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SOUTH EAST VETERANS HONOURED AT PRESENTATION IN HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
A soldier who escaped the Nazi invasion of France on a commandeered coal boat, a Royal Marine who travelled ‘the long way round’ to Sicily to prevent enemy aircraft attacking British forces in Italy, an airman who served with the famous ‘V’ bomber aircraft and a soldier who came under fire from Cypriot terrorists. These are some of the South East military veterans awarded campaign medals and veterans badges by the Minister for Veterans Kevan Jones at an event in the Palace of Westminster today (19 October).
The event, attended by MPs and members of the House of Lords, honoured five veterans from West Norwood, Stanmore, Lambeth, East London and Diss, (Norfolk) for their Service in the Royal Marines, Royal Artillery and RAF. It was also aimed at raising awareness of the support provided by the Ministry of Defence’s Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) for the Armed Forces and Veterans communities.
The Minister for Veterans said:
“It is a real privilege for me to be able to welcome veterans to Parliament and to make this presentation of medals and badges. Everyone who serves in the Armed Forces deserves recognition for the sacrifices they have made and our full support, both during their Service and in later life. The role played by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency is crucial in meeting their welfare needs and in repaying the debt of gratitude we owe to them all.”
Those receiving their awards were:
Medals
 Mr Sam Smallwood (90) from West Norwood, London received The 1939-45 Star, The Italy Star, The Africa Star, The Defence Medal and The 1939-45 War Medal in recognition of his WWII Service in the Royal Marines.
Mr Smallwood joined the Royal Marines (RMs) in 1940. Following training with the Royal Artillery and several weeks square bashing, he moved to Towyn, North Wales for Ack Ack training. During that time, Germany invaded France and Mr Smallwood’s Unit was rushed to the high ground behind Folkestone, near to the Hawkinge Fighter Air Base, where his 3 inch quick-firing guns spent some months repelling German aircraft from the English coast. He recalls especially August 27th 1940, his 31st birthday, was the only day in a long spell on which none of the base’s planes were lost.
When the enemy moved their attentions elsewhere, he was posted to Hayling Island in Hampshire to protect the ports around Portsmouth, before moving to the South West, and several bases including Plymouth. After a short time within a technical role, something he found not to be his forte, Mr Smallwood’s Unit moved to Port Glasgow, where he boarded the 17,000 ton troop ship “ S.S. Orduna” travelling to the Mediterranean via South Africa and ‘the long way round’. On the way, Orduna developed engine trouble and fell back from the convoy. Vulnerable to submarine attack, this was an uncomfortable time but the ship safely caught up with the convoy at Freetown before completing its journey to Egypt. The Invasion of Sicily followed and Mr Smallwood took up position near to the harbour at Augusta where up to 50 enemy bombers per night attacked allied forces for some weeks, before being posted back to the UK, this time via Gibraltar.
In early 1944, Mr Smallwood was transferred to RM Commando Training and undertook a 15-week small arms instructors course. He then returned to Lympstone and was discharged in December 1945, following which he resumed his profession as a teacher.
 2 - Mrs Janet Brand from Stanmore received The War Medal on behalf of her late father, Mr Bernard Goodman. Mr Goodman joined the RAF in October 1942 at the age of 20. His first posting after training was with 7 Radio School, South Kensington where he honed his skills with radios. The first part of his career was spent in the UK, travelling around an area from Warwickshire to Anglesey training pilots on radio equipment. Then, in 1945, he was posted to the Middle East and saw Service in Port Said, Cairo and Greece. One of his jobs whilst in Egypt was with the Harbour Master directing ships through the Suez Canal. Janet recalls her father’s stories of this time when he saw lots of shipping traffic going through the canal around the period between VE Day and VJ Day. Bernard then returned to the UK and was discharged in May 1947.
Veterans Badges
3 - Mr Stanley Hutchins (70) from Lambeth served in the Royal Artillery  25th Field Regiment from 1958 until 1960. He completed his training in Oswestry, Shropshire and then went on to exercises on Salisbury Plain. Mr Hutchins then saw active service in Cyprus, at the time of the EOKA Terrorist Campaign led by General Georgios Grivas. He tragically lost comrades there when part of a convoy he was travelling in came under fire. Mr Hutchins was still serving in Cyprus when the Campaign ended.
 4 - Mr Peter Olley (78) from East London joined the Royal Air Force in 1955. After completing his training, he served in Wiltshire before being posted to RAF Honington in Suffolk, the home of the now famous V Bombers – Victor and Valiant. It was whilst based in Honington, he was tasked with making a plan of the base for use during a visit by a delegation from the Soviet Union. He recalls being asked to make sure that he missed off certain parts of the base that the visitors ‘didn’t need to know about’. He then completed a short tour in Turkey in readiness for the Suez Campaign but in the end was not called to go into action. Mr Olley left the RAF in 1957.
5 - Mr Charles Saunders (99) from Diss, Norfolk, enlisted in September 1931 and became a gunner in the Royal Regiment of Artillery. In 1934 he transferred to the Army reserves before rejoining the colours in 1937 to carry out the rest of his 12 year engagement.Two years later, war broke outand on New Year’s Day 1940, he was posted to the British Expeditionary Force in France. May and June 1940 saw the Nazi invasion of Belgium and then France, followed by the British withdrawal fromDunkirk. At that time, Mr Saunders was based at a fighter airfield outside Rheims, near Paris,providing anti-aircraft protection for the airfield. With their 'escape' route effectively cut off to the northand east, the Commanding Officer (CO) decided their only hope was to go south. Eventually they reached Marseilles and the harbour where they saw a freighter being used to ferry coal from South Wales to France.
 The CO tried to commandeer the vessel but the Captain refused until word reached them that the new pro-Nazi French Government intended to intern all vessels belonging to the allies. They set sail and travelled the Mediterranean, initially stopping at Malta – where they were refused permission to stay because the island was not under threat at the time. They eventually found their way to Gibraltar where the unit was posted to protect the Rock from air attack until 1942.
Charles was then posted back to the UK as a Sergeant and served with different Units as an instructor. When the war ended, and the Territorial Army reformed, Charles became a Permanent Staff Instructor at various bases, including Newport, S. Wales where he attained the rank of Acting Warrant Officer Class 2. Mr Saunders was discharged from the Army in 1958, some 27 years after he first joined.
Mr Saunders was invited to receive his award after the Agency was contacted by his local Royal British Legion branch to see if something special could be done to mark his centenary year and approaching 100th birthday.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
- The SPVA is a major MOD Agency and operates from four main sites at Glasgow, Blackpool, Gosport and Imjin Barracks, Gloucester. Its work includes salary payments to circa 300,000 members of the Armed Forces, casualty reporting and repatriation including family liaison, issue of circa 70,000 medals per year, administration of the War Pension Scheme and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for those injured/disabled or bereaved through Service, managing the Armed Forces Pension schemes and provision of welfare support via 13,000 home visits to veterans each year.
- Veterans can still apply for medals (not previously issued) for Service dating back to World War II. Veterans are also entitled to a HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge recognising their Service to the country. Veterans wishing to apply for their medals or badges, and those requiring information on SPVA’s welfare services, should contact the SPVA’s Veterans-UK helpline 0800 169 2277 or visit www.veterans-uk.info
- Service history is taken from veterans’ own recollections.
For Further Information
For further information, please contact David Johnson, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency press office on 07717 882014. |
