Victoria Cross awards to
The Royal Norfolk Regt in WW2
Norfolk Section
The Britannia and Castle		      

BYRON
‘These are deeds which should not pass away,
And names that should not wither.'

Click photographs to enlarge

Cpl Sidney Bates   WO2 George Gristock   Capt David Jamieson   Lt George Knowland   Capt John Randle
Centurion   VCs Forfeited
In May 2003 only 15 Victoria Cross winners were alive - see Alfred J Askin on surviving VCs

THE VICTORIA CROSS
The Victoria Cross was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856, as a means of rewarding an officer or man of the Army or Navy who might perform 'some signal act of valour or devotion to his country in the presence of the enemy'.

Signal is the correct term, meaning significant at that point in time.

There are currently (Nov  05) 1352 VCs on the Register of the Victoria Cross (This England Books, 1997).
The actual number of VCs awarded is 1354, 3 men having won it twice and one to the American Unknown Soldier.

During WW2 members of the British armed forces were awarded 106 Victoria Crosses.

Soldiers of The Norfolk and Royal Norfolk Regiments have been awarded 24 VCs, and in the Second World War 5 Royal Norfolk Regiment soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross, more than any other Regiment: Cpl Sidney Bates 6 Aug 1944 Sourdeval, WO2 George Gristock 21 May 1940 Tournai, Capt David Jamieson 8 Aug 1944 Normandy, Lt George Knowland 31 Jan 1945 Burma and Capt John Randle 4 May 1944 Kohima.

B&C 85 Dec 95 extracts from The Britannia Feb 1946: The 30th Battalion in Italy were brief but so poignant in their report of a Guardsman NCO who had seen a Britannia badge in Toc-H, Perigna. Being interested in such things he asked what Regimental badge it was. On being told he said: 'Oh, that VC Crowd.'
Norwich City Council honoured the five Royal Norfolk Regiment WW2 recipients of the Victoria Cross by naming 5 roads after them on a new estate at Costessey near the Dereham-Norwich Road. A list of the 24 men connected with the County or County Regiment awarded the VC since its inception included 2 other Norfolk residents honoured in WW2 - Lt Col DA Seagram of Whissonsett For Valour at the Mareth Line and CSM P Wright of Kirstead for conspicuous bravery at Salerno.
Corporal Sidney Bates 1st Bn The Royal Norfolk Regiment

Sourdeval painting by the late Lt Col Gerald Hare
Sourdeval painting by the late Lt Col Gerald Hare

In North-West Europe on 6th August, 1944, the position held by a battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment near Sourdeval was attacked in strength by 10th SS Panzer Division. The attack started with a heavy and accurate artillery and mortar programme on the position which the enemy had, by this time, pin-pointed. Half an hour later the main attack developed and heavy machine-gun and mortar fire was concentrated on the point of junction of the two forward companies. Corporal Bates was commanding the right forward section of the left forward company which suffered some casualties so he decided to move the remnants of his section to an alternative position whence he appreciated he could better counter the enemy thrust. However, the enemy wedge grew still deeper, until there were about 50 to 60 Germans. supported by machine-guns and mortars, in the area occupied by the section. Seeing that the situation was becoming desperate, Corporal Bates then seized a light machine-gun and charged the gun from his hip. He was almost immediately wounded by machine-gun fire and fell to the ground but recovered himself quickly, got up and continued advancing towards the enemy, spraying bullets from his gun as he went. His action by now was having an effect on the enemy riflemen and machine gunners but mortar bombs continued to fall all around him. He was then hit for the second time and much more seriously and painfully wounded. However, undaunted, he staggered once more to his feet and continued towards the enemy who were now seemingly nonplussed by their inability to check him. His constant firing continued until the enemy started to withdraw before him. At this moment, he was hit for the third time by mortar bomb splinters - a wound that was to prove mortal. He again fell to the ground but continued to fire his weapon until his strength failed him. This was not, however, until the enemy had withdrawn and the situation in this locality had been restored. Corporal Bates died shortly afterwards of the wounds he had received but by his supreme gallantry and self-sacrifice he had personally restored what had been a critical situation.

