Daily Telegraph Military Obituaries by David Twiston Davies
Grub Street, £20
In this, his third book of military obituaries, David Twiston Davies shows he is very much on top of his job. He is obviously aware of how popular the Daily Telegraph obituaries have become and the reasons for it. The fact is that military obituaries are becoming very much appreciated and not only in Britain – a senior lecturer at a foreign military academy has said that old soldiers are increasingly held in great respect in his country and for similar reasons. They have an exemplary character that others can, and need to, learn from.
What is obvious from the introduction is that Twiston Davies knows that a great deal is happening which needs to be taken account of if the tradition of obituary writing is to continue or, even, survive. Continuity, indeed, is a key word here. The reason is that we live in what he rightly calls a “rule-dominated society”, which is not what tradition is about. We must recognise the need to learn what it means to command and not lose sight of tactical requirements. Meanwhile, what will still matter are the human qualities which togetherness can bring about, as well as the realisation of what soldiering means. It is this which makes what is experienced bearable, because ultimately it is a reminder of what being human is about.
It is interesting and useful to appreciate that for the award of decorations there have to be citations. This gives us the opportunity to see how individual actions were officially assessed so as to merit the award. Major John Alpe got his Military Cross because “his behaviour was an excellent example to his men who were considerably shaken, and it was his coolness and courage which enabled them to continue functioning”. Buster Swann, an Essex Regiment recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, was an “inspiration to all who saw him because of his determination and powers of leadership”.
Major Fitzalan Howard’s “cool leadership and undefeatable determination” was seen, meanwhile, as contributing more than any other factor to obtaining his objectives. What about men speaking for themselves? Noel Ross, who won an exceptional Military Medal with 156 Parachute Battalion at Arnhem, killed as many Germans as possible. They weren’t men, he believed, “only targets”. Or listen to Sgt Smokey Smith, who later had a mountain in British Columbia named after him. He never took prisoners. “I’m paid to kill them. That’s the way it is,” he said. He got the Victoria Cross.
Major Sir Tasker Wilkins, another VC, was said to have shown “superb courage and total disregard for his own safety”. He later said: “You must believe me when I say it was just another day in the life of a soldier. I did what needed doing to help colleagues and friends. I’d seen more killing and death in 24 hours than is right for anybody.”
He had, he said, “been part of that terrible process” with the result that he had subsequently tried to take a “more caring view of my fellow human beings and that includes your opponent, whether it be war, sport or just life generally”. So when the soldier in him spoke, it was about being human.
During World War II, Rome was said to be hiding 60 officers and 300 men. One of them, Major Hugh Fane-Hervey, holder of two MCs, earned the confidence of German soldiers when carrying a man from a burning tank and assumed an Italian name when in hiding, having met a marchesa. He was so convincing that a German officer, sitting in a box next to him, signed his opera programme.
Nor was love unknown. Being on the run in Italy led Major Michael Young to marry the daughter of the partisan who had sheltered him. Included here is one of the most celebrated and decorated World War II Special Operations Executive agents, Ensign Nancy Wake. She topped the Gestapo wanted list, having saved 300 lives.
Lt Col Maureen Gara, a distinguished military nurse, prevented a soldier patient from killing himself. A happier memory is her telling a German audience of an aircraft that always tipped its wings when flying overhead. When she finished talking, one of the audience stood up and said: “Madam, that was my plane.”
Surprisingly, but happily, there is a foreign ingredient in this impressive collection. General Amadeo, an Italian officer, led the last cavalry charge faced by the British, “the most frightening and extraordinary episode of the Second World War”. Count Ralph Smorczewski fought with the Polish Resistance, giving no quarter to SS units. He eventually retired to England where he cultivated rhododendrons.
Quite exceptional is Henry Metelmann, a former Panzer division corporal and dedicated Nazi. The Hitler Youth had made him feel like a member of a crusade. He idolised Hitler, but his father saw the Führer as a frontman for rich arms manufacturers, believing “we would go mad if we knew what we were fighting for”. He later saw his father was right and “I was the idiot.” Metelmann came to see the need to understand the causes of war so as not to make the same mistake again. His opposition to the Vietnam War, the invasion of Iraq and the bombing of Afghanistan was derived from his experience as a World War II soldier. That makes his inclusion here particularly significant and worthwhile.
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