- SURNAME
Byrne
- FORENAME
John Vincent (Jack)
- UNIT
L Detachment SAS
- RANK
Corporal
- NUMBER
2060658
- AWARD
Distinguished Conduct Medal
- PLACE
North Africa 1942
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit 1 Bn Gordon Highlanders
born 1.4.1921 Preston,Lancashire
WIA May 1940 Dunkirk
joined SAS 1941 as Private
POW 1942
Stalag Luft III,Poland
escaped 1943
6 Commando 1944
WIA June 1944 Normandy
demobilised 1947
Kenya Police
Kulai Police District,Johor,Malaya
WIA 1953
Prison Service,Kenya
drapery business,Shropshire 1958
retired 1986
married Mary Hayes (3 daughters)
author "The General Salutes a Soldier" (1986)
died January 2007
CITATION:
Distinguished Conduct Medal : This N.C.O. was captured by the Germans in Libya while returning alone from a special sabotage mission. He was sent to a Prisoner of War Camp in Germany where he volunteered to act as an officer's batman as he thought this would give him a better opportunity of escaping. He was, accordingly, transferred to OFLAG XXIB, an Officers Camp, where he made two attempts to escape but, unfortunately, was recaptured on each occasion. On 18 Jul 43, while being transferred to another Camp, he escaped from a transit camp at Koenigsberg and succeeded in reaching Danzig, where he boarded a Swedish ship and finally arrived at Goteborg on 25 Jul 43.
This N.C.O. showed courage, pertinacity and initiative of the very highest order under most trying circumstances and I recommend him for the award of a D.C.M.
This N.C.O. showed courage, pertinacity and initiative of the very highest order under most trying circumstances and I recommend him for the award of a D.C.M.
WEB LINKS:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7376750NATIONAL ARCHIVES:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7376750
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