RIP sir

Yet one more of the great & good Veterans has gone to meet up at parade in Heaven

Rest in peace old warrior.
john

French Colonel Jean Sassi, former Jedburgh, former Force 136 has passed away on the 9th of January 2009.

After WW2, he went on to fight in Indochina, creating the GCMA, an SF unit tasked with training and leading Montagnard tribes of the Vietnamese highlands against the Vietcong. He had up to 2,000 tribesmen under his orders in 1954. The US employed the same technique with their SF through the CIDG program (Civilian Irregular defence group) when they took over the fight in Vietnam in the 60s.

Unfortunately, no obituary in any decent french paper to offer...fairly typical.

A book on his life is nevertheless soon to be published.



RIP

Whilst checking the local rag (Lancashire Evening Telegraph) from afar came across this dated Fri. 30th Jan which I doubt will make the nationals (could be wrong) but just in case it doesn't.

Former Great Harwood RAF pilot dies, 92

A BATTLE of Britain fighter pilot was honoured at a touching memorial service after he died aged 92.

Squadron Leader Donald Mercer A.E, who was born and bred in Great Harwood, flew Hurricanes and Spitfires and was in many of World War Two’s most dramatic campaigns.

He led missions in both Europe and the Far East, escorted Atlantic and Baltic convoys, served in India and Burma and was in Singapore during the Japanese invasion.

Little is known about the details of campaigns Sqn Ldr Mercer led, as he remained very reluctant to discuss the war throughout his life.

However, as a squadron leader who was commissioned in 1939, he would have been one of the first pilots to fly at the head of new tight ‘v formations’, facing the enemy head-on.

At his memorial service in Accrington Crematorium today, his coffin was carried into the small chapel, draped with the Royal Air Force Association flag.

On top lay his peaked RAF cap and medals, including the 39-45 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Burma Star, the Defence Medal, the Victory Medal, and the prestigious Air Efficiency Medal which was given to long-service officers.

Following a flag bearer and a bugle player from the RAFA who would later sound the last post, over 100 mourners filled the small chapel.

Reading the eulogy, Sqn Ldr Mercer’s son Tim told how his father had never lost his love of flying and had flown over the coast of Australia with an instructor just seven years ago at the age of 85.

He went on to describe his father’s early passion for roller hockey at his grandfather’s skating rink in Great Harwood and how he was capped for England, playing matches in Europe and at home.

After the war, Sqn Ldr Mercer became Deputy Commanding Officer for the City of Manchester Auxiliary Squadron at Ringway until 1960, when he returned home to run a men’s outfitters in Great Harwood.

A lifetime supporter of Blackburn Rovers - still going to Rovers’ matches in his eighties - he also loved golf.

Donald was a member of Great Harwood Golf Club for 80 years, holding the record for the longest membership and also served as director and president.

His daughter Lesley said: “Pilots like him lost so many friends in the war that they didn’t like to speak about it much.

"His generation did so much, and we will never know everything they did.”

One of the few times that he was known to have spoken of his experiences was in 2003, while attending a Westminster Abbey service marking the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Attending the service with his wife, Jean, and wearing his original uniform, he described how comrades were dying at the rate of one a fortnight.

"I was nicknamed 'Pop' because, at 24, I was the oldest. The other pilots were around 19 and 20.”

The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces.

Sqn Ldr Mercer is survived by his children Nicola, Lesley and Tim, grandchildren Naomi and Matthew and his wife Joan, who lives in Rishton.

lancslad

These are the kind of men I want my kids to be and wish that I was half as good! The mold has been broken right enough!
73 de Whitewolf

Commander the Reverend 2nd Lord Sandford

He completed his training in the cruisers Orion and Ajax and the destroyer Hasty in the eastern Mediterranean, and cheerfully recorded in his midshipman's journal the poor marksmanship of Italian bombers before experiencing much more terrifying German efforts during the evacuation of Crete in 1941. As a gunnery officer he served in the destroyer Eskimo during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa, and the interception of Rommel's army to Italy after Admiral "ABC" Cunningham issued his order to "let nothing pass". Edmonson's example of keenness and efficiency while under constant attack earned him the Distinguished Service Cross.

On D-Day he was second in command of the destroyer Cattistock which led the minesweeper force towards Gold Beach. He then worked inshore, defending the eastern flank of the invasion beaches until, on the night of August 29, Cattistock and the destroyer Retalick intercepted a large enemy convoy and came under heavy fire from coastal batteries. When Cattistock's captain was mortally wounded, Edmondson, who had also been hit, assumed command to bring her safely back to Portsmouth.

