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Many years ago I was sat with my Father in Law,He was a very humble man never talked about much but his health had declined and we were sat on our own so I asked him about his younger years, He never talked about the war until I asked and he told me this, Was February 1944 at Monte Casino, He was a private in the Koyli Regiment, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, At Monte Casino the German Army were pushing back and a British Forward Line Hospital had fallen behind enemy lines, One of dads friends was in there, He took it upon his self to fight his way back 3 miles to the hospital there were 5 soldiers and 3 officers there , He rescued all 8 and got them back to there own lines with no help, He said nothing to anyone on his return only to hand them over to medics later on he was given the MM - Military Medal. Yet until now had never mentioned this being such a quite peaceful man, He has long passed now but I still feel so proud and humbled by him and to know the man behind this story, HE WAS BURIED WITH HIS MEDAL .

Oh, yes, Spartantracks, that's the makings of a movie with a genuine hero. I can well understand your being impressed; I am!
During WWII my former father-in-law as a spy in Panama looking for Germans hiding there. He had a few stories for me, if anyone is interested.

My father in law was in the KOYLI's too, went ashore at Anzio, then shipped out to Palestine and then straight back to Germany. He ended up at Neuengamme.

My Father was born on 30 June 1913, almost 3 years to the day 1st July 1916 his Father Christopher died leading his regiment at the first battle of the Somme,
Being a military family my Father went through Sandhurst but instead of joining the British army he was commissioned into the Indian army,
In 1939 with the outbreak of war he resigned and joined the County regiment the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Yeomanry (Later Regiment), being part of the British Expeditionary Force the Beds and Herts were soon in France,
The retreat took him and his comrades to Dunkirk where he helped to relieve the Naffi of many drums of senior service cigarettes which he stowed into his large and small packs,
He managed to board a Destroyer but it was bombed leaving harbour and he was badly injured and thrown into the sea, being a non swimmer his looted drums of cigarettes kept him afloat until he was rescued,
He was hospitalised for many months but was unfit for military service.
He signed up with the USAAF as a civilian Armourer at a bomber base in Hertfordshire through the rest of the War dying in 1964,
I was flown home to see him arriving just in time,
My lasting memory is of a very ill man of just 51 years who looked more like 70 but his smile at seeing his son in uniform took years from his features and when he died a couple of days later I was happy to know he had seen that the family tradition was being continued.

Spartantracks wrote: ↑Wed May 25, 2022 12:42 pm Many years ago I was sat with my Father in Law,He was a very humble man never talked about much but his health had declined and we were sat on our own so I asked him about his younger years, He never talked about the war until I asked and he told me this, Was February 1944 at Monte Casino, He was a private in the Koyli Regiment, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, At Monte Casino the German Army were pushing back and a British Forward Line Hospital had fallen behind enemy lines, One of dads friends was in there, He took it upon his self to fight his way back 3 miles to the hospital there were 5 soldiers and 3 officers there , He rescued all 8 and got them back to there own lines with no help, He said nothing to anyone on his return only to hand them over to medics later on he was given the MM - Military Medal. Yet until now had never mentioned this being such a quite peaceful man, He has long passed now but I still feel so proud and humbled by him and to know the man behind this story, HE WAS BURIED WITH HIS MEDAL .

I always thought it was disgraceful that a Ranker got the Military Medal and a Commissioned Officer got the Military Cross for displaying the same level of courage in the field,
Fortunately wiser and more egalitarian heads changed that class division after WW2 and now the Military Cross is awarded to all ranks.