Award Military Medal Cpl. William Ken CHAFER, 7th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (Netherlands)

brithm · Dec 4, 2022

Award Cpl. William Kenneth Chafer, 7th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment, 147 Infantry Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division 1st Canadian Corps (894082)

At HAALDEREN (7566) on April 2nd 1945, during the breakout from the NIJMEGEN salient this NCO was in charge of a section in 18 Platoon, D Coy, 7 DWR. He was ordered to assault a house which was strongly held by a determined enemy, armed with bazooka, spandau and machine pistols. As he closed up to the house he was shown up by a white verey light, but he managed to get in and clear the house and immediately came under strong enemy fire from the house opposite. A bazooka was fired at his house, wounding himself and two men and his 2IC was killed clearing the house which left him with two fit men. He climbed upstairs alone and engaged the house opposite with sten fire and in spite of considerable enemy fire, bazooka and spandau, which was being directed at him, he held on to this house firing his weapon from behind a very thin broken wall until assistance came nearly half a hour later.

This NCO’s personal disregard for his own danger in spite of the fact that he himself was wounded was an inspiration to his Platoon and was in no small way a contribution to the final success of the action.
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WO 373/54/982

Leicester Daily Mercury 12th April 1945

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Award Military Medal Cpl. William Ken CHAFER, 7th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (Netherlands)

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Award Military Medal Cpl. William Ken CHAFER, 7th Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (Netherlands)

brithm Senior Member

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