The old guard passes : October - December 2020

We mark the passing on the next page of those who served this country particularly in conflicts. Contributions from comrades and families welcome - write to the editor This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ANDREWS George Richard Albert Andrews died 24 November 2020 aged 93 Glosters

ANNETT Lt Cdr Michael "John" Muskett Annett died 26 October 2020 aged 98

BASS Julian Harry James RN 29th September 1933 - 17th November 2020 Far East, West Indies and South Atlantic stations

BERESFORD Lt Cdr (Peter) John Beresford DSC 31 March 1923 - 9 September 2020 816 Sqn Fleet Air Arm . HMS Chaser Arctic convoy escort 2 U-boat "kills". D-Day submarine searching

BLAGDEN Brig Patrick Martin Blagden CBE died 17 December 2020 aged 92 Royal Engineers

BROWN Major George Gordon Brown died 28 October 2020

BURCH Major Edward Collin Burch RA died 16 November 2020

COMPTON Clive John Compton RAF died 15 DEcember 2020 213 Sqn

COOK Wg Cdr Kenneth Howell Hill Cook DFC 9 April 1923 - 24 November 2020 Radar navigator/bomb aimer Wellingtons, Lancasters 45 sorties Northern Europe 9 Sqn, 97 Sqn (Pathfinders) - DFC , pre D-Day. Trained with Tiger Force. 617 Sqn end of war. Mosquitos 153 Sqn Meteors, Javelin. Aden

de GREEF Janine Lambertine Marie Angele de Greef 25 September 1925 - 7 November 2002 Comet Line (Sud) Brussels-Paris-Pyrenees (later stage over 20 times) King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom

DODDS Sqn Ldr Colin Dodds died 18 September 2020

DUNT Vice Admiral Peter Dunt CB 23 June 1947 - 13 October 2020 HMS Arethusa, HMS Aurora, Priv Sec to Admiral Sandy Woodward, Falklands on HMS Hermes, HMS Invincible, CoS 2nd Sea Lord, CEO Defence Estates

FALK Fergus Falk 1941 -- 2020 HAC (Vice President) 

GRIFFITHS Gp Capt Harry Grifiths died 18 November 2020 aged 86

GROTRIAN Cdr Patrick Brent Grotrian died 15 December 2020 aged 93

HALL Col (later Rev ) Robert George Russell (Robbie) Hall QGM 9 November 1956 - 6 November 2020 Bomb disposal. Falklands (twice) Defence Diving School. Afghanistan

HAMILTON-RUSSELL Col Brian Hamilton-Russell died 20 October 2020 aged 80. CO 17/21 Lancers

HAVILAND (Rev) Edmund Selwyn Haviland died 17 October 2020

HENN Brigadier Francis Henn CBE died 15 October 2020 aged 96 5th Bn Gloucestershire Regt Dunkirk. 11th Hussars Malaya . Head of UN peacekeeping forces Turkish invasion of Cyprius 1974

HOLDSWORTH Major David James Holdsworth died 6 October 2020 aged 91 - last surviving officer from "Glorious Gloucesters" Battle of the Imjin River 1951

JOLLEY Major Richard Frederick Jolley MC and bar, OBE 10 July 1922 - 7 August 2020 Home Guard. Royal Scots Regt. Indian Army 2nd Punjab Regt. Siege of Kohima. GPT Ridge MC. Rescued cut off Brits. Battle of the Tennis Court. Meitkila. Later wounded, ordered men to withdraw and leave him. MC. Given a walking stick, shipped to UK, left to make his own way home

JUNGIUS Vice Adm Sir James Jungius KBE 15 November 1923 - 14 October 2020 HMS London Arctic convoys; HMS Arrow to Tobruk; assault craft Sicily, Messina, landing commandoes Adriatic coastof Italy; HMS Lauderdale off Dalmation coast; SW France landings HMS Sparrow W Indies, HMS Battleaxe, HMS Newcastle. CO HMS Wizzard 21c HMS Centaur off E Africa, Kuwait; CO HMS Lynx S Africa, S America; ACNS (OR); D Saclant

