A Collection of Medals to Second World War Casualties 293
Three: Private L. J. Hooper, 12th (Airborne) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, who landed in France as a glider pilot in Operation Mallard on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and was killed in action at Breville, Normandy, on 12 June 1944
1939-45 STAR; FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR;WARMEDAL 1939-45, with named Army Council enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. L. Hooper, 32 St. Peters Square, The Moors, Cheltenham’, extremely fine (3)
£240-280
Leslie James Hooper served with the 12th (Airborne) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment during the Second World War and took part in Operation Mallard, the airborne drop on the Orne River on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Writing home to his parents two days after parachuting out of a glider, he wrote: ‘As you will see, I am now in France, helping to put Jerry where he belongs.’ On 12 June Hooper took part in the attack on Breville, ‘the only remaining German stronghold on the long ridge between Cabourg, on the Normandy coast, to Troarn. This important position overlooked the whole Eastern flank of the Allied bridgehead. Two attacks by the Black Watch from the East on Breville on 12th June failed. General Gale, commanding 6 British Airborne Division, was therefore ordered to take the village before dawn, 13th June, for which he was given the 51st Highland Division artillery and a squadron of tanks. All General Gale had was a very weak 12 Parachute Battalion; therefore 12 Devons supplied a Company Group ("D") to supplement the Paras. Both "D" Company Commander and the Commanding Officer of 12 Para Bn. were killed on the start line by enemy defensive fire; Brigadier Kindersley (6 Airlanding Brigade) and Brigadier Lord Lovat (Commando) were badly wounded, as was the Second-in-Command "D" Company (Captain Pengelly), and Lieutenant Taylor and Sgt. H. Walters killed. All this occurred before orders could be got down to the platoons. However, the attack which went in was completely successful with, we considered few casualties. But during the redeployment for the assault, in the dark a number of 12 Devon soldiers were killed. Once in Breville a muster of troops revealed that Private Hooper was missing; subsequently, in daylight, it was confirmed that he had been killed in action somewhere between the villages of Amfreville and Breville.’ (A letter from the 12 Devons Journal refers). Aged just 19 when he was killed, Hooper is buried in the Ranville Airborne Cemetery, France.
Sold together with a photograph of a newspaper cutting, containing an image of the recipient.
294
Three: Private A. V. Pettican, Cambridgeshire Regiment, who was taken Prisoner-of-War at the fall of Singapore, 15 February 1942, spent two years as part of the Burma-Siam Railway labour force, and died in captivity aboard the Japanese ‘Hell Ship’ Toyofuku Maru on or before 21 September 1944 when the ship was sunk by American dive- bombers with the loss of 1,047 Allied prisoners of war
1939-45 STAR; PACIFIC STAR;WARMEDAL 1939-45, with named Army Council enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. V. A. Pettican, 18 Campbell Close, Chelmsford, Essex’, extremely fine (3)
£180-220
Albert Victor Pettican served with the 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment during the Second World War, and was taken Prisoner of War following the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. On 4 July 1944, after two years as part of the Burma-Siam Railway labour force, he was embarked at Singapore on the Toyofuku Maru, bound for Korea via Manila, as part of a five prisoner ship convoy. Conditions on board were truly terrible, earning the prisoner ships the sobriquet of ‘Hell Ships’. The ship docked at Manila for repairs for five weeks in August and early September, leaving Manila on 20 September escorted by two destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. At 10:30 a.m. on 21 September the convoy was attacked by dive bombers of the United States Navy. All five transport ships were sunk, the Toyofuku Maru being hit by three torpedoes and sinking in 3 minutes. Approximately 1,047 Allied prisoners of war went down with the ship.
It is not known whether Pettican was killed when the Toyofuku Maru was sunk, or whether he was one of over 100 prisoners on the ship that, according to the testimony of the survivors, died of malnutrition or disease between embarkation at Singapore and the point when the convoy was attacked. Aged 29 at the time of his death, he is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.
Sold together with various copied research regarding the Toyofuku Maru, including the testimony from one of the survivors giving evidence at the subsequent War Crimes trial.
295
Three: Private D. Murdoch, 7th (Airborne) Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers, killed in action during the defence of the ‘White House’ at the Battle of Arnhem, 21 September 1944
1939-45 STAR; FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR;WARMEDAL 1939-45, with named Army Council enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr. G. Murdoch, 43 Bryson Road, Edinburgh 11, Scotland’, extremely fine (3)
£180-220
David Murdoch served with the 7th (Airborne) Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers during the Second World War. On Sunday 17 September 1944, as glider-borne troops, they flew into Arnhem as part of 1st Airborne Division in order to capture and hold the bridges over the River Rhine as part of Operation Market Garden: ‘K.O.S.B. landed on 17 September 1944 at just after 13:00 hours and were called to their RV by company piper Corporal Willie Ford playing “Blue Bonnets Over the Border” continuously for over twenty minutes while the Battalion regrouped. After a pitched battle at Johannahoeve Farm the Battalion, now numbering some 270, eventually fell back to the North East shoulder of the Oosterbeek Perimeter. Here over 19-20 September the remainder of the Battalion made its stand at a hotel called Dreyerod which would become known to its defenders as the “White House”. On 21 September after three days of continuous fighting the Germans made a determined and ruthless effort to crush the defenders of the White House. At 16:30 hours tanks and troops penetrated deep into the hotel grounds. In the bloody hand to hand fighting that followed the remaining K.O.S.B. made a bayonet charge that retook much of the hotel grounds. However, this small success came at the loss of over half the men who had taken up the original defence.’
Murdoch was one of those killed on 21 September, aged just 19. He is buried in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Holland.
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