Author: Matthew K Barrett

Lt-Col. G.F.T.B. Dickson

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Lieutenant-Colonel G.F.T.B. Dickson
7th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers

Bullets spattered on the wall of the house within a few inches of him and one burst of MG fire shot away the rubble of bricks on which he was standing. One bullet from this burst slightly wounded him in the leg. But Col. Dickson remained unperturbed and continued to direct his fire and encouraged his men in their assault. The crossing was made, but there can be no doubt that it succeeded because of Col. Dickson’s outstanding bravery and fine example. 

(D.S.O. citation, 1 March 1945)

Born on 3 August 1914 in London, George Frederick Thomas Benson Dickson was a Territorial Army officer, commissioned with Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1934. He became acting captain in June 1940 and after a period as battalion adjutant he attended staff college. He was promoted to temporary major in late 1941, and commanded a company 7th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, which deployed to Normandy in later June 1944.

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Lt-Col. A.H. Williams

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Lieutenant-Colonel Humprey Williams
1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers
7th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers

Colonel Humphrey Williams was … actually, he resigned, for somewhile we’d be trying to work out why he resigned. We know from his own personal diary that when he was put in command, he had certain doubts about whether he would be acceptable to the battalion. He was acceptable. He was a superb leader of men.

(Michael Anthony Demetriadi, IWM interview, Dec 2007)

Born on 2 June 1908 in Resolven, Glamorgan, Wales, Albert Humphrey Williams was a schoolteacher and Territorial Army officer, commissioned with the 7th (Montgomeryshire) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers since 1932. He mobilized with the 1st Battalion and was wounded during the Battle of France in May 1940. He became to second-in-command when the 1st RWF was sent to the Far East to fight the Japanese in the Burma campaign.

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Lt-Col. I.L. Reeves

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Lieutenant-Colonel I.L. Reeves
4th Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry
7th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry

We found ourselves in the most ghastly factory area, one mass of small streets, passages, walls, walls within walls, piles of iron and waste of every description. We soon discovered some machine-gun posts and started to clear them. That started two days and a night’s street fighting, the most tiring and trying type of fighting even under the best conditions.

(Quoted in Patrick Delaforce, Marching to the Sound of Gunfire: North West Europe, 1944-5, 138)

Born on 22 September 1909 in Hanover Square, Glamorgan, Wales, Ivor Leith Reeves was commissioned into the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in 1930. He earned the Military Cross as a company commander in the 1st Battalion during the Battle of France in May 1940. During the Normandy campaign, he took command of the 4th Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in the 11th Armoured Division in July 1944.

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Lt-Col. J.G. Dawson

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Lieutenant-Colonel J.G. Dawson
7th/9th Battalion, Royal Scots

Everyone, apart from the natural dislike of battle itself, thoroughly enjoyed their time with the Armour and we were awfully glad to have stayed with them so long. They were stirring times and length of advances were sometimes amazing. It was an odd feeling at times to find oneself sitting in a car motoring perhaps 60 miles through Germany, knowing full well that only the road itself, and perhaps a quarter of a mile on either side of it, had been cleared the day before.

(Quoted in Trevor Royle, The Royal Scots, 169)

Born on 14 January 1911 in Edinburgh, John Gillon Dawson was a Territorial Army officer and stockbroker. He was commissioned in the Royal Scots and promoted to captain in 1937. He served as second-in-command of the 7th/9th Battalion, Royal Scots, which deployed to Belgium with the 52nd Division in October 1944.

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Lt-Col. M.R.J. Hope-Thomson

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Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Hope-Thomson
1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Throughout many successful battles his personal example of coolness and courage was an inspiration to his officers and men and his military judgement was invariably sound. His battalion’s successes speak for themselves.

(D.S.O. citation)

Born on 2 May 1911 in Edinburgh, Maxwell Richard Julian Hope-Thomson was commissioned into the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1931 after attending Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He earned the Military Cross while serving with the 1st Battalion during the Arab Revolt in Palestine in 1936. He commanded a company of the 2nd Battalion in France in 1940. He attended staff college in 1941, qualified as a paratrooper, and by 1942 commanded the 4th Parachute Regiment. He was subsequently promoted to brigadier of the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade and served in the Burma campaign.

