03
Major Norman Essex, MC has died aged 81 A Royal Marines officer awarded the MC and two mentions in dispatches for gallant and distinguished services in North-West Europe during the closing months of the Second World War. The Times Apr 03 More The Telegraph Apr 03
Major Dick
Harden, DSO, OBE, MC has died aged 83
(Monty’s Liaison Officer)
Major Harry 'Bomber' Harrison, GM MBE has died age 91 Major Harry 'Bomber' Harrison, who has died aged 91, was awarded the George Medal for his courage and leadership while serving as Government Explosives Expert during the Eoka campaign in Cyprus. Harrison was so effective in destroying the terrorists' bombs that it was believed that his name headed General Grivas's assassination list. Some 10,000 explosive devices were disposed of during the course of the four years before Eoka disbanded in March 1959. Harrison was appointed MBE (military) in recognition of his services during his first year, and was awarded the George Medal at the end of his tour of duty. Harrison's bomb disposal team suffered four casualties: two dead and two injured. Its service was recognised by the awards, in addition to those given to their leader, of three George Medals, two British Empire Medals and seven mentions in dispatches (one posthumously). The Telegraph Apr 03
Major Dick Hern, CVO, CBE has died aged 81 (One of the outstandingly successful trainers of racehorses in the second half of the 20th century. During a career that spanned 40 years he won both the Derby and the Oaks three times; the St Leger six times; and the 2,000 Guineas and the 1,000 Guineas twice apiece. He was champion trainer four times. But his professional life was marked by controversy in 1988, when he was sacked from his position as the Queen's principal trainer by her racing manager, the 7th Earl of Carnarvon. CVO in 1980, and CBE in 1998) (May 02)
Major H. F. Fane-Hervey, MC and Bar has died aged 86 Courageous tank commander and audacious escaper who bluffed 300 Italian troops into surrendering and was awarded and MC. He was awarded a Bar to his MC for his leadership as an escaped prisoner, in particular for his support of the Rome escape organisation, encouragement of Italian partisans, sabotage and assistance to an SAS officer in Rome. More The Telegraph Apr 03
Major Alastair McGregor, DSO, MC has died aged 84 DSO and the MC while serving with the SAS behind enemy lines during the Second World War. For three and a half months, working with the Italian partisans, McGregor kept the enemy guessing as to the whereabouts and the size of his tiny force before returning to the Allied lines in a stolen rowing boat. He was awarded the DSO for his exploits, a rare distinction for a subaltern who had just turned 25. From March 1945 until the German surrender in May, he led a troop of Jeeps acting as a forward reconnaissance unit for the 2nd Army in the advance from the Rhine to the Elbe. The citation for his MC referred to his coolness, initiative, leadership and personal courage under fire. The French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre. He was attached to the Greek Army Commando Brigade in 1948 as a combat instructor and battle liaison officer in operations against the Communists. Greek government awarded him the Greek War Cross with Silver Crown. More (Oct 02)
Major
Basil Napper, MC has died aged 86 (MC in June 1944 while serving with the Royal Artillery in Normandy)
Major T. H. Read, MC and Bar has died aged 82 (Territorial officer who won two MCs in heavy fighting during the thrust for Caen and on the River Maas) (May 02)
Major Ian Stonor. MBE has died aged 86 Japanese prisoner of war whose attempt to lead his shipwrecked comrades to safety led to his capture. On General Percival’s recommendation, he was appointed MBE for service to his shipwrecked comrades on Tjebia island. (Jan 03)
Major
Eddie Tyler, MC and Bar has died aged 86
- Awarded an MC in August 1944
and a bar to it in April 1945 while commanding a squadron of the 2nd
Battalion Armoured Irish Guards. (Aug 02)
Major Bill Winter, DCM Major Bill Winter, who has died aged 90, won an unusual Distinguished Conduct Medal while serving in Burma as a Regimental Sergeant Major with the Royal Army Medical Corps. telegraph 3 Feb 04
Major Harry Witheridge has died aged 92 Immediate MC in Italy in 1944 while serving with the Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment. (Dec 02)
Captain
David Bethell, CBE, MC Lord Westbury, has died aged 79 (MC
while commanding a platoon of 1st Battalion, the Scots Guards, in Tunisia in
1943)
 |
Captain Pip Gardner, VC, has died aged 88 - More Tank commander whose selfless action at Tobruk won him the ultimate award for gallantry. Won the Victoria Cross in what many would regard as the classic way: saving the life of a comrade under enemy fire, so placing his own life in dire risk. He had already been awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in the battle of Halfaya Pass. Captain with the 4th Royal Tank Regiment in 32nd Tank Brigade in the Western Desert at the time of the British “Crusader” offensive, in the autumn of 1941, designed to destroy the bulk of Rommel’s armour and force him to abandon his siege of the port of Tobruk. (Feb 03) |
