- SURNAME
Sillito
- FORENAME
John William
- UNIT
1 SAS (A Squadron) + Special Raiding Squadron
- RANK
Private + Corporal (A Sergeant)
- NUMBER
324811
- AWARD
Military Medal and bar
- PLACE
North Africa 1943 and Sicily 1943
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Staffordshire Yeomanry
L Detachment SAS 1942 (Pte)
1 SAS (A Squadron) 1942-43 (Pte)
Special Raiding Squadron 1943 (Cpl - Sgt)
later commissioned
CITATION:
Military Medal : On 12th October, 1942 Pte. Sillitto was a member of a raiding party consisting of 1 Officer and 3 Other Ranks in two Willy's bantams which were under orders to blow up the Tobruk Matruh railway line. While they were engaged in reconnoitring the railway line South East of Tobruk a German Guard post was found. The officer in command decided to attack this post. In the resultant skirmish, the officer was wounded and Pte. Sillitto got separated from the remainder of the party which, in the darkness, having been unable to find him, had to suddenly withdraw owing to German armoured cars with searchlights commencing to attack them.
Pte Sillitto having been left had several courses open to him. He could hide until daylight and then give himself up as a prisoner to the German post or he could walk in the direction of the coast where he would have been certain of food and water but would probably be captured. His own lines were some 200 miles eastwards. He knew there was a wadi 150 miles from him where other raiding parties of the regiment occasionally drove through on their way out and back from operations. So although having neither food or water and armed only with a revolver and a prismatic compass he elected to try and reach WADI BU ETTA, and take his chance of being picked up or dying from thirst. He reached the wadi on the fourth day. He would probably not have reached it had there not been a heavy rainstorm on the third day when he was practically exhausted. He was picked up on the sixth day by a patrol which happened to drive through the wadi.
Military Medal (Bar) : On July the 13th having landed at Augusta No. 3 Troop lead the advance towards the main Coastal Road.
When his section which was the advance section was held down by heavy and accurate machine gun fire it was found impossible to report their position owing to a wireless breakdown.
In the meantime enemy fire had increased on their flank and was covering the railway along which they had advanced.
324811 Sgt. Sillitto J. (Staffs Yeo) volunteered to make his way to Troop H.Q. to report their position. He covered the half mile there and back under very heavy fire and on returning with the order to withdraw he extricated his sub-section without casualties.
Pte Sillitto having been left had several courses open to him. He could hide until daylight and then give himself up as a prisoner to the German post or he could walk in the direction of the coast where he would have been certain of food and water but would probably be captured. His own lines were some 200 miles eastwards. He knew there was a wadi 150 miles from him where other raiding parties of the regiment occasionally drove through on their way out and back from operations. So although having neither food or water and armed only with a revolver and a prismatic compass he elected to try and reach WADI BU ETTA, and take his chance of being picked up or dying from thirst. He reached the wadi on the fourth day. He would probably not have reached it had there not been a heavy rainstorm on the third day when he was practically exhausted. He was picked up on the sixth day by a patrol which happened to drive through the wadi.
Military Medal (Bar) : On July the 13th having landed at Augusta No. 3 Troop lead the advance towards the main Coastal Road.
When his section which was the advance section was held down by heavy and accurate machine gun fire it was found impossible to report their position owing to a wireless breakdown.
In the meantime enemy fire had increased on their flank and was covering the railway along which they had advanced.
324811 Sgt. Sillitto J. (Staffs Yeo) volunteered to make his way to Troop H.Q. to report their position. He covered the half mile there and back under very heavy fire and on returning with the order to withdraw he extricated his sub-section without casualties.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7362126 (MM)https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7348720 (MM Bar)
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