I thought today would be an appropriate time to post this little snippet I found in the Yorkshire Post.
This guy was a tank radio operator in the Royal Armoured Corps, and took part in one of the biggest tank battles ever fought, on 17th July 1944, on the plains south-east of Caen. "We were supposed to straighten out the German line, but the Germans straightened us out" he said. His Churchill tank was struck by an 88mm shell from a German tiger tank, and exploded into flames, vaporising his four crew mates. Miraculously, he was thrown clear into a cornfield, and captured by the Germans, spending the rest of the war in German custody.
After the war, he married, raised a family, and became a book-keeper in the steel industry. This is just a reminder of the price paid by so many for the freedoms we take so much for granted.
I didn't know this chap (some of you may have done so), but he and his comrades are heroes, and I am grateful. And he's a Blade, and I am proud.
This guy was a tank radio operator in the Royal Armoured Corps, and took part in one of the biggest tank battles ever fought, on 17th July 1944, on the plains south-east of Caen. "We were supposed to straighten out the German line, but the Germans straightened us out" he said. His Churchill tank was struck by an 88mm shell from a German tiger tank, and exploded into flames, vaporising his four crew mates. Miraculously, he was thrown clear into a cornfield, and captured by the Germans, spending the rest of the war in German custody.
After the war, he married, raised a family, and became a book-keeper in the steel industry. This is just a reminder of the price paid by so many for the freedoms we take so much for granted.
I didn't know this chap (some of you may have done so), but he and his comrades are heroes, and I am grateful. And he's a Blade, and I am proud.