Captain William Jenkins, DSO has died aged 77 As a Royal Marines subaltern, just turned 20 years of age, Bill Jenkins was awarded the DSO for his gallantry and resource during Commando operations in northeast Italy in March and April 1945. He was the youngest Royal Marines officer to be so honoured during the Second World War, in his case exhibiting not only remarkable personal courage over a prolonged period but also highly developed tactical skill and strong leadership. (Nov 02)
Capt John Maxwell Captain John Maxwell, who has died aged 85, won an MC in North Africa while serving with the King's Dragoon Guards. In December 1941, during the fighting around Sidi Rezegh, Maxwell was out on patrol when a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) pointed to a cloud of dust on the horizon and asked him what he made of it. It appeared to be a large party of infantry which was moving across their front towards the enemy positions, but it was too far away to be certain. Maxwell moved his troop of armoured cars forward, but he had to advance more than three miles into No Man's Land before he could establish what the dust was concealing. He discovered that a large group of Allied prisoners was being marched off to the rear under German escort. With the help of men from 2 RHA, Maxwell attacked, routed the guards and freed between 200 and 300 New Zealanders together with a platoon of Scots Guards. He then brought them and their erstwhile guards back to the Allied lines. He was awarded an immediate MC. telegraph.co.uk 7 Apr 06
Gerard Norton, VC A South African infantryman, Gerard Norton won the Victoria Cross while seconded to the lst/4th Battalion The Royal Hampshire Regiment during the breaching of the Gothic Line in Italy in 1944. The unit formed part of 128 (Hampshire) Brigade of the 46th Infantry Division which had already gained distinction in North Africa and at the Salerno landing. His citation for award of the Victoria Cross read: “Throughout the attack Lieutenant Norton displayed matchless courage, outstanding initiative and inspiring leadership. By his supreme gallantry, fearless example and determined aggression he assured the successful breach of the Gothic Line at this point.” This was the second occasion on which Norton had shown himself capable of outstanding leadership and determination. In the Western Desert, when General Neil Ritchie ordered the precipitate withdrawal of the 8th Army from the Gazala Line in June 1942, part of the rearguard of the 1st South African Division was cut off on the desert coast road east of Tobruk. Norton was then serving as a sergeant with the Kaffrarian Rifles, the unit in which he had enlisted as a private soldier in 1940, which formed part of the rearguard. He was posted missing, believed taken prisoner, but he and his five comrades had avoided capture by taking to the desert in a cross-country truck.The party drove south-eastwards until, after 100 miles, their petrol ran out. Norton prepared his men for a long march and led them on an astonishing 470-mile trek through the desert, avoiding enemy positions but utilising water and supplies found abandoned. After a 38-day march, he found a route through the German forward area and reached the safety of the newly formed 8th Army defence line on the Egyptian frontier. Norton was awarded the Military Medal for his leadership and determination in bringing his men to safety. His death leaves 14 surviving holders of the Victoria Cross. timeslonline.co.uk 2 Nov 04
Captain Gerard Norton, VC On August 31 1944, Gerard Norton, who has died in Harare aged 89, was commanding a platoon of the 1st/4th Hampshire regiment when he won a Victoria Cross during the attack at Monte Gridolfo in Italy, one of the strong points of the Gothic Line. guardian.co.uk 5 Nov 04
Captain 'Tinker' Taylo, MC has died aged 81 Immediate MC while serving with the Irish Guards in Normandy during August 1944. The Telegraph Jun03
Sergeant George 'Killer' Dring, MM has died aged 85 Tank commanders in the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry during the Second World. Awarded MM and Bar. The Telegraph Mar 03
Lord Hazlerigg, MC has died aged 92 Artillery Officer. MC in Italy in 1944. (Oct 02)
Lord Terrington, C. M. (Monty) Woodhouse, DSO, OBE, has died aged 87
Sir
John Saunders, GBE, DSO, MC has died aged 84
-
MC and a DSO in Italy in the battles of Monte Spaduro and the Argenta Gap.
CBE in 1970 and was knighted in 1972. (Aug 02)
Francis Egerton, MC, has died aged 83 (Welsh Guards - fought with the 3rd Battalion in North Africa, through Italy and into Austria. In June 1944 awarded an immediate Military Cross for his personal conduct and total disregard for his own safety during his company’s attack and the enemy’s subsequent counter-attack just north of Perugia)
Bill Coppen-Gardner has died aged 67 Awarded the Military Cross in operations against Mau Mau in Kenya. (Feb 03)
Edward Chapman, VC, has died aged 82 More (Awarded a VC as a corporal in the final stages of the North West Campaign in Germany
Ian Liddell, MM has died aged 85 (Military Medal in 1944 in Italy for distinguished conduct throughout a four-month period of continuous action) (Apr 02)
Robin
Farrington, MC has died aged 73 - Awarded
an immediate MC in 1948 while serving as a platoon commander with the King's
Royal Rifle Corps in Palestine.
