As part of the preparations for Edward I's second campaign in Wales, a flotilla of small ships had been sent to Anglesey, held by the English, to construct a pontoon bridge across the Menai Strait. The plan was for the Anglesey force to launch an attack in the Welsh rear coordinated with Edward's advance from the east with the main force. Luke de Tany, the Anglesey commander, proved too impatient and launched his attack prematurely when the King had only reached Denbigh. De Tany's force was easily defeated by the Welsh, he fell in action, and the pontoon bridge was wrecked.
1917: During an engagement in Palestine, Captain Fox-Russell, a doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps, repeatedly braved enemy machine-gun fire to tend wounded men lying in the open, managing to bring several of them back to safety. Exhausted, he was then fatally wounded.
At Passchendaele, Corporal Fraser of the 1st Central Ontario Regiment charged single-handed a nest of three machine-guns, killing or capturing all their crewmen. He then turned one of the machine-guns on the German positions, inflicting heavy casualties and allowing his unit to continue its advance. Similarly, Private Robertson of the Manitoba Regiment captured a machine-gun and turned it on its owners. He then rejoined his unit's advance, taking the captured weapon with him, and used it to suppress enemy snipers. When two Canadian snipers were wounded in the open, Robertson went out to carry the two men back. Just as he reached safety with the second man, Robertson was killed.
Fox-Russell, Fraser and Robertson were all awarded the Victoria Cross.
1918: Major Cloutman of the Royal Engineers won the Victoria Cross at Pont-sur-Sambre. Finding a key bridge across the river fitted with demolition charges, Cloutman swam through heavy machine-gun and artillery fire to cut the firing cables from the explosives. He received the Victoria Cross.
1956: British and French troops conducted an amphibious landing at Port Said during the Suez Crisis, under cover of naval gunfire and air support. 3 Commando Brigade made the first extensive use of helicopters in such an assault, 45 Commando being flown in by Fleet Air Arm Whirlwinds and Sycamores. A cease-fire followed at midnight.
Posted by Mr Free Market at November 6, 2005 7:58 PM | TrackBack