KILLICK Brig J Edward (Ted) Killick died 2 December 2020 aged 87 Royal Artillery

LAST Maj Gen Christopher Neville CB, OBE died 31 October 2020 aged 85 VIce Master General of Ordnance, Dep to Head of DESO

LEATHES John Alexander de Mussenden OBE Royal Navy died 19 December 2020 aged 92

MADDOCKS Arthur Frederick Maddocks 20 May 1922 - 22 November 2020. Armt. 1944-5 Room 40 Bletchley Park "Testery" Later diplomat who helped establish UNICEF

MARGETSON Sir John Margetson KCMG 9 October 1927 - 17 October 2020 National Sevice Life Guards. Palestine. Later MI6. Cabinet Office anti-terrorist planning

MARK Sgt Eric Meyer Mark 18 July 1922 - 6 November 2020 sent to England from Germany aged 12 Pioneer Corps Intelligence Corps "listener" at Trent Park PoW for senior German officers

McCOLL James Donald (Donnie) McColl died 28 November 2020 aged 98. RAF pilot 148 (Special Duties) Sqn WW2. See footer

McKENZIE JOHNSTON Captain Henry McKenzie Johnston CB 10 July 1921 - 29 October 2020 Black Watch Tunisia,wounded at  Monte Cassino, Greek civil war later Diplomatic Service

MORETON Major John "Mouse" Moreton MBE died Oct 2020 aged 91

NEWTON Air Vice Marshal Barry Hamilton Newton CB, CVO, OBE 2 April 1932 - 25 Agust 2020 109 Sqn Canberra pilot, 76 Sqn Op Buffalo Australia fallout check (4 missions) A Bomb, Op Grapple H Bomb (3 missions) RAF Cottesmore, cabinet Office, RCDS, ADC to HMQ

O'REILLY Captain Derek Anthony Power OBE RN died 8 November 2020 aged 93 HMS Anson (Far East) Malta, Italy HMS Surprise, Defence Attache The Hague

PAINE Brig Andrew Philip 'Tom' Paine REME died 15 December 2020 aged 66

PALMER Cpl Geoffrey Dyson Palmer OBE Royal Marines. Later actor

PATRICK Graham McIntosh Patrick CMG, CVO, DSC died 20 November 2020 aged 99

POLSOM Lt Col Neville Wright Poulsom died 5 November 2020aged 94 Indian Army, East Yorks Regt, Royal Military Police

PLUMB Dr Marjory E (Vicky) died 4 December 2020 aged 96 WRNS

POPE Wg Cdr William John Pope OBE died 30 October 2002 aged 100

RAKE Gp Capt D S V Rake OBE AFC and Bar died 11 December 2020 aged 98

RANDLE Brig John Pomeroy Randle OBE, MC died 14December 2020 aged 99

REED Barry St George Austin Reed CBE, MC died 13 October 2020

ROBERTS-WEST Cdr John Philip James RN died 29 November 2020

ROBINSON Captain Colin Mayne Robinson RN died 23 November 2020 aged 93

SANDFORD Ernest (Sandy) Sandford MBE died October 2020 aged 97 Royal Marines , Ulster Defence Regt July 1943 Sicily, Messina, Anzio. India

SMITH Lt Col Henry Martin LOckhart Smith died 25 November 2020 aged 83. Grenadier Guards and Queen's Messenger

SPALDING John Michael Kenneth Spalding 18 September 1917 - 6 October 2020. Wartime RAF orderly, trained to treat casualties of Allied landings in Europe. Later publishd study on head injuries to soldiers would in thar war, Malayan Emergnecy and Mau Mau upriisngs. Later work on polio, clinical neurology consultant

