My Uncle Joe

80 years ago today, on 6th June 1944, my Uncle Joe was at Sword Beach, it was D. Day.

He enlisted at the age of seventeen (1939), into the Grenadier Guards, then transferred to the Special Service Unit, which later became No. 4 Commando (Lord Lovatt’s Unit).

During his service, he took part in several reconnaissance’s in France and Holland, (together with the Canadian Commandos), on the raids on the French coast, St Nazaire, Boulogue and Dieppe, the D-Day Landings at Ouistreham (Sword Beach), and the attack and capture of Flushing”.

Joe is front right carrying wounded soldier with Paddy on the left, on ‘D’ Day 6th June 1944. 

Arriving home on leave after one such raid, he had a bullet hole through his khaki balaclava and his hands were badly gashed from barbed wire. Mother gave him a huge hug, so happy and relieved to see her son home and all in one piece. 

Joe survived the War was mentioned in Despatches and received the ‘Croix de Guerre’. (English translation: Cross of War) as a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins.

The Croix de guerre may either be awarded as an individual or unit award to those soldiers who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy. The medal is awarded to those who have been “mentioned in despatches“, meaning a heroic deed or deeds were performed meriting a citation from an individual’s headquarters unit).

Excerpt taken from ‘The Publican’s Daughter’ relating to a family’s experience in London during a difficult period of history.  

15 thoughts on “My Uncle Joe”

  1. Wow, this post has given me useful info and answered some of my questions. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me. Feel free to surf my website Webemail24 about Martial Arts.

  2. yupitoto
    This is the perfect blog for everyone who hopes to understand this topic.
    You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa).
    You certainly put a new spin on a topic which has been written about for
    years. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!

  3. rupiahtoto rupiahtoto rupiahtoto
    Hey there! I simply want to give you a huge thumbs up for the great information you have here on this post.
    I will be coming back to your site for more soon.

  4. I’m extremely impressed along with your writing talents as well as with the layout to your
    blog. Is that this a paid theme or did you customize it your self?
    Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to
    see a great blog like this one these days..

  5. What i do not realize is in fact how you’re now not actually a lot
    more well-appreciated than you might be now. You’re so intelligent.
    You recognize therefore considerably relating to this matter, produced me
    for my part consider it from a lot of various angles. Its like women and men are not involved until it’s
    something to do with Woman gaga! Your own stuffs nice. Always care for it up!

Comments are closed.

Scroll to Top