"Twelve good men and true"

This truly is a 'must read' article from The Telegraph.  It is the reminiscences of twelve old veterans who fought in the now nearly forgotten Korean war.  Most of them were National Servicemen doing their statutory 2 years in the army as was the practice in those far off, more disciplined days.  All of them share that same quiet under-statement style that we think of as typically British.  I couldn't help noticing that Anthony Farrar-Hockley was mentioned more than once.  A truly remarkable and courageous officer whose fighting record for the British army is second to none.  (Poor chap once had me as his regimental signaller but, thank God, there wasn't a shooting war going on at the time!)  However, returning to the twelve old veterans in the article, I do urge you all to give it a read.  These men really were the epitome of the very best of the British army!

ADDITIONAL:

In my haste last night I forgot to add this intriguing photo from the album of one of the old soldiers above.  His comrade to the left later rose to international fame:

 Arthur Moulder (centre), Maurice Micklewhite aka Michael Caine (left) and Cpl Coward (right) 

 

 

Comments

[Whitewall]

I truly hope there are more men such as these today.

[AussieD]

I remember reading Anthony Farrar-Hocley's book on the Glosters in Korea. I shall have to see if I still have it and read it again.

Duffers you may be interested in this doco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBsrzzOjGP4

[AussieD]

'The Edge of the Sword". I found it which in itself is a bloody miracle given the number of boxes yet to be unpacked.

No tv tonight. A bit of reading to do.

[Lord Walsingham]

I had 15 months as an OP officer for guns and mortars in korea from the second day after the Gloster battle when the reinforcement unit in Japan was emptied by night and marched to the station to go to iwakuni and flew onto the kimpo peninsular in 20 Dakotas in the morning Shortly after mid-day I was in an OP on the Imjin river for 45 Field Regiment RA. The UN had retreated 20 miles all along the front but the chinese had retreated 50 from the mauling we gave them and never returned to South Korea. I am writing a memoir of my first 93 years and was revising the 32 pages of chapterc11 0n Korea last night. Nobody has written a critique of the chinese tactics which were suicidal. On one night I killrd 1000 in about an hour advancing shoulder to shoulder sounding their trumpets. They needed odds of 50 to 1 0r more. On this occasion 2000 were attacking a platoon of 36 (55/1) of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, PPCLI

[David Duff]

M'Lord Walsingham, welcome to D&N but please do have a care lest you trip over your cloak and stab someone with your dagger! Being serious, that sounds like a ferocious time you had in Korea. If your memoir is published please let me know because I would be fascinated to read it. Also, if that is a memoir of your first 93 years I can't wait to read about the next 93!