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Lt-Col. M.E. Melvill

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Lieutenant-Colonel M.E. Melvill
7th/9th Battalion, Royal Scots

Later, Melvill, coming up to assess the situation was hit while shouting across the floods to Major Rose; he fell, badly wounded, and his signaller was killed. Hoisting himself up in the water he shouted, ‘On the Royals!’

(Gerard Rawling, Cinderella Operation, 1980, 94)

Born on 14 February 1910 in Knutsford, Cheshire, Michael Ernest Mevill was a commissioned officer in the Royal Scots since 1930.  He was promoted to captain in 1938. He assumed command of the 7th/9th Battalion, Royal Scots in the 52nd Division, which deployed to Belgium in October 1944. Mevill was severely wounded by a sniper at Walcheren.

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Lt-Col. A.W.N.L. Vickers

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Lieutenant-Colonel Bill Vickers
1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

If you’re going to go and indulge in a war, you’ve got to be trained for it. And it is no use being heroic and going off fighting the 16th Panzer Grenadier Division with bows and arrows. You’ve got to have the equipment to do it. Provide you’ve got adequate equipment and provided you’re properly trained, and you’ve got a good command structure, and through your training your morale is high because you believe in your own fitness and prowess and you have pride in your unit, then I reckon you are ready for war.

(IWM interview, 6 Mar 1986)

Born on 19 January 1914 in London, Arthur William Neville Langston Vickers was a Regular Army officer, cricket player, rugby player and boxer. He attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1934. He spent several years in India and Burma during the late 1930s, until being recalled on the eve of the Second World War. He served as a company commander in the 1st Battalion, KOYLI in France until April 1940, when his brigade was assigned to operations in Norway.

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Lt-Col. R.E. Osborne-Smith

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Lieutenant-Colonel R.E. Osborne-Smith
1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

I was brought before the Colonel (R.E. Osborne-Smith) and accused of ill treating an officer POW. I was questioned and explained exactly what had happened. The Colonel listened carefully and then said, ‘I reprimand you for ill-treatment in the field, to a prisoner of war’. He then got up, shook me by the hand and said ‘Roy, why didn’t you shoot the bastard?’

(Quoted from Lt. Roy Humphreys in Rex Fellows, Fragments of Battle, 92)

Born on 18 July 1908 in Saint Helier, Jersey, Robert Edward Osborne-Smith was a cricket player and commissioned officer in the Northamptonshire Regiment since 1929. During the 1930s, he played cricket for the Indian Army, the Egypt national team and the British Army. He became adjutant in 1937 but by 1944 he had been posted 4th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment as second-in-command.

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Lt-Col. A.R. Harrison

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Lieutenant-Colonel Roy Harrison
1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Before joining the Battalion, I went to a Transit Camp … and found myself sharing a tent with Lt Col Roy Harrison – who was on his way home having been evacuated suffering from battle exhaustion. At the time I was extremely fit and yet Roy insisted that I went jogging with him for miles every day! I was glad to be sent forward to the Regiment as quickly as possible!”

(Quoted from Lt. Peter Hall in Rex Fellows, Fragments of Battle, 10)

Born on 30 April 1909 in Morecambe, Lancashire, Antony Roy Harrison was a solicitor, cricket player and prewar Territorial Army officer. He was commissioned with the Worcestershire Regiment in 1924 and transferred to the reserve list in 1934. After being recalled to active service in September 1939, he mobilized with 10th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment and became later second-in-command.

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Lt-Col. G. Taylor

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Lieutenant-Colonel George Taylor
5th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry

[I] experienced a deep feeling of gratitude to my officers and men. I looked upon them as my sons. They had never failed me, and thank God, they can go back in due course to their families.

(Quoted in Daily Telegraph, 25 Jul 1994, 21)

Born on 17 September 1905 in Blundellsands, Lancashire, George Taylor formerly worked on the Liverpool Cotton Exchange and belonged to the Territorial Army officer before taking a regular commission with the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1929. He participated in the failed Norway campaign of 1940 and afterward served as a staff officer in Madagascar and India, which he regarded as “wasting the war.”

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