Carl Warner, MC has died aged 92 MC during the battles of Alamein when serving, as a doctor and a conscientious objector, in the Royal Army Medical Corps (Sep 02)
John Mann, MC has died aged 83 Awarded an MC while serving with the Scots Guards in Holland in 1944, and awarded the Bronze Lion of the Netherlands in 1946.(Oct 02)
Monsignor Hugh Beattie, MBE has died aged 74 He joined the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department in 1961 and became the Catholic chaplain to the 3,000 troops of 16th Parachute Brigade the following year, serving with them in Cyprus, the Arabian Gulf, Aden, Bahrain and Borneo. He was in Northern Ireland during the civil rights movement marches in 1968. Having been appointed MBE in 1969 for his former service with 16th Parachute Brigade, he returned to it in 1972 when its Catholic chaplain was killed by an IRA bomb in Aldershot.By the 1980s he had become a Chaplain 1st Class, equivalent to colonel, and took over as senior Catholic chaplain to the British Army of the Rhine. On reaching the retiring age of 55, he asked to revert to his earlier rank as Chaplain 3rd Class, equivalent to major, so that he could serve until 60 with the Irish Guards. On his final retirement the Pope appointed him Monsignor in recognition of his service to the Armed Forces. (Oct 02)
Eric Sharman, MC and Bar has died aged 87 Awarded an MC and a Bar during operations in Burma against the Japanese.He won both decorations while serving with the Northamptonshire Regiment but attached to the 1st Battalion, the North Rhodesia Regiment, during the period between September 1944 and February 1945. The Telegraph Feb 2003
Gordon Nornable, MC has died aged 87 MC in 1944 as an SOE small arms and demolitions expert fighting with the Maquis in eastern France. He was decorated with the MC at an investiture at Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, by King George VI on September 27 1945. In January 1946 Nornable received the Croix de Guerre from the French authorities. (Dec 02)
Bob Battersby, CBE has died aged 77 Career in military intelligence, before becoming an export salesman behind the Iron Curtain and a Conservative member of the European Parliament. MBE in 1971, and CBE in 1990. For his work with the Church in Poland, in 1990 he was awarded a Papal knighthood of St Gregory - a rare distinction for a non-Catholic. (Oct 02)
Peter Wand-Tetley, OBE, MC has died aged 83 Parachuted "blind" into Greece in 1943 and was awarded the MC for his part in an SOE operation to equip and train Andarte partisans. In June 1944, after 14 months behind enemy lines, he was evacuated from Greece; he was awarded an immediate MC. In 1947 Wand-Tetley joined the Colonial Administrative Service and moved to Nigeria, where he was a district officer for the next 17 years; he was appointed OBE for his services. The Telegraph May 03
James Baron, MM has died aged 87 - Tank driver who was decorated for ramming a German King Tiger on the Normandy battlefield. Lt John Gorman ordered his crew out and into a handy ditch. He brought forward a Firefly tank with a 17-pounder gun to tackle the remaining Germans while Baron evacuated the two crewmen, both wounded by artillery fire. Gorman was awarded the Military Cross and Baron the Military Medal, both presented by Montgomery in the field. More (Sep 02)
Nick
Combe, MC has died aged 94
-
MC after being parachuted into North Borneo (now Sabah) in 1945 to set up
guerrilla and intelligence units; after the war, he played a leading role in
feeding and clothing the population and re-establishing government following
the Japanese occupation.(Aug 02)
Sir Hugh Ripley, Bt Sir Hugh Ripley, 4th Bt, was awarded the American Silver Star for gallantry in action in Italy during WW2. as a Captain in the King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry, Ripley was commanding the anti-tank guns of the 1st Battalion in the Allied landing on the Anzio beachhead mounted by the American General Mark Clark early in 1944. On January 29, as the citation for his Silver Star recorded, Ripley - "by thorough and aggressive reconnaissance" - kept his guns in extremely close support of the foremost assault elements. He also saw service in North Africa and was twice mentioned in dispatches. Telegraph 30 Oct 03
Dick Rubinstein, MC Special Operations soldier who organised guerrilla resistance in France and Burma. Rubinstein was mentioned in dispatches for his services in France and awarded the Croix de Guerre. He was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry and leadership with the SOE in Burma. timesonline.co.uk 28 Feb 05
Toby Nash Toby Nash, who has died aged 85, was awarded an MC in 1942 while serving with an anti-aircraft battery in Burma. In January 1942, the Japanese 15th Army, supported by a strong airforce, invaded Burma. In February, B Troop 3 Indian Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, in which Nash was the junior of two British officers, was ordered to take up positions protecting the Sittang Bridge. Nash himself supervised the withdrawal of one of the guns from a very exposed position under heavy fire. The citation for his MC pays tribute to several acts of great gallantry and states that his troop was credited with shooting down nine enemy aircraft. telegraph.co.uk 26 Sep 05
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Signalman Kenneth Smith GC The George Cross of Signalman Kenneth Smith GC has recently been acquired by the Royal Signals Museum, Blandford. ‘On the night of 10 January 1945, on the Island of Ist in the Adriatic (off the coast of Yugoslavia), Signalman Smith was a member of a patrol of the Long Range Desert Group, which was attacked by saboteurs, who laid time-bombs in the vital houses of the Island. After hearing some shots, Signalman Smith entered the Wireless Room and found one such bomb on the table. Realising that there were a number of partisans in the room and young children elsewhere in the house, Signalman Smith immediately picked up the bomb, which was ticking. He intended to move it to a place of safety behind a nearby wall, but he had only gone a few yards outside the house when the bomb exploded and he was blown to pieces. There is no doubt that Signalman Smith’s action certainly saved the lives of many of his comrades, partisans and civilians, and that he showed superb courage and complete disregard for personal safety in lifting a time-bomb which was already ticking when he knew that it might explode at any minute’. |
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The List (British Military Portraits and Snippets from the Illustrated London Times (Barry Ratliff) |
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Air Commodore Brian Frow, DSO, DFC and Bar has died aged 79 DFC in 1943, a Bar in 1944, and a DSO in 1944., for sustained operations over the most heavily defended targets in Germany and occupied Europe.(Nov 02)
Air Commodore Dame Felicity Peake has died aged 89 Felicity Peake grew up an aeroplane-mad child who by the age of 33 was Director of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) with 98,000 women under her command. In 1949 she became the first Director of the newly formed Women’s Royal Air Force and set the pattern of its administration. In 1941 she became the first woman in the war to be appointed MBE (military), and appointed DBE in 1949. More More (Nov 02)
Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom, KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC & TWO Bars, AFC has died aged 82 Much-decorated Mosquito pilot. DSO and three DFCs. Awarded his first DFC early in 1942 for his leadership and determination. Broom was awarded his second DFC in October 1944. Awarded his third DFC in February 1945. He was awarded his DSO in 1945. Appointed CBE in 1969, CB in 1972 and KCB in 1975 More (Jan 03)
Air Marshal Sir Peter Horsley, KCB, CBE, LVO, AFC has died aged 80 (Deputy Commander- in-Chief, Strike Command, 1973-75)
Air Marshal Sir Ian Pedder, KCB, OBE DFC has died aged 76 Flew sorties against nationalist insurgents in Indonesia in 1945, communist rebels during the Malayan Emergency in 1948, Laotian incursions into Thailand in 1962 and again against Indonesian troops during the Sukarno regime’s confrontation with Malaysia in Borneo in 1964. DFC in 1949 for flying sorties over the jungle canopy to photograph the positions of communist insurgents’ encampments. When a crisis developed on the Thai-Laos frontier, Pedder took his squadron up to Thailand, where its ground attack Hunters were soon involved in action against Communist incursions from neighbouring Laos. For his part in these operations, carried out in difficult circumstances, with a ready supply of fuel always a major problem, Pedder was appointed OBE in 1963and KCB in 1982. (Dec 02)
Air Vice-Marshal Ronald Knott, CB, DSO, DFC, AFM and Bar has died aged 84 After a most active war in which he won the DSO and the DFC, sank a submarine and once ditched his Wellington in the North Sea but got his crew home safe, Ronnie Knott went on to a varied postwar career, winning two Air Force Crosses as a flying instructor, commanding an RAF station in Germany during the Cold War and serving as senior air staff officer in Cyprus at a tense time in the Near East. (Dec 02)
Air Marshal Sir Ernest Sidey, KBE has died aged 89 Former Director General of the RAF Medical Services. CB in 1965 and KBE in 1972. He was appointed Honorary Surgeon to the Queen in 1966 (Sep 02)
Air Vice-Marshal Alan Frank, CB , CBE, DSO, DFC has died aged 84 - Vulcan Aircraft
Air
Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, CBE, DSO, DFC has died aged 85
- More
Air Chief Marshal Sir Ruthven Wade, KCB, DFC has died aged 81 (Awarded DFC for, the citation said, "having been continuously employed on operations for three years". CB in 1970 and KCB in 1974)
Air Vice-Marshal Sir Laurence Sinclair, GC, has died aged 93
Wing Commander Garry Garrad-Cole, MC has died aged 85 Bomber pilot and prison camp escaper who masqueraded as an Italian to help shelter fellow servicemen in German-occupied Rome (Jan 03)
Wing Commander Pat Hancock, DFC has died aged 83 Survived the fall of France and the Battle of Britain to defend Malta in its most perilous hour and then lead a fighter-bomber squadron in audacious attacks on enemy troops, transport and supplies in North Africa. Received an immediate award of the DFC - he had already been mentioned in dispatches. The Telegraph Apr 03
Wing Commander 'Taffy' Higginson, OBE, DFC, DFM has died aged 89 Pilot who downed at least 15 enemy aircraft when, on June 17 1941, he was shot down over France and baled out of his burning Hurricane fighter. After fighting throughout the Battle of Britain in the preceding summer and autumn and being awarded the DFM, he was determined to evade capture and return to No 56 Squadron. In the New Year of 1943 his further success, particularly in sweeps over France - often leading the squadron - was recognised with the award of the DFC. The citation stated: "He has now destroyed at least 12 enemy aircraft and throughout has displayed great skill and courage in combat with the enemy." After two years British Aerospace appointed him sales and service director in the guided weapons division. In 1963 his success in opening up overseas markets for guided weapons, particularly Bloodhound, was recognised with an OBE.More The Telegraph Feb 2003
Wearside's heroes of the wartime Wing Commander Joseph Kayll. Born in 1916, he joined the Usworth-based 607 (County of Durham) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force – the so-called "weekend fliers" – in 1934. Joe helped train other volunteers during his time with the squadron and rapid promotion to flight commander soon followed. Ten days before war was declared, he was called up for full-time service. By March 1940 he was commanding 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron. Joe was awarded a DFC and DSO after shooting down several planes during Germany's invasion of France, and he shot down more in the Battle of Britain. But the flying ace was shot down himself the following year and captured by the Germans. Joe spent the rest of the war helping to organise escapes from PoW camps, including the famous "wooden horse breakout" from Stalag Luft III. And he also managed to foil a plot by Hitler to make him and other PoW prisoners hostages at Berchtesgarten – by bribing his German guards. Released from captivity in 1945, Joe was awarded the OBE in 1946. sunderlandtoday.co.uk 27 Sep 05
Wing
Commander Geoffrey Page, DSO, OBE, DFC and Bar, has died aged 80
Wing
Commander Michael Constable Maxwell, DSO, DFC, has died age 83
Wing Commander John Cogill, DSO, DFC has died aged 82 Wartime signals officer who retrained as a pilot and helped Dubai to build an airline. Awarded DFC in May 1943, and DSO in 1945. By the end of the war Cogill had flown three tours of operations — almost 100 sorties.The Times Apr 03
Wing Commander James Sanders, DFC has died aged 88 Fighter ace who flew Gladiators against the Luftwaffe in the Phoney War before switching to Hurricanes for the Battle of Britain. DFC in June 1940. (Sep 02)
Wing Commander Tony Spooner, DSO, DFC has died aged 85 (Outstanding pilot and navigator whose expertise was in the location and destruction by night of enemy shipping during WWII) (Jan 02)
Wing
Commander Harbourne Mackay Stephen, CBE, DSO, DFC and Bar has died aged 85
(Battle of Britain fighter ace
who later became managing director of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday
Telegraph)
Wing Commander Norman Mackie, DSO, DFC and Bar has died aged 80 Awarded DFC and later awarded a Bar to his DFC, the commendation recalling his exploits in France and paying tribute to his "utmost courage and unfailing determination to make every sortie successful". Promoted squadron leader, and was a flight commander when, while flying as second-in-command of No 571 Squadron, he was awarded the DSO. This came after an exceedingly hazardous operation in which he led a formation of Lancasters in a daylight attack on Duisburg, one of the most heavily defended targets in the industrial Ruhr. Noting that he always elected to take part in the most difficult operations, his commanding officer's commendation added that he had completed no fewer than 92 sorties in three tours of operations. The Telegraph Apr 03
Wing Commander Roland 'Bee' Beamont, DSO, DFC has died aged 81 - TSR2 (DSO and Bar and DFC and Bar, mentioned in dispatches and leading a fighter wing before he was 24 – led the English Electric Canberra - the first RAF jet bomber - and English Electric Lightning flight test programmes)
Wg Cdr Russell 'Rusty' MacKenzie, DSO, DFC has died aged 85 - DFC and DSO in less than a year for his exploits as a Beaufighter pilot and squadron commander in the Western Desert and Middle East.
