- SURNAME
Townsend
- FORENAME
Eric
- UNIT
Middle East Commando (A Squadron)
- RANK
Captain
- NUMBER
107206
- AWARD
Military Cross
- PLACE
Egypt 1942
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Army Medical Corps
born 17.11.1907 Skipton,Yorkshire
son of Arthur and Mrs (nee Hill) Townsend,Pen-y-Bryn,Skipton,Yorkshire
educated Ermysted's Grammar School,Skipton,Yorkshire
Lieutenant 16.9.1939
WS Captain 16.9.1940
A/Major November 1940 and 6.5.1943
WS Major 26.7.1944
A/Lieutenant Colonel 18.4.1944
H/Major 1945-46 (retired)
72 A.A. Regiment (Hampshire) (RMO) September 1939-March 1940
206 Field Ambulance (N.Ireland) March-June 1940
53 General Hospital (Sudan and Eritrea) March-June 1941
51 (M.E.) Commando June 1941-January 1942
Middle East Commando (Egypt) January-August 1942
166 Light Field Ambulance (Egypt,Syria) August 1942-March 1943
133 Field Ambulance (Palestine March-November 1943,Italy November
1943-April 1944) (award Mention in Despatches for 9.11.1943)
16 Parachute Field Ambulance 26.4.1944
POW 18.10.1944 Arnhem
POW number 90854
died 21.10.1971
Note from his son Jonathan
I know Eric's father (Arthur) was married 3 times and think his mother was called Hannah (I never met him). I know one of his marriages (his second?) was never consummated and that his third wife outlived him, committing suicide in 1961 - a sad tale. As you noted, Eric was born in Skipton and his father was the director of music at Ermystead's Grammar School, where Eric later went.
I was the adopted son of Eric (he could have no children after his POW experience) and he was the kindest, most gentle, selfless, sensitive and loving father anyone could hope for and I still miss him even though he died in my final year at university in October 1971. My adopted mother was jealous of our relationship - (she always said we were almost joined at the hip) so she had me sent away to boarding school at the age of 9, which does little for an adopted child's confidence and security but does build resilience. Eric was a highly respected GP in West Cornwall since 1948 and adored by his patients; he got an OBE but died before it could be awarded and was President of the BMA for the South West of England. He died after 3 years of upper body motor neuron disease, the night before he was to be put on artificial tube feeding; he new all about this horrible, debilitating disease as ironically he had studied it as a medical student at Edinburgh University 30 years earlier - he was also on of the bravest men you could hope to meet.
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