Award Croix de Guerre Sgt. S. Nuttall, REME Special Air Service (France)

Award Croix de Guerre Sgt. Sidney Nuttall, REME Special Air Service (France)

Unfortunately I am unable to find Nuttall's service number and citation but he had a very busy war wounded and at Dunkirk was with 1st Airborne Division in North Africa and Sicily, back in England attached to 6th Airborne Division to assault Merville Battery but glider landed on LZ 'N'. Assisted 3rd Parachute Squadron Sapper in blowing up Troarn bridge/

Was attached to 3rd and 4th Special Air Service for Operation Barker and Amherst; was also involved with War Crimes team in France.

Halifax Evening Courier 31st October 1945


IWM 21116 Nuttall, Sidney (Oral history)
British private served with Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached to 1st Bn Border Regt in GB, France and Belgium, 1939-1941; NCO served with 1st Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, City of London Yeomanry (The Rough Riders), 1st Airborne Div in GB, North Africa and Italy, 1942-1944; served with 20 Liaison, Special Air Service in North West Europe, 1944-1945

REEL 1 Background in Halifax, 1919-1939: family; education; enlistment in Army Supplementary C Reserve. Aspects of period with 14 Army Field Workshop, Royal Army Ordnance Corps in GB and France, 9/1939-1/1940: situation at Hilsea Barracks, Portsmouth, 9/1939; posting to unit at Farnborough; move to France as dispatch rider; problems with vehicles in winter weather; duties in Maginot Line during Phoney War; attempt to retrieve vehicle in no-man's land, 1939; hospitalisation with frost-bite at 1 General Hospital at Dieppe; under canvas at Pornichet, 1/1940; attachment to 1st Bn Border Regt. Recollections of operations as mechanic with Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached to 1st Border Regt in France and Belgium, 5/1940: move into Belgium from Douai, 10/5/1940; German Air Force attack on convoy; cutting of line of Communication and orders to forage.

REEL 2 Continues: role as company runner with infantry; shooting at Germans on canal near Tournai; effect of surrender of Germans; amusing story relating to Lancashire Fusiliers; retreat to Poperinghe; disabling of vehicles on Dunkirk perimeter; degree of disorder on Bray Dunes; physical condition he was in; enforcement of discipline on beaches; drunkenness and queuing on beaches; shooting down of German dive-bomber over beaches; impressions of guardsmen and French unit; evacuation on board HMS Icarus; arrival in Dover. Recollections of period as NCO with Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached to 1st Bn Border Regt in GB, 1940-1941: re- forming of unit at Crook; character of equipment; invasion scare during coastal defence duties in Northumberland; move to Welwyn Garden City.

REEL 3 