Air Cdre Sir Dennis Mitchell has died aged 83 (KBE in 1977 and CVO in 1961. He was awarded the AFC in 1943, DFC in 1944 and Bar and French Croix de Guerre in 1945) (Jan 02)
Wing Cdr Douglas Wilson Wing Commander Douglas Wilson, who has died aged 87, won a DSO, a DFC and an AFC as a photographic reconnaissance Spitfire pilot, test pilot and bomber squadron commander during the Second World War. telegraph.co.uk 30 Jun 04
Air
Commodore John Chaplin, DSO, DFC has died aged 91
- As commanding officer of a unit of specially
converted Vickers Wellingtons, John Chaplin played a crucial role in
countering the threat to British shipping from magnetic mines in the early
months of the Second World War. He was awarded the DFC for his contribution,
and was personally congratulated by Churchill. In June 1942 Chaplin was
awarded the DSO for his leadership during an attack on an Axis convoy that
resulted in one of its large transports being immobilised. More
(Aug 02) (Aug 02)
Air Commodore Sir Dennis Mitchell, KBE, CVO, DFC and Bar, AFC has died aged 83 Mitchell II (AFC in early 1944, DFC for his leadership in operations over the Normandy bridgehead and particularly during the air attack on Caen in mid-July 1944. Three months later awarded a Bar to his DFC. In 1946 his services in the liberation of France were recognised by award of the Croix de Guerre. KBE in 1977 for his services to British export sales to the Belgian Air Force and Sabena Airways. CVO for his services as Deputy Captain of the Queen’s Flight) (Jan 02)
Air
Commodore 'Micky' Mount, DSO, DFC has died aged 88
- Spitfire pilot in the Battle
of Britain before commanding a bomber squadron in the North African desert
(Aug 02)
Air Commodore Christopher Paul, CB DFC has died aged 95 Wartime bomber pilot who later tested 276 aircraft types for the Air League. In October l944 he was awarded the DFC and in June 1945 mentioned in dispatches. He was also honoured by the Belgian and Czech governments — with the Croix de Guerre in 1947 and Czechoslovak Military Cross in 1949. In 1956 he was appointed CB. Timesonline Mar 03
Group Captain Alan Anderson, DSO and Bar, DFC has died aged 92 Outstanding leader of low-level tactical missions and photographic reconnaissance operations; for his many exploits in the Second World War, he was awarded first the DFC, then a DSO and Bar. (Jan 03)
Group Captain Guy Bolland, CBE, has died aged 91 - Mentioned in despatches in 1941 and 1945 Times
Group Captain 'Paddy' Burns, CBE, DFC and Bar has died aged 88 (Coastal Command pilot who perfected Beaufighter tactics in the assault on Germany's wartime coastal shipping)
Group Captain Dudley Burnside Group Captain Dudley Burnside, who has died aged 93, flew bomber and transport operations over the North-West Frontier in the late 1930s and was decorated for gallantry; he went on to complete two tours of operations in Bomber Command, and later flew Sunderland flying boats during the Korean conflict. In 1940 he was awarded the DFC. On the night of March 5 he was sent to bomb Essen, and his aircraft was hit by flak before reaching the target. The navigator, who was standing beside Burnside, was killed; the wireless operator had a foot blown off. The aircraft controls were damaged and fumes quickly filled the cockpit. Burnside decided to press on, and he successfully bombed the target despite being illuminated by searchlights. On the return flight, night fighters attacked the Wellington, but Burnside's evasive action and the fire by his gunner shook them off. With limited control, he flew the badly-damaged bomber back to base, where he made an emergency landing at an airfield in Suffolk. For his outstanding airmanship and courage, he was awarded a Bar to his DFC. Two of his crew also received DFCs, and the wireless operator was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. In September 1943 Burnside took command of RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk, one of three airfields on the east coast designed to allow crippled bombers to crash-land immediately after crossing the coast on the airfield's extra-long and very wide runway. In one month alone, Burnside and his staff had to deal with 72 heavy bombers that had crash-landed. He was mentioned in dispatches. In October 1944 Burnside volunteered to return to operations, and assumed command of No 195 Squadron, flying Lancaster bombers. He led it on many night and daylight bombing raids over Germany in the lead up to VE Day. Returning from Gelsenkirchen, his Lancaster was badly damaged and set on fire, and he was forced to make an emergency landing on three engines at Brussels airport. He was awarded the DSO. The Wing's Sunderlands flew anti-terrorist patrols around Malaya before providing detachments at Iwakuni in Japan during the Korean War. Burnside commanded the units, which flew anti-shipping and coastal patrols off Korean waters. For his services with the Wing during the conflict, Burnside was appointed OBE. telegraph.co.uk 29 Sep 05
Group Captain 'Joe' Collier, DSO, DFC and Bar has died aged 83
Group
Captain John 'Cat's Eyes' Cunningham, CBE, DSO and Bars, DFC and Bar has
died aged 84 - Photo
- More
- A night fighter ace and later a consummate test
pilot whose name guaranteed the reputation of British aviation. After
destroying at least 20 enemy aircraft, Cunningham piloted the maiden flight
of the Comet, which became the world's first passenger jet airliner.