See:

From Tom Bates certcito@dnai.com Berkeley, California in Oct 2002:
You may interested in my dual-language book, Normandy: The Search for Sidney / Normandie: A La Recherche de Sidney.
The 'Sidney' of the book's title was Corporal Sidney Bates, VC, a young, working-class, cockney boy who lived in Camberwell, South London, England. In June 1940, after the miraculous evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from France through Dunkirk, he enlisted in the Royal Norfolk Regiment, one of the elite regiments of the British Army. Four years later, by then a highly trained infantryman, he was in the assault division at the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. For two months after that he and his unit, 11 Platoon, 'B' Company, the 1st Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment, of 3 British Infantry Division, the famous 'Iron Division', fought in one battle after another as the Germans were slowly pushed back through the heavily defended hedgerow country of Normandy, the formidable bocage.
Sidney fought his last battle on August 6, 1944, near the hamlet of Pavee hidden deep in the bocage about 5 miles east of Vire. There, with his outnumbered battalion threatened by German Tiger tanks on both flanks, he turned back one frontal attack after another of Panzergrenadiers of 10 SS Panzer Division. Felled three times by the enemy's machinegun bullets and by mortar, grenade and shell fragments, he fought on until he could fight no more. But, all alone, he broke up the German attack and saved his battalion from being overrun. For that act of courage and self-sacrifice he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award issued by the British for valour.
Sadly, Sidney died of his wounds two days later so the award, like so many awards of the Victoria Cross, was a posthumous one. He was twenty-three years old.
Finding the battlefield forty years after the battle proved to be surprisingly difficult. That was the 'Search for Sidney' of the book's title. Finally, with the help of two of Sidney's former comrades-in-arms and with the aid of local French people who had been caught up in the same battle, I found the exact field in which Sidney made his last stand. Today, carefully maintained by the locals, there is a monument nearby to record exactly where it all happened.
The book was translated into French by my friend, Jean Brisset of Flers, Normandy. I could not have found Sidney's battlefield without his help. The two languages, English and French, are printed side by side in parallel columns in such a way that, with the aid of the computer, one language never outstrips the other thus maintaining the entente cordiale between our two cultures!
Jean Brisset also helped me translate the other two sections of the book. The second section, The Madame Lenaud Story, refutes a libel perpetrated by Daryl Zanuck in the movie he made of Cornelius Ryan's fine book, ‘The Longest Day’. In that movie, Zanuck identified the drunken fireman who smooched the commando leader, Lord Lovat (played by Peter Lawford), fighting his way ashore, as the Mayor of Colleville-sur-Orne, a village about a mile or so inland from Sword beach. With the help of Madame Suzanne Lenauld, the daughter-in-law of the late Mayor, Alphonse Lenauld, I have proved that Zanuck's account is completely untrue.
The third section of the book, written by the late Lt Col Eric Lummis, is an account of how the 1st Bn The Suffolk Regiment captured Hillman on D-Day. Hillman was the code name given to the formidable, Maginot-like German strongpoint built near the village of Colleville-sur-Orne to bar the way from Sword beach to Caen. It was the most formidable of all the objectives that had to be taken on D-Day by any of the Allied forces. Today, Hillman is preserved as a memorial to the 1 Suffolk Regiment.
John Matheson, a Canadian notable and no mean soldier himself, wrote the Introduction. Sir John Keegan, Carlo D'Este, Paul Fussell and other well-known authors have reviewed the book favourably. Charles Whiting called it ‘Private Ryan in print!’
It is described in detail on the website, www.batesbooks.com
The book is available in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. The price in the USA is $30, plus shipping and handling and taxes (if applicable). The prices in other countries are converted at current rates of exchange.
Please go to the website www.batesbooks.com for ordering instructions.

