Cathedral funeral for Sir Tasker Watkins VC.

[Peter Clare]

BBC NEWS | Wales | South East Wales | Cathedral funeral for Sir Tasker

[von Poop]

'Tasker' is a name and a half.

Citation:

“Lt Watkins’s company had to cross open cornfields in which booby traps had been set. It was not yet dusk and the company soon came under heavy machine gun fire from an 88mm gun. Many casualties were suffered and the advance was slowed.

Lt Watkins, the only officer left, placed himself at the head of his men and under short-range fire charged two machine gun posts in succession, personally killing or wounding the occupants with his sten-gun.

On reaching his objective, he found an anti-tank gun manned by a German soldier. His sten-gun jammed so he threw it in the German’s face and shot him with his pistol before the German had time to recover.

Lt Watkins’s company now had only some 30 men left and was counter-attacked by 50 enemy infantry. Lt Watkins directed the fire of his men and then led a bayonet charge which almost completely destroyed the enemy.

It was now dusk and orders were given for the battalion to withdraw. These orders were not received by Lt Watkins as his wireless set had been destroyed. They now found themselves alone and surrounded in depleted numbers and failing light.

Lt Watkins decided to rejoin the battalion but while passing through the cornfields once more he was challenged by an enemy post at close range. He ordered his men to scatter and himself charged the post with a bren-gun and silenced it. He led the remnants of his company back to battalion HQ.

His superb gallantry and total disregard for his own safety during an extremely difficult period were responsible for saving the lives of his men and had a decisive influence on the course of the battle.”