Cunningham was appointed OBE in 1951 and CBE in 1963. He was awarded
the DSO in 1941 and Bars in 1942 and 1944; the DFC and Bar in 1941, also the
Air Efficiency Award (AE). He also held the Soviet Order of Patriotic War
1st Class and the US Silver Star. (Aug 02)
Group
Captain Dennis 'Hurricane' David, CBE, DFC and Bar, AFC has died aged 82
Group Captain Monty Dawson, DFC and Bar, DFM has died aged 83 Took part in the attack on the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst and fter the attack, Dawson received the DFM. In the run up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy, Dawson's aircraft abandoned its bombing role to prepare to drop paratroops and tow gliders. In the early hours of June 6 1944 Dawson navigated his Stirling to drop paratroopers aiming to seize the Orne bridge near Caen, Dawson resumed bomber operations, and was awarded the DFC. In September 1944 he was selected for the Pathfinder Force. Becoming a navigation leader as an acting squadron leader, Dawson completed a third tour of operations; he had flown on a total of 74 sorties by 1945, when he received a Bar to his DFC. More (Feb 03)
Group Captain John Ellis, CBE, DFC and Bar has died aged 84 (Fighter Ace) (Dec 01)
Group Captain Robert McFarlane, DSO, DFC and Bar Bomber pilot known for the accuracy of his raids and his initiative in finding useful targets. Having joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve as a noncommissioned officer before war broke out in 1939, Robert McFarlane was called up on the outbreak of hostilities and served two tours of operations, winning two DFCs and a DSO. timesonline.co.uk 25 Jun 04
Group Captain Peter Ottewill, GM has died aged 87 Awarded the George Medal in 1943 after rescuing the two crewmembers of a Bristol Beaufighter which had crashed into an ammunition store during take-off.
Group Captain Mike Shaw, DSO has died aged 81 (Survived more than 100 bombing, minelaying and torpedo-dropping missions in the Second World War - one of the few bomber captains and squadron commanders to fly almost continuously throughout the war) (Feb 02)
Group Capt Ralph Sampson. OBE, DFC and Bar has died aged 89 In June 1942, he was posted to the redoubtable 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron. He took part in the Dieppe raid, claiming two Focke Wolf destroyed and two Dorniers damaged. He then became a flight commander with the 131 (County of Kent) Squadron, claiming five more Focke Wolf either damaged or destroyed, for which he was awarded his first DFC. Perhaps his most distinguished appointment came near the end of the war when he was appointed to command the Free French Wing, teaching Frenchmen to fly Spitfires. Many of them went on to high rank in the French Air Force. His final "kill" was an ME 109 destroyed over Bocholt in Germany, after which he was awarded a bar to his DFC and the Croix de Guerre. By the time of his "demob" in September 1945, he had flown no fewer than 189 operations, mostly over the continent. This was bravery of a high order. Appointed OBE. (Feb03)
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Squadron Leader Ken Brown, CGM has died aged 82 Squadron Leader Ken Brown was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal after he captained a four-engined Lancaster bomber in the Dambusters raid in 1943. The award recognised not only his exceptional leadership of a crew of six (all, like Brown himself at this time, sergeants), but also his superb airmanship at very low levels on the way into, and out of, Germany. Although his aircraft was badly shot up during the operation, Brown managed to bring it and his crew safely home. More (Jan 03) |
Squadron Leader Hedley Hazelden, DFC has died aged 86 (DFC in 1941 and a Bar to it in 1942. Air Efficiency Award in 1946, a King's Commendation in 1947, and a Queen's Commendation in 1959)
Squadron Leader Charles Lofthouse, OBE, DFC has died aged 80 Pathfinder Bomber pilot who survived 37 bombing raids and been awarded the DFC when he rescued five aircrew from a bomber which crashed. For his part in the rescue Lofthouse was appointed OBE (military). (Oct 02)
Squadron Leader John Mott, MBE, MID has died aged 85 (Flew clandestine missions for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) after being shot down as a bomber pilot, evading capture and reaching home. Mentioned in dispatches, was appointed MBE in 1944 "for his great fortitude and determination to return to active duty") (Jun 02)
Sqn Ldr Donald 'Dimsie' Stones, DFC has died aged 81 Fighter ace who survived continuous combat in the fall of France, the Battle of Britain, the Battle for Malta and the Burma campaign. DFC while he was still 19, then a Bar as well as the rank of squadron leader aged 21. (Oct 02)
Squadron Leader Dennis Usher, DFC, DFM has died aged 82 Courageous Spitfire fighter pilot and squadron commander; he made his name in the testing conditions of the North African desert, where he took part in hazardous operations in support of Montgomery's 8th Army defeat of Rommel's Afrika Korps. In 1943 awarded DFM, for being "a determined fighter whose keenness to engage the enemy is outstanding". The citation went on to refer to an engagement against nine Macchi 200s covered by six Me 109s; during this action, Usher broke up their attacks and shot down one Macchi. Awarded DFC for his "high degree of skill and determination" and his destruction of five enemy aircraft. (Dec 02)
Squadron Leader Pat Wells. DSO has died aged 85 (A brave and resourceful fighter pilot who was shot down twice during the Battle of Britain, the second time by the German ace Adolf Galland) (Apr 02)
