240676 Captain Ronald Gordon WILKIN, DSO, 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers.

While so much attention is rightly given to defined battle periods, the consequence of the fighting could be felt over the following months - and years - ahead.

Seven five years ago, on 17th January 1944, and 44 days after being severely wounded near the Moro river, Captain Ronald Wilkin of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers, succumbed to his wounds and he is buried at Bari CWGC Cemetery.

Unfortunately, I have neither a photo of Captain Wilkin nor one of hs final resting place at Bari - perhaps someone can add one or other of these to this thread.





Captain Wilkin had joined up with the Royal Irish Fusiliers in June 1943 and for his actions on 4th December 1943, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in May 1944:

“On the morning of 4 Dec 43, Captain Wilkin, commanding the Support Company, was ordered to bring up two Vicker’s Machine Guns and two 3" Mortars to the Battalion, which during the previous night had infiltrated to an area five hundred yards short of the MORO River and from dawn had been fiercely attacked by the enemy. The role of the Battalion was to force the enemy away from the close mountainous country overlooking the MORO River and the Germans were equally determined to hold this commanding ridge.

By 1000 hrs, the Battalion was hard pressed and the enemy had infiltrated machine gun groups to the rear of the Battalion, so severing its line of communication. As he climbed through this broken country with the mule borne ammunition, machine guns and Mortars, a message from the CO told Captain Wilkin that the ammunition situation was desperate and that to hold the position 3” Mortars and Vickers Machine Guns were vital necessities. When the mule train reached a track half a mile short of the Battalion Headquarters a burst of machine gun fire swept the track, killing the leading mule and wounding his muleteer. At the same time, snipers fired at the mule party from a house four hundred yards away. Captain Wilkin was the personification of coolness, he brought a Bren gunner into action against the enemy machine gun, and occasionally sniped, he, with great courage, untied the barrel of a 3” Mortar from the dead mule and loaded it onto another mule. He then said to his NCOs and men, “whatever happens to me, this stuff must get through to the Battalion”.

Under the protection of his one Bren gun which had, however, silenced the enemy machine gun to the left flank, Captain Wilkin bravely led his mule team up the track. Progress is slow, the enemy sniping was deadly, but they dauntlessly struggled up the mountain track. Two more men were hit and Captain Wilkin and an NCO took over their mules. Four hundred yards short of the Battalion Headquarters a round pierced Captain Wilkin’s right lung and his mule was killed. Refusing any attention, he ordered the mule train to go on and saw them wind up the track to Battalion Headquarters. Knowing the nature of his wound, in deliberately denying himself prompt attention, Captain Wilkin was prepared for the supreme sacrifice in order to carry out his task. Thirty minutes later, what proved to be the Germans final counterattack, was completely broken up by the surprise enfilade fire of these two machine guns and the 3” Mortars added greatly to the destruction of the enemy.

Captain Wilkin, at present dangerously ill, showed a fortitude and devotion to duty of the first order. By completely ignoring his own safety and by steadfastly carrying his task to completion he turned the day and so enabled the Battalion to throw back the enemy over the MORO River.”

Faugh-a-Ballagh !

 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56108505


TD

 

Found this little snippet in the Newcastle Journal dated Thursday 27th January 1944. It contains the name and address of Capt Wilkin's father which might be useful for anyone conducting further research.

Regards

Bruneval

 

1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION
1 Otterburn Terrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne C.B., Northumberland
NAME - DOB - OCCUPATION
Samuel Blundell - 27 Jul 1865 - Traveller Hour Retired
John G Wilkin - 03 May 1893 - Solicitor, Managing Clerk
Gertrude M Wilkin - 02 Oct 1896 - Unpaid Domestic Duties
Grace E Peatrie - 10 May 1912 - Domestic Servant
Sorry, this record is officially closed.

 

Ronald was my cousin, but 20 years older, so I was aged one when he was killed and I have no memory of him. His DSO medal is with the Border Regiment in Carlisle and letters that he wrote home before and after injury are with the Second World War experience centre near Leeds. I have a copy of a letter he wrote home from hospital on 6 January 1944, ending “I am now quite well, although in bed, so don’t worry.” He died 11 days later.

 

John,

Welcome and thanks for the update. The opening post author was logged in a few days ago. I will let him know you've posted this, pus the others.

 

Dear John,

Thank you so much for your note about your cousin... and for David for drawing my attention to it.

The generational time shift (you being 20 years younger than Ronald) does allow some "long forgotten" memories to continue to be treasured... I myself am the youngest of 6 (and my father was the 3rd youngest) so I observe some of those same age-gaps within my own family.

To the point - such a remarkable connection after 82 years. And a beautiful photo of such a young man.

Having survived over 6 weeks since initially suffering his wounds during the bitter fighting south of the Moro river, it must have been a particularly heavy blow for his parents, John and Gertrud, that he succumbed to them in mid-January

Full disclosure - my father was close nearby in December 1943 with the 2nd Bn. London Irish Rifles and I have visited the area a number of times over the past few years. I keep in close touch with some of the sons and daughters of fathers who died during that period - including Gillian Holmes, whose father George died with the Faughs north of the Sangro at San Vito on 2 December 1943, and Patrick Butler, whose father, Beauchamp, died while commanding the Irish Fusiliers at the Trigno river on 27 October 1943.... both are now over 80 years of age and able to share family family memories from the dim and distant past.

It seems that Ronald had initially joined up with the Faughs in Algeria in June 1943 and was assigned to the A/Tk platoon and came through the Sicily fighting period.. Ronald, being 21 years of age, was a number of young men asked to lead a platoon into battle - another 20 year old, John Glennie, who was killed at the Trigno, was another whose family/story I know very well.

In short, such a desperate period for everyone, for the young lads, who were fighting so hard, and the families/civilians in the UK and Italy. Every day was a "sliding doors" moment - my own father lived to the ripe old age of 90 and the last lads from the Irish Brigade lived until the last 2/3 years.

I attach a short obit. featured in the Regimental journal in 1944 - (edit) which I now realise was included in the original post.

Yours
Richard
Faugh a Ballagh

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