Lieutenant-Colonel Kit Gough
1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (The Buffs)

The role of 1st Suffolk on D day was: 1st to capture a Battery of guns covering beach 2nd To clear the village of Coalville 3rd To capture strong point “Hillman.”

First two were easy, but “Hillman” proved difficult nut to crack, & was finally taken about 7 PM “D” day. The slowness has been the subject of severe criticism in the Book (forgotten name!) concerning the whole campaign in N.W. Europe. When I visited “Hillman” last year, (most of the concrete works remain) I pondered over the problem again, and realised what a tough egg it was.

(Gough questionnaire, Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 021, folder 04, 1958)

Born on 30 August 1907 in Pocklington, Yorkshire, James Gordon Milestone Boulter Gough was commissioned into the Lincolnshire Regiment in 1928. During the 1930s, he served overseas with the 1st Battalion in Gibraltar, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and India. He was a company commander with the 2nd Battalion during the Battle of France in 1940. Afterwards he became second-in-command, then at the end 1942 was instructor at the school of infantry. In October 1943, he was posted to the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment as second-in-command.

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