Squadron Leader John Wright, DFC and Bar, AFC, has died aged 85 (Wartime Coastal Command pilot)
Flight Lieutenant Mike Allen, DFC has died aged 78 (Won three DFCs as a navigator and radar operator in night fighters during the Second World War)
Flight Lieutenant William Reid, VC, has died aged 79 (Nov 01)
Flight Sergeant Alfred Card, AFM and Bar has died aged 80 (Made 1,004 parachute jumps and was one of the pioneers of freefall parachuting in Britain; as an instructor with the RAF he trained more than 2,000 servicemen as well as agents who operated behind enemy lines. By 1956 Card had trained some 2,000 parachutists, and his contribution was recognised with the award of an AFM. Four years later, he achieved the rare distinction of being awarded a Bar.) (May 02)
RAF honours Great Escape hero (FLt Romualdas Marcinkus, the only Lithuanian pilot to serve with the RAF in WWII) (Jun 01)
Raymond Musgrave, DFC, DFM has died aged 85 (Pathfinder who by the end of the war he had flown on 94 operational sorties. Awarded Distinguished Flying Medal in June 1943, and in May 1945 awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. (Jun 02)
Peter Cairns, OBE, DFC has died aged 81 Bomber pilot who brought his Wellington skilfully to earth after being shot up by a nightfighter. On retirement in 1982, mindful of his wartime colleagues, Cairns threw himself into the work of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmens and Families Association, and was so admired for his drive and enthusiasm that in 1995 he was appointed OBE. (Nov 02)
Sydney 'Bill' Smith, DFC has died aged 89 (Saved the lives of himself and two crewmen by crash-landing his stricken Blenheim bomber in a Rotterdam street on July 16 1941. Spent remainder of war as a POW) (Jan 02)
Charles Dugan-Chapman has died aged 84 (Escaped from his native Poland in 1940 and flew with the RAF as a fighter and fighter-bomber pilot. By the end of the war, Czajka held the rank of captain in the Polish Air Force and had been awarded the Polish Cross of Valour and two Bars.)
Alfred Lammer, DFC and Bar has died aged 90 (Daily Telegraph) More (Guardian)
William
Reid, VC, has died aged 79 (World
War II bomber pilot whose determination to reach his target despite serious
wounds and a badly damaged plane earned him Britain's highest military
honour) (Dec 01)
George
Chalmers, DFC, DFM, MID has died aged 81
- George Chalmers, who has died aged 81, was a wireless operator in one of
the 19 Lancaster bombers which took part in the famous Dambusters' raid over
the Ruhr Valley in May 1943. Flight Sergeant Chalmers, who had previously
been mentioned in dispatches, was awarded an immediate DFM. In 1944, after
completing 66 operations, Flying Officer Chalmers was awarded the DFC. (Aug
02)
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Gentleman war hero honoured He was known as the "gentleman" war hero. As a top pilot with the 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, Johnstone Edgar won not just the admiration of his comrades by the respect of the enemy. His deadly accuracy in attacking enemy shipping earned him the Distinguished Flying Medal, while his compassion in refusing to fire on survivors saw him hailed by German commanders. In his citation, he was described as a "courageous, resolute and determined pilot . . . who has greatly distinguished himself, having assisted in the destruction of six supply ships, a small tanker and an E-boat". Now the airman has been honoured with the presentation of his medals and war records to the National War Museum of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle. news.scotsman.com 13 Oct 05 |
James Sandeman-Allen, MBE, DFM has died aged 83 The top-scoring fighter pilot over Malaya and Singapore as they fell to the Japanese in February 1942, and was among the last of the handful of surviving Hurricane fighter pilots to get out of Singapore in time. DFM, for his valour in the Far East. Sandeman-Allen became a member of the Guinea Pig Club, becoming treasurer and secretary and, effectively, chief executive in 1994. He managed the club's funds superbly: he enabled the club to donate large sums to the Blond-McIndoe Centre for Burns Research and the RAF Benevolent Fund, while retaining sufficient financial resources to continue to help Guinea Pigs in need. For this, and his charity work, he was appointed MBE. The Telegraph Jun 03
Spitfire hero's fiercest duel is with daughter - More - RealAudio (Sqn Leader George Bennions, DFC – Battle of Britain pilot) (Aug 01)
War Veterans finally wins his medals (Former RAF rear-gunner gets super Christmas medals gift after waiting for 56 years) (Dec 01)
Record price for fighter pilot's medals (The 19 medals of Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson went for £241,500) (Dec 01)
The Rev Bill Skelton, DSO, DFC has died aged 82 Highly successful night-fighter team during the Second World War; later he was ordained an Anglican priestKnown as "the night hawk partners", Skelton (as navigator) and Branse Burbridge (as pilot) were officially credited with destroying 21 enemy aircraft, one more than Group Captain "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham. Skelton's brilliance with airborne radar over Britain and Germany was recognised with the awards of a DFC and Bar in 1944 and a DSO and Bar in 1945; the citations of both Skelton and Burbridge referred to them setting "an unsurpassed example of outstanding keenness and devotion to duty".
