Lieutenant-Colonel G.G. Elliott
2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment

During his term of comd, the bn, in common with all other units, suffered heavy casualties. Its record can, however, bear comparison with any other during this period and throughout, the morale and fighting spirit of the men remained at a very high level despite constantly changing personnel within the Bn. For this, Lt Col Elliott mst be give almost sole credit for by his personal example in battle, by his tireless solving of all the problems presented to him, and by his faultless leadership, he ensured the success of all the operations in which his bn took part.

(D.S.O. citation, 24 Jan 1946)

Born on 21 November 1909 in Eastbourne, Sussex, Geoffrey Grahame Elliott was a commissioned officer in the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment since 1931. He was recognized for distinguished service as a brigade major in the Battle of France. He afterward worked on the War Office planning staff. By April 1944, he had been posted to the 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment as second-in-command. Two months later, the battalion landed in Normandy with the 56th Independent Infantry Brigade.

“The sea was choppy, the tide was right up to the sea wall,” Elliott recalled of the journey across the English Channel, “there was difficulty and confusion on all sides. Battalion Headquarters was, of course, divided. My L.C.I., with one half H.Q. and a company of infantry and other detachments, found a gap, and we went in successfully, though in deep water. Other craft spent some time trying to find their way into a place from which infantry and vehicles could struggle ashore.”

After nearly a week in action, the battalion had suffered heavy causalities and higher command ordered Elliott to take over from Lieutenant-Colonel J.F. Higson who had been relieved. He would receive the D.S.O. for taking control “in the middle of a most difficult bn battle” and superiors credited him for having “restored what at one time looked like being a disastrous situation.”

Following two months of hard fighting in Normandy, by early August 1944, Elliott recorded: “Although the rest did much to restore the health and spirits of the men, there had been so many casualties that the standard of training of the Battalion had fallen. We were now a strange collection of many regiments (by complete platoons as far as possible) and many still wearing their own badges.” Before the end of the month, the 56th Brigade replaced the 70th Brigade in the 49th Infantry Division.

Elliott led the 2nd Essex through to the offensive into Belgium before relinquishing command on 1 October 1944 to be posted to the Middle East. The war diary lamented: We were very sad to say goodbye to Lt. Col. Elliott today who now goes to Haifa.” He was replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel N.W. Finlinson, former CO of 2/6th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment.

In the early 1950s, Higson commanded the 1st Royal West Kents in Malaya during counterinsurgency operations. He retired from the army in 1958 and worked as a teacher. Elliott died on 28 April 1981 in Canterbury, Kent.