Calling all the British and Commonwealth Veterans of this Forum

Lt Chas Boyse RE was my platoon officer. So I must have been with him though I must say...very odd I cannot recall the medals...Only Lt Arthur Heal with Sapper Ellis and L.cpl Boulton at "Hillman" They deserved much better than MMn and Croix de Geurre. For the taking of Hillman was the pivot that everything hung on.
Cheers Drew

 

Anymore for anymore?

I think the thread below somes up why I think its worthwhile doing this:

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/allied-units/24942-7340821-wo-ii-ssm-william-thomas-bronze-star-4th-queens.html

Regards
Andy

 

As a young lad I saw a film I can’t remember the name of the film but it was about India so was probably called North West passage or similar and co starred Victor Macglagen the Irish actor who at some stage in the film was seen to fire the Vickers machine gun from the hip this inspired me to request going into a machine gun regiment when I volunteered for the army in 19 41 and as a volunteer the request was granted. The regiment I joined sure enough was the Middlesex Regiment and was an old Machine gun regiment and the episode with Macglagen caused considerable laughter when spoken about because the barrel was water cooled and was attached To the barrel casing by an hose and a gallon water can suffice to say my dream had been shattered and I was eventually transferred to the 1st Battalion the Kensington Regt a sister regt to the Middies and was in N Africa Sicily Italy and eventually Austria. Skipping a year or two a certain place we were at in Italy the detachment a machine gun detachment was almost overrun by the enemy and at point blank range the sergeant in charge Paddy Ganley an Irishman picked up the Vickers from the tripod and actually beat off the attack himself and was awarded the Military Medal
And in our Old comrade’s book written after the end of WW2 was referred too as doing a Victor Macglagen my faith had been restored. We now come to my brother in law Moss William Levy a private in the Hampshire regt in Italy and in the Oak tree division his MM was never spoken of and he never said the reason he received it

niccar

 

Anymore for anymore?

I think the thread below somes up why I think its worthwhile doing this:

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/allied-units/24942-7340821-wo-ii-ssm-william-thomas-bronze-star-4th-queens.html

Regards
Andy

Andy totally agree
re Mr Moon MM and Bar as another example.
It adds a story to the award even if it is only a few lines.

 

I made three WW1 machine guns. Water cooled, and air cooled,models Full size from WW1 blue prints. Actual working models.... Had a request to make them exactly as they were in WW1.... My greatest regret is that I never made 4... one for myself.

So if you see a first WW machine gun in films It may well be mine.

What did surprise me, was the lack of measurements on blueprints....They were made as One offs, by the Skill of the Engineer. So parts were not exchangeable.

I can tell you They were quite beautiful when I finished them. I wish I had made one for myself.

.By the way, they were working models..But made from mild steel, so they could not be fired
Sapper

 

Andy totally agree
re Mr Moon MM and Bar as another example.
It adds a story to the award even if it is only a few lines.

Clive,

Credit where Credit is due...It was you asking for the MM and Bar that gave me the idea to ask the vets.

Cheers
Andy

 

Drew - here's another one from 145th RAC which I had nearly forgotten about .....he was our 2i/c until the Squadron leader of "C" sqdn was hospitilised then he took over "C' - he was a bit of a character and when he wa orderly Office - he never did get any complaints....well would you - he was 6'3" and a burly Rugby player with mitts like ham shanks...

Christopher Newton Thompson - Telegraph

Cheers

 

Sorry Tom, I can't find him either.

 

Drew -
that's very odd as he got the M.C. about the same time as our Sqdn Leader - Maj Lyall Lusted of Dorking, got his D.S.O. then LL took over the 12th.RTR as Lt.Col - had to be around middle of September '44 - { Newton -Thompson } hyphenated .... Maj Jimmy Ingram then took over 2i/c until he took over "B"Sqdn and was killed first day in command ! We started that Battle with nine officers who had survived North Africa - at the end of it - a month - we had nine new Officers !
Cheers

 

Thanks Dianne - knew I was right\
Cheers

 

Drew - not bad for one squadron of 160 men –

One George Cross
One D.S.O.
Two M.C’s
One M.M.
Might have been more but too many characters were killed
Cheers

 

Regarding Naik Bandu Jadhao - I have posted a big thankyou on the new thread created for his award of a MiD

I would like to add my thanks here for the other bits of info added on by other users - I have saved the pdf file and forwarded to my work address where I will see if the geeks in the comms centre can help tidy it up for me (me and pdf files don't get on).

I am also going to show Richard the separate thread plus the pdf file and the PRO file header. I might take my laptop in (he lives in an aged care home that my wife works in) and show him the info on-line. He finds it fascinating that not only is there such a thing as the internet but that there is some record of him on there.


Thank you all

 

Anymore for Anymore?

 

Hi Drew,
Ken Smith Normandy Veteran here, awards were always incorrectly awarded I think. eg. The officer commanding a company aways got the M.C. this was the results of the actions of his men in battle, in most cases and not for his individual actions. The same applies to the Comanding Officer of the battalian. In my outfit, the 5th D.C.L.I. the corporal in charge of the stretcher bearers received the M.M. to wear on behalf of his men. (Wonderful, brave chaps) Carried me away under heavy shelling without thought of their own safety. This corporal rarely left the H.Q. area to the rear! Regards, Ken.

 

Hi Ken,

Do you remember any of their names who were awarded medals? I'm happy to look up their citations and post the information on here if you can. It would be great then if you could add your own personal recollections to it.

Kindest Regards
Andy

 

Capt Reid O/C Fox Troop 92nd LAA Rgt was awarded the MC, for their defence of Pegasus and Horsa Bridges, I stood around and watched. (And shone in their reflected glory)

Jim

 

Its true the officers got the medals for what the men did.

But I expect that the other Vets will agree with me. very often, we went into violent action that was part of the everyday events. That some won medals..NEVER EVER occurred to the men involved. The last thing they thought about was awards. It just did not happen. In some cases, what you did could be seen as outstanding to a outsider... but was very ordinary to the men involved.Specially to 19 and 20 year old fellows.
Sapper