STEVENSON Brigadier Peter I B Stevenson CBE KSOB died 2 October 2020

SUDELL Joe Sudell RAF Navigator 1922-2020 Bombar Comman Ansons, Wellingtons, Lancasters 23 ops NW Europe inc Dresden (jettisoned bomb load) Op Manna

SYMINGTON Lt James Ronald O'Callaghan 8 December 1934 - 7 November 2020 Ox & Bucks. Kings's African Rifles Kenya (Mau Mau)

TAYLOR THOMPSON Helen Margaret Taylor Thompson (nee Laurie-Walker) 7 August 1924 - 6 September 2020 FANY SOE codes and signalling (inc Radio Londres)

TUPET-THOME Lt Edgard Tupet-Thome ("Tom") MC, hon MBE, Grand Cross Legion d'Honneur. 19 April 1920 - 9 September 2020 French Army (protecting Dunkirk retreat, PoW, escaped), Resistance (Le Reseau Ronald network), escaped via Gibraltar, Free French, French 3rd Special Air Service (UK trained) Brittany - Op Derry Liberated Daoulas, Landerneau

VYVYAN-ROBINSON Major Richard Vyvyan-Robinson MBE died 31st October 2020 aged 83. Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry

WALKER Sqn Ldr Geoffrey Robert (Duffy) Walker died 12 November 2020 aged 80

WEBSTER Vice Adm Sir John Webster KCB died 5 October 2020 aged 87

WEEDEN Laurie Weeden 6 June 1922 - 14 November 2020. TA searchlight bn. Trained as glider pilot. Tunisia. Invasion of Italy. Early hours of D-Day (his birthday) transported a jeep used by RE to blow up brige over River Dives. Led 30 paratroopers back to CO. Debarked from Sword Beach back to UK. Arnhem - landed 25 troops at Wolfheze

WILCKEN Lt Cdr Anthony David Felix Wilcken died 11 October 2002 aged 86

WINDSOR Col Rodney Windsor CBE Died 21 October 2020 aged 95 The Queen's Bays and North Irish Horse

WORSTHORNE (later Sir) Pergrine Worsthorne 22 December 1923 - 3 October 2020 Ox & Bucks LI. Phantom Special reconnaisance unit. Later journalist

 

"Donnie" McColl's sister writes : Like many who served in WW2 he was reticent about war experiences and rather clammed up when quizzed. Said it wasn't done to 'shoot a line'; "I am not a hero, just one of many". And he didn't like people to sensationalize what were in fact very unglamourous and dangerous times. Nevertheless he and his contemporaries in 148 squadron do deseve our plaudits. They carried out many very hazardous missions - some successful some frustratingly unsuccessful; and many crews didn't survive. He always said that one of the reasons that he managed to survive was his preference for flying very low - one of his particular skills. His 148 Special Ops plane was one of the specially adapted Halifaxes, JP248 H - logo "McColl & Co Deliveries". If you look him up in Oliver Clutton-Brock's book about 148 you will see that during his tour with the squadron he held the record for the greatest number of mission hours flown in the shortest time - something like 300 hours in 19 days I think - all or mostly at night.

Flying was Donnie's passion from boyhood. He could and did fly anything, so long as it had wings! Didn't like heliocopters - no wings: "you can't glide them".

He kept flying for pleasure most of his life, with odd breaks in between. He and his wife lived in the Highlands of Scotland after he retired, and after she died twenty or so years ago he decided to renew his pilot's licence and flew from Inverness Flying Club until at the age of 90 he decided it was time to call it a day. I have his civil log book which shows that he made his last flight in a little Piper on 15th March 2013.

I guess he may have been one of the last surviving 148 Special Ops pilots - and possibly the one that kept flying the longest.

"The life expectancy in the 148 Squadron was one month. Most of them weren't coming back.

You knew your odds were slim to none. It was a job. We just did our job!"

(This observation was made by a 148 Squadron Canadian Veteran.)