France awards Croix de Guerre to Royal Air Force Pilot (Flight Lieutenant Ian Walton has served as an exchange officer with the French Air Force for nearly three years. He was posted to the top French Air Force 3/3 "Ardennes" Squadron based at Nancy when NATO began its action against Serbia. Flying the Mirage 2000D Flight Lieutenant Walton completed nine missions over the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. He was the first Royal Air Force pilot to drop ordnance with the French Air Force during the Kosovo conflict and indeed since the Second World War. He is awarded the Croix de Guerre for his professionalism, dedication to duty and leadership under trying operational circumstances. (Apr 00)
Sir George Edwards, OM, CBE has died aged 94 Guiding light in the postwar British aircraft industry whose achievements are an indelible part of world aviation history. Appointed MBE in 1945; CBE in 1952; and was knighted in 1957. Awarded the George Taylor Gold Medal (1948); the British Gold Medal for Aeronautics (1952); the Daniel Guggenheim Medal (1959); and the Royal Medal of the Royal Society (1974). More - Valiant More
Captain Ian Harvey, GM DFC Captain Ian Harvey, who has died aged 83, was awarded a George Medal for saving the lives of 27 passengers when he made a masterly landing after a bomb had exploded in the rear of his airliner. Harvey was the pilot of a British European Airways (BEA) Vickers Viking airliner which took off from Northolt for a flight to Paris on April 13 1950. Over the English Channel, there was a loud explosion in the rear of the aircraft, which the flight crew initially thought had been caused by a lightning strike. On investigation, the second pilot, Frank Miller, found the stewardess seriously injured; large holes had been torn in the rear fuselage of the aircraft A WWII pilot who was awarded a DFC for "his skill, courage and determination, which have been outstanding". telegraph.co.uk 27 Jul 04
Honours for Iraq War Heroes - Story focuses on RAF recipients. Linclolnshire Echo 31 Oct 03
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Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945 These pages provide information about the Gallantry Awards and Medals awarded to members of the Fleet Air Arm, for gallantry during campaigns or military service in time of war. Two types of award were made during WWII: immediate, for single acts of bravery, etc. and non-immediate, normally given at the conclusion of a tour of duty of between 25 and 30 operations. Citations for immediate awards were published in the London Gazette. |
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Dambuster Hero's Medals for Sale The medals of a county war hero who played a vital part in the famous Dambusters raid are expected to fetch more than £25,000 when they go on sale next month. Seven medals awarded to the late Len Sumpter, of Kettering, will go under the hammer at the Spink auction house in London on Thursday, May 1. Included in the sale will be the Distinguished Flying Medal awarded to Flt Lt Sumpter in 1943 for his achievements in the 617 Lancaster Squadron during the Second World War. “The medals are not rare, although the combination of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Flying Medal does increase the worth considerably. “The high value is because the medals were awarded to someone who took part in probably the most famous bombing raid ever.” He said: “Apart from the medals of Guy Gibson, the airman who led the attack and who was awarded the Victoria Cross, the medals of Leonard Sumpter are the ones that a collector of airforce medals would want to get.” Northampton Evening Telegraph, UK - 15 Apr 2003 |
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| RAF Bomber Command 60th Anniversary Website (The site will be developed through 2002, with additional sections added at stages during the year. In its initial phase, it concentrates on Bomber Command before the Second World War, and during the first years of the war, up until 1941) (Feb 02). |
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Britain - Record Price for War Medals The medals of World War II fighter pilot Air Vice-Marshal J E "Johnnie" Johnson, CB, CBE, DSO and two Bars, DFC and Bar have been sold at auction for a world-record £241,000. More Photo |
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Back to Planes (Bee Hive WWII Allied Airplanes) |
The
Battle of Britain
(RAF Site)
The
Battle of Britain
(RAF Site)
|
Medals and awards of senior military officers (King's College London Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives):
|
The List (British Military Portraits and Snippets from the Illustrated London Times (Barry Ratliff) |
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Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Alison BT GCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck GCB GCIE CSI DSO OBE Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General Rt Hon Sir Redvers Buller VC GCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General Sir David G M Campbell KCB ADC Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General The Earl of Cavan KP GCMG GCVO KCB ADC Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General Sir Phillip Chetwode BT KCB KCMG DSO Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Clayton KCB KCMG Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant Colonel Howard Cole OBE TD Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General HRH The Duke of Connaught KG KT KP Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Field Marshal Sir John French GCVO KCB KCMG Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Field Marshal Earl Douglas Haig KCB KCIE KCVO Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hammersley Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General Sir James Hope Grant GCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant General Sir William T Knollys KCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Major General Sir Robert Laffan KCMG Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General Sir Daniel Lysons KCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant General Sir T L N Morland KCB KCMG DSO ADC Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant General Sir John L Pennefather KCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Brigadier John Reed Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Field Marshal Sir William R Robertson GCB GCMG GCVO DSO LLD DL Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien KCB DSO Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Lieutenant General Sir James Yorke Scarlett GCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
General Sir Thomas M Steele KCB Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Brigadier Alfred Maurice Toye VC MC Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood VC GCB GCMG Aldershot Military Museum Jul 04
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The Queen
Mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: Memorial Website
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Ex-soldier returns medal to Blair (Jan 02)
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Unique medal award for former regional press man A former Yorkshire Evening Post journalist has received an operational medal for taking part in Op Langar - the conflict in East Timor in 1999. Tim Zillessen, who worked at the Evening Post for 12 years and is now an Army press officer, was among a UK taskforce of 2 Royal Gurkha Rifles from Brunei sent to the former Indonesian state as part of an international peace keeping team as East Timor sought independence under the auspices of the United Nations Mission in East Timor. He is the Ministry of Defence's only "civvy" to receive such a medal. Since joining the MoD Tim has successfully completed three operational tours in Bosnia, where he was the civilian media adviser for the NATO Commander during the September 11 crisis. HoldTheFrontPage.co.uk, UK - 28 Feb 2003 |
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