137039 Captain Ian JACK, 2nd Bn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders

Discussion in 'War Grave Photographs' started by Owen, May 25, 2014.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Whilst reading Peter Cochrane's book ''Charlie Company'' I was particularly moved by how the author describes one of his fellow officers.
    [sharedmedia=core:attachments:120652]
    I asked Lesley (4jonboy) to take a photo of his headstone when she was in Italy earlier this month.
    Here's some extracts from the book about Captain Ian Jack.
    We first meet Ian Jack when the 4th Camerons are renumbered and become the 'new' 2nd Bn.

    page 97.
    The second-in-command was Ian Jack , a Captain as was I by then. He had started in the hotel business in the bad old days of the thirties , working for six months on a pound a week at the Royal British in Edingburgh, and then another six months on thirty shillings ....Ian had ended up as manager of a big hotel at Aviemore before enlisting ; he had switched to the paratroops , damaged a knee and returned to the regiment.

    page 102
    ..while Ian Jack alternatively horrified us and doubled us up in laughter at his stories of hotel life above and below stairs . He talked well, with passion and wit. It was like having The Road to Wigan Pier and a Firbank novel within the same covers.

    page 116
    Corporal Ball...To prove his point he went leaping down the hillside when a mule was killed by shellfire, waving his cleaver, and returned with a dozen fresh steaks to the shuddering horror of the company. I made Ian join me in eating several of them , telling him it would be invaluable experience for his return to post-war hotel keeping.

    page 119
    Ian , with one of his forward platoons , rang up in great excitement to say his wireless set had with luck and some fiddling tuned into the German wavelength , and that he had Fairfax , our German Jock , listening in: now for some first-hand information on what the enemy was planning to do!
    An hour later he came through again , amid gusts of his unmistakeable laughter. that what they'd got was a German forces broadcast , and that all the hot news he could tell me was what the Jerries claimed to be doing in the Dneiper Bend. It was the only occasion anyone laughed on the phone.

    Page 120
    ..steady trickle of casualties...We were short of officers too. Ian was badly wounded in the thigh.


    page 126-127
    In the third hospital that we visited I was stunned to be told that Ian Jack had died there a fortnight earlier. His wound was serious , but I never dreamed it would be fatal, and I had been counting on finding him and having one of our usual uproarious laughing fits. His wife , I knew, was to have another baby in June, Bloody , bloody war, and another of the best men gone. I missed Ian as a friend and as an officer every single day of the campaign.

    http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2067313/JACK,%20IAN

    JACK, IAN
    Rank: Captain
    Service No: 137039
    Date of Death: 23/03/1944
    Age: 35
    Regiment/Service: Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders 2nd Bn
    Grave Reference VII, C, 16.
    Cemetery CASERTA WAR CEMETERY
    Additional Information:
    Son of James and Jessie Jack, of Lanark; husband of Dorothy Jack, of Lanark.

    Whilst there , Lesley placed a poppy cross on the grave. :poppy:
    Thanks Lesley.
     

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  2. Bernard85

    Bernard85 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    good day owen,super moderators,yesterday.#1,09:31pm.re:captain ian jack 2 camerons.he was a fine soldier.and a good leader of men.thank you for a fine post,and thank you lesley for placing the poppy cross on his grave,may he rest in peace,regards bernard85 :poppy: :poppy:
     
  3. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Found this mention of Capt'. Jack in C Company notes in Oct 44 Issue of the 79th News.
     

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  4. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    I am in Caserta CWGC cemetery on Fri on my way to run a tour of Salerno.

    I will tip my hat to Capt Ian Jack.

    FdeP
     
  5. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Looks like he was badly wounded during 2 CAMERONS's month long stint up on Snakeshead Ridge at Cassino.

    FdeP
     
  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Sorry mate - two vols still on my wants list.
     
  7. jabbathejack

    jabbathejack New Member

    Come across this whilst doing some family history.

    I'm a bit moved by this.
    Ian Jack was my grandfather.

    I've just emailed dad (the baby born in June 1944 who was given his father's name, Ian)
     
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  8. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Hello and welcome to the forum. I still have the photos I took of the grave last year if you would like copies e-mailing over-just let me know.
    Have your family any photos of your grandfather in uniform? It would be lovely to put a face to the name.

    Lesley
     
  9. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    jabbathejack.

    Small world. If you ever want to see exactly what he and the rest of 2 CAMERONS had to endure for a solid month up on Snakeshead Ridge in the build up to and during the Third Battle of Monte Cassino, do get in touch. You will be to see exactly why and where he was wounded in the thigh and just how difficult it was to get him off the mountain. That may well have contributed to his death.

    Regards

    FdeP
     
  10. Hi, my daughter alerted me to this thread. It was quite an emotional surprise to have this news about my father, and I would appreciate any other particulars. There is a request above from Lesley for a picture of him in uniform -- I have a few of these but trying to do a "paste" seems to fail so I'll post it when I find out how. I also have a letter from Peter Cochrane to my mother and also one from Peter's mother I think.
    Thanks Lesley!
    Ian
     
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  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I never expected the baby in post #1 to post on the forum.
    Love to see a photo of your Father.
    Here's a thread on how to add images.
    http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/55665-how-to-attach-a-file-or-photo-or-insert-an-image/
     
  12. Thanks Owen, I had missed the "attach" option. So, herewith a picture of Captain Ian Jack. I'm indebted to you (and of course to the ww2 community) for your first post, as I had not known about Peter Cochrane's book, which of course I have now ordered. Does anyone know if Peter is still alive? If he was say 20 when he joined up in 1940 it would make him 95 now. Thanks also to those who have visited Caserta. Lesley, I would very much like to have your photos if that would be possible.
    Best wishes, Ian
     

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  13. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Thank you for sharing the photo of your Father, I'll print it off & keep it in the book.
     
  14. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Hi Ian

    Thanks for sharing the photo of your father.
    I will send you a private message.

    Lesley
     
  15. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Ian.

    I will be driving from Rome to Naples on Thu to pick up a group looking at Salerno, Cassino and Anzio.

    I will pop into Caserta and tip my hat to your grandfather.

    Regards

    Frank
     
  16. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    It's Ian's Dad.
    Not his grandfather.
    ;)
     
  17. Thanks Frank, very much appreciated. Yes it's my Dad (I'm 71). My son is also interested of course and has picked up on this thread. He's Ian too so lots of confusion is possible and he is only 30-something!
    Best wishes,
    Ian
     
  18. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Ian.

    I was up on Snakeshead Ridge a few years ago with the son of a 2 CAMERONS stretcher bearer who had, miraculously, survived the Battalion's entire month up there. His task was to tend the wounded in the two forward Company positions - just 80 yds below the key feature and German stronghold of Point 593. Those that had a chance of surviving were then stretchered, at night, back to the Regimental Aid Post about 200 yds further back. A gruesome task.

    It was a very moving experience to see the chap's reaction when he realised just what his father had had to endure.

    Regards

    FdeP
     
  19. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Just checking "October 1944" issue of the "79th News" and on page 158, in a letter from the Camerons CO to General Drew, he states; "Captain I. Jack had a compound fracture of the Femur".
     
  20. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    Further to my previous post, the letter is dated 31st March and it would appear from the dates of events in the letter, he suffered his injury sometime between 5th and 13th March.
     

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