Lieutenant George Arthur Knowland, The Royal Norfolk Regiment, attached No 1 Commando.
Born 16 Aug 1922 in Catford, Kent, he was educated at Elmwood Road School where he won, in 1939, a scholarship to the Technical School. From there he went to the School of Fellowship of St Christopher, joined the R Norfolk Regt as a Pte in 1941 and was Commissioned later that year.
In Burma on 31st January, 1945, near Kangaw, Lieutenant Knowland was commanding the forward platoon of a Troop positioned on the extreme North of a hill which was subjected to very heavy and repeated enemy attacks throughout the whole day. Before the first attack started, Lieutenant Knowland's platoon was heavily mortared and machine gunned, yet he moved about among his men keeping them alert and encouraging them, though under fire himself at the time. When the enemy, some 300 strong in all, made their first assault they concentrated all their effects on his platoon of 24 men but in spite of the ferocity of the attack, he moved about from trench to trench distributing ammunition, and firing his rifle and throwing grenades at the enemy, often from completely exposed positions. Later, when the crew of one of his forward Bren guns had all been wounded, he sent back to troop Headquarters for another crew and ran forward to man the gun himself until they arrived. The enemy was then less than 10 yards from him in dead ground down the hill so in order to get a better field of fire, he stood on top of the trench, firing the light machine gun from his hip and successfully keeping them at a distance until a Medical Orderly had dressed and evacuated the wounded men behind him. the new Bren Gun team also became casualties on the way up and Lieutenant Knowland continued to fire the gun until another team took over. Later, when a fresh attack came in he took over a 2 inch Mortar and in spire of heavy fire and the closeness of the enemy, he stood up in the open to face them, firing the mortar from his hip and killing six of them with his first bomb. When all bombs were expended he went back through heavy grenade, mortar and machine gun fire to get more, which he fired in the same way from the open in front of his platoon positions. When those bombs were finished he went back to his own trench and still standing up fired his rifle at them. Being hard pressed and with the enemy closing in on him from only 10 yards away, he had no time to re-charge his magazine. Snatching up the Tommy gun of a casualty, he sprayed the enemy and was mortally wounded stemming this assault, though not before he had killed and wounded many of the enemy. Such was the inspiration of his magnificent heroism, that, though fourteen out of twenty-four of his platoon became casualties at an early stage, and six of his positions were over-run by the enemy, his men held on through twelve hours of continuous and fierce fighting until reinforcements arrived. If this Northern end of the hill had fallen the rest of the hill would have been endangered, the beach-head dominated by the enemy and other units farther inland cut off from their source of supplies. As it was, the final successful counter-attack was later launched from the vital ground which Lieutenant Knowland had taken such a gallant part in holding.
This Officer's action is remarkable in that a mortar fired from the hip produces significant recoil.
His grave is in Taukkyan War Cemetery, Burma.
(And see e-mails Dec 03.)
B&C 101 Dec 03

Warrant Officer Class II George Gristock, The Royal Norfolk Regiment.
For most conspicuous gallantry on the 21st May 1940, when his company was holding a position on the line of the River Escaut, south of Tournai.
After a prolonged attack, the enemy succeeded in breaking through beyond the company's right flank which was consequently threatened.
Company Sergeant-Major Gristock, having organised a party of eight riflemen from company headquarters, went forward to cover the right flank.
Realising that an enemy machine-gun had moved forward to a position from which it was inflicting heavy casualties on his company, Company Sergeant-Major Gristock went on, with one man as connecting file, to try to put it out of action.
Whilst advancing, he came under heavy machine gun fire from the opposite bank and was severely wounded in both legs, his right knee being badly smashed. He nevertheless gained his fire position, some twenty yards from the enemy machine gun post undetected, and by well aimed rapid fire killed the machine gun crew of four and put their gun out of action. He then dragged himself back to the right flank position from which he refused to be evacuated until contact with the battalion on the right had been established and the line once more made good. By his gallant action, the position of the company was secured, and many casualties prevented.
Sergeant Major Gristock died in a Brighton hospital on 16th June 1940.
His grave is at Bear Road Cemetery, Brighton, Sussex, England. War Graves Section. Plot ZGL, Grave 28.

