Remembering today: Casualty Details Thomas Dickson Lance Corporal 2698551 Scots Guards, 2nd Btn Died: 21/1/1944 Buried: Minturno, Italy Son of Thomas and Jane Dickson; husband of Christina Morrison Dickson, of Dalkeith, Midlothian. Remembered with honour.
From The Scots Guards 1919-1955, David Erskine, pages 191-192: ITALY 1944, SECOND BATTALION ( E ) Across the Garigliano [20 January] On the night of the 20th January the Battalion crossed the Garigliano by the new Bailey bridge on the main road and moved to a concentration area between Minturno and the sea. The plan was now that the Grenadiers should go for part of the Scauri peninsula, east of Formia, while the Scots Guards attacked Scauri village and the Coldstream remained in reserve in Trimonsuoli. But this attack had to be postponed, for it was discovered that a counter-attack was forming up in Scauri. [21 January] Early in the morning a shell hit a house occupied by Battalion Headquarters; the Adjutant (Captain M.J. Fitzherbert-Brockholes) and the Signals Officer (Captain L.D. Cambridge; aet. 37, and grandfather to most officers) escaped untouched, but four signallers are killed and five wounded. At dusk the counter attack cam win. The York and Lancasters were driven off Monte Natale north-west of Minturno, and F and G Companies were moved into defensive positions. [22 January] The counter-attack was continued at dawn (the day the First Battalion landed at Anzio) and Right Flank was moved up to consolidate on Point 141, a bare and rocky hill to the north of Minturno. This counter-attack was held and the Battalion was immediately engaged, but there was a continuous drain of casualties through harassing fire, including Lieutenant V.M. Gordon-Ives killed while reconnoitring his platoon position on Point 141. In the meantime the mortar platoon was engaged in Trimonsuoli to reinforce the Coldstream mortar platoon which had suffered heavily, and itself had six men wounded before it moved out. 21st January 001 DICKSON T 2698551 2ND BN 21/01/1944 SCOTS GUARDS 002 SKINNER J 2693225 2ND BN 21/01/1944 SCOTS GUARDS 22nd January 001 GORDON-IVES VM 200109 2ND BN 22/01/1944 SCOTS GUARDS
