- Contributed by听
- bilk234956
- People in story:听
- William Andrew Muckle
- Location of story:听
- Boulogne, France 1940
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A2707661
- Contributed on:听
- 05 June 2004
My Father-in-Law William Andrew Muckle was a member of The Royal Corps of Signals from 1939-1947 and was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry on the 12th of December 1940, during WW2.
Like many men of his generation my Father-in-Law never talked about the horrors of that war. For that reason, it was only shortly before his death in 1991 that I became aware that we had a hero in the family. Since his death I have tried by every means I know, to find out more about the circumstances under which he won the M.M.
I have managed to get a copy of the original recommendation from Brigadier (Here it is a signature, which I cannot decipher) Officer Commanding 3 A. A. His commanding officer wrote of him
"He displayed courage and initative of the highest order during the German occupation of Boulogne. He entered the Citadel on the 23rd of May, when the enemy were in the town, and assisted another Signalman in operating and finally demolishing an isolated guns operations room. Finally he made his way through the enemy occupied town to the docks. Here he became isolated by enemy snipers, and only escaped by diving into the harbour. After a long swim across the harbour he clung to a jetty piling for some sixteen hours, until pulled aboard a destroyer (HMS Windsor) by a rope of rifle slings." On the reverse side of the medal are inscribed the words "Last Man Out"
My father-in-Law was a native of Holywood, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. Prior to, and after the war, he was a Post Office engineer in Belfast.
漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.
Story with photo