Lieutenant-Colonel J.E.B. Freeman
4th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment

His cool and cheerful bearing as he moved from platoon to platoon, often under heavy fire, had a most heartening effect while the information he was able to obtain was of the greatest use to his CO in the conduct of the operation. Again during the very bitter fighting … Lt Col. Freeman showed courage of a very high order in moving forward in a confused situation to a company temporarily cut off by enemy infiltration.

(Chevalier of the Order of the Crown, citation, 10 Oct 1945)

Born on 14 May 1913 in Hertfordshire, John Edward Broke Freeman was a lawyer and Territorial Army officer, commissioned with the Oxford and Buckingham Light Infantry in 1935. He was promoted to temporary captain in January 1940 and made acting major six months later. He participated in the planning for the Normandy invasion as brigade major for 146th Infantry Brigade.

The citation for the Chevalier of the Order of the Crown with palm and Croix de Guerre 1940 with palm described his precision and planning: “During this period, for many months on and, he work unremittingly to ensure that no detail should have been overlooked. The result of his tireless and self-sacrificing work was seen in the smooth working of all arrangements for the embarkation and landing of the Bde.”

Following the breakout from Normandy, in early September Feeman was assigned to 4th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment as the new second-in-command. For both his brigade and regimental work, in addition to “his fearless devotion to duty” in exposed forward positions, he would be honoured by the Belgian government.

In February 1945, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Barclay commanding officer of the 4th Lincs, transferred to his original regiment and took command of the 1st Norfolks. Freeman assumed temporary charge of the 4th Lincs, but was replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel P.R. Ashburner before the end of the month.

After the war, Freeman retired from the army and took up pig farming. He died on 10 May 1986 in Buxhall, Suffolk.