Lieutenant (temporary Captain) John Neil Randle, The Royal Norfolk Regiment
On the 4th May, 1944, at Kohima in Assam, a Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment attacked the Japanese positions on a nearby ridge. Captain Randle took over command of the Company which was leading the attack when the Company Commander was severely wounded. His handling of a difficult situation in the face of heavy fire was masterly and although wounded himself in the knee by grenade splinters he continued to inspire his men by his initiative, courage and outstanding leadership until the Company had captured its objective and consolidated its position. He then went forward and brought in all the wounded men who were lying outside the perimeter. In site of his painful wound Captain Randle refused to be evacuated and insisted on carrying out a personal reconnaissance with great daring in bright moonlight prior to a further attack by his Company on the position to which the enemy had withdrawn. At dawn on 6th May the attack opened, led by Captain Randle, and one of the platoons succeeded in reaching the crest of the hill held by the Japanese. Another platoon, however, ran into heavy medium machine gun fire from a bunker on the reverse slope of the feature. Captain Randle immediately appreciated that this particular bunker covered not only the rear of his new position but also the line of communication of the battalion and therefore the destruction of the enemy post was imperative if the operation was to succeed. With utter disregard of the obvious danger to himself Captain Randle charged the Japanese machine gun post single-handed with rifle and bayonet. Although bleeding in the face and mortally wounded by numerous bursts of machine gun fire he reached the bunker and silenced the gun with a grenade thrown through the bunker slit. He then flung his body across the slit so that the aperture should be completely sealed. The bravery shown by this officer could not have been surpassed and by his self-sacrifice he saved the lives of many of his men and enabled not only his own Company but the whole Battalion to gain its objective and win a decisive victory over the enemy.
(His brother-in-law was Flying Officer Leslie T Manser, posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his action on 30 May 1942.)
Click here to read what the late Winkie Fitt said about this heroism.

CAPT JACK RANDLE VC BY 'CENTURION'
In a slim volume ‘More Men whose fathers were men - their medals and their message’ published in the 1950s, written under the pseudonym ‘Centurion’, of which there are copies in RHQ Norwich, there are several mentions of Capt Jack Randle VC. It is always interesting to read interpretations of events and compare them with the official citation, above.
‘There are many VCs and most have a thrilling story attached to them. I can think of none finer than that of Capt Jack Randle, 2 R Norfolk, for he must have known that which he resolved to do, certain death awaited him. It was at Kohima, on 6 May 1944, that his Coy was held up by machine gun fire from a Japanese position. Leaving his CSM to command the party which was being decimated by a stream of bullets from the enemy position, Randle attacked it alone. He bombed the slit so that no further aimed fire was possible and any rounds expended would have to be fired through his body. That was indeed Valiant. Capt Randle has left to posterity an example of Valour which can never be excelled. The glory of his conduct has been safeguarded in the Regt in several ways.'
‘Jack was a friend of the late Gp Capt Leonard Cheshire VC RAF. In ‘For Valour’ by Lt Col Kenneth Scott-Hare (who rose from Pte, took part in the D-Day Landings and was with 1st Airborne) published 1949: ‘Such bravery cannot have been surpassed, and no wonder Leonard Cheshire says it brought tears to his eyes to read of his friend’s gallantry.’
Centurion adds: ‘Not Randle’s death mark you, his gallantry’.

CENTURION
Does anyone know the true name of ‘Centurion’? The Norfolk Editor has a gut feeling that he was a Royal Norfolk, especially in his observation: ‘It may well be that local influences caused my mind to dwell upon Randle and his sublime heroism in that single-handed act of gallantry. Perhaps it was that final determination of Randle’s to make certain that his object was successful, that jamming of his stricken body into the loophole, which is so remarkable. Be that as it may, Randle’s sacrifice is one that comes instantly to my mind as the finest example of single-handed gallantry I know.’
B&C 101 Dec 03

References:

  • British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997). Detailed action account plus campaign context.
  • The Britannia Nos 27 to 31, 1946-48.
  • Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999). Provides an accurate record of every known grave and memorial.
  • The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England Books, 1997).
  • The Victoria Cross Reference at www.chapter-one.com/vc/default.asp features all the VCs won since the Victoria Cross was instituted in 1856, maintained by Mike Chapman mikec@chapter-one.com
  • VC Research www.victoriacross.co.uk maintained by the late Alfred J Askin, now continued by his grandson Rhys Adams research@victoriacross.co.uk

  • ‘More Men whose fathers were men - their medals and their message’ published in the 1950s, written under the pseudonym ‘Centurion’.

Editorial Rule
To qualify for inclusion there is only one rule - something described must have been said to have happened.
The authority is the Editor, British Army Review No 114 Dec 96, `If the facts don`t fit the legend, print the legend’.
Rule Britannia!

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Editor, Norfolk Section, The Britannia and Castle
 B&C Norfolk Editor