Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Captain

Unit:

5th SAS Regiment, Special Air Service (SAS), Combined Operations Headquarters, War Office, British Government

Citation:
"This officer showed the highest qualities of leadership, foresight, courage and fortitude during a six month mission in enemy occupied territory. He parachuted into HOLLAND behind the lines at WESTERBORK (DRENTHE) on 26 Sep with a party of six and he at once contacted the underground organisation and sent back a constant stream of information on resistance movements, enemy dispositions and moevement, V1 and V2 launching sites and other bombing targets which were successfully attacked.
He soon realised that to be overrun by the Allied advance would not be a quastion of weeks (as had been expected) but of months and far greater risks would have to be accepted.
An attack on his hideout at ORVELTE by 30 SS on 21 Oct found him ready; he managed to get his party to safety but his civilian helpers having fled or been captured, lost contact with Dutch resistance and had to abandon all his supplies and equipment.
By his untiring example, he kept high the morale of his exhausted and starving party, leading them on an eight days trek through enemy infested country. Having regainged contact with resistance elements at OMMEN, he resumed work at once.
On 4 Dec - he had just sent his W/T team to a safer palce - the gipsy wagon, in which he had established his report centre, was surrounded at 2015 hrs by 25 SS and engaged with heavy automatic fire and grenades. He fought his way out, shooting down one officer and 2 ORs; one of his men was hit, he himself wounded in two places. He kept his party going the whle night until safe shelter and medical attendance was found.
Constandly and closely pursued by the enemy from then on, he managed to evade cleverly and escape capture for the next three months, carrying on doggedly with his mission, painstakingly maintaining some net of information at all times, taking great risks to send back the greates possible amount of messages until he received the order to return through the Allied lines and was exfiltrated 17 Mar 45.
Without his bold, cautious, alert and resourceful leadership, this successful mission, which considerably outgrew it's original scope and duration, would have ended most certainly in disaster.
This officer was previously entrusted with two other parachute operations which he achieved with commendable success:
I) East of LE MANS (France) 27 Jul to 14 Aug 44
II) Belgian Ardennes (Gedinnes) 30 Aug to 12 Sep 44"