After specialising in signals he joined the destroyer Saumarez in 1946 when she struck a mine in Corfu Channel laid by the Albanians. Her bows were blown off. Between 30 and 40 sailors were killed. Edmondson's jaw was broken. But he insisted on helping to connect a line from the destroyer Volage to tow Saumarez backwards out of the minefield.

On recovering from his wounds he married Catharine Hunt, a clergyman's daughter, though the marriage had to be postponed for 24 hours when the bride became ill. The 200 guests arrived from all over the country to be immediately directed to the wedding breakfast, where the bridegroom cut the cake. But they had to wait until next morning, when the bride was fully recovered, to attend the church ceremony.

Edmondson served as St Vincent house officer at Dartmouth and master of the Britannia beagles; flag lieutenant to Admiral Sir Charles Lambe; signal officer of the cruiser Cleopatra; and fleet communications officer. Then, in 1956, he resigned his commission, thereby forfeiting his pension, to study for Holy Orders at Westcott House, Cambridge.

Just heard that Maurice Hillebrandt MBE has died. His indefatigable efforts resulted in the Normandy RN/RM Memorial.. He will be much missed at this year's 65th commemorations.

Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Heaven MC

Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Heaven, who has died aged 89, was the last officer-cadet to be awarded the Sword of Honour at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich before it closed in 1939, and was later awarded a Military Cross as a mountain battery commander in Italy.

In November 1943 Heaven landed at Naples with 479 Light Battery, which had 3.7in guns that split into eight pieces to be transported by mules. These (he recalled in his memoirs) were beautiful, placid, broad-backed beasts, which were drilled to prepare for action by standing in a circle looking outwards, with a smaller, pivot mule at the centre. The unit would march six days a week between dawn and around 6pm, halting every two hours for a 20-minute break. The animals would then be unloaded and watered, have their girths slackened and their hooves inspected for repair, if necessary, by the farrier sergeant using a portable anvil.

Though the battery trailed well behind the front-line troops as it marched north, it none the less amazed infantry battalions it passed by its average speed of five miles an hour and the way the animals held their heads down with their ears flopping backwards and forwards in a way that suggested a happy acceptance of their lot.

Heaven proved an efficient officer, refusing to allow the men to drink water before lunch because it made them drowsy, and not letting officers ride unless they were sick or checking the rear of the column. He was involved in several skirmishes with stragglers from the retreating German army before he earned his MC supporting some Gurkhas on August 26 1944, near Bologna.

Have just heard that Colonel David Wood OBLI, one of the platoon commanders in John Howard's coup de main party died yesterday (12 Mar 09) of prostate cancer.

An obit will appear in The Times shortly.

Sir, I salute you.

Squadron Leader Tom McPhee (bet you couldn't get a Typhoon attacking at this (see below) height!

Squadron Leader Tom McPhee, who has died aged 91, piloted one of the Mosquitos that flew on Operation Jericho, a daring low-level attack to breach the walls of Amiens prison to liberate members of the French Resistance who were due to be shot the next day.

During early 1944 news reached London that up to 120 prisoners were facing execution, some on February 19, and the RAF was ordered to attack the prison in an attempt to free them. Two days before the first executions 18 crews of No 140 Wing, commanded by Group Captain "Pick" Pickard (famous for his appearance in the 1941 documentary Target for Tonight), received their briefing.

They were shown a replica model of the prison, and told to fly as low as 25ft. The aim was to drop delay-fused bombs to blow two holes in the walls, while a second group would open up the ends of the cruciform-shaped prison and destroy the German quarters. It was to this second task that McPhee and his navigator were assigned.

The weather on the day was appalling, but it was decided that the attack must go ahead. The 18 Mosquito bombers took off in blizzard conditions at 11am to rendezvous with their fighter escort. Three bombers were forced to turn back, but the leading section from No 487 (RNZAF) Squadron attacked the north and east walls successfully, and a few minutes later McPhee and his fellow pilots of No 464 (RAAF) Squadron attacked the prison, blowing the ends off the main building.

The attacks were of pinpoint accuracy, and a third wave of aircraft was not required, but was ordered to return to base. Whilst circling to observe the results, Pickard was shot down by a German fighter – he and his long-serving navigator, Bill Broadley, were killed.

Casualties in the prison were high, with 102 prisoners killed by the bombing or by German machine-gun fire; 50 German staff were also killed. But 258 prisoners managed to escape, including 12 of those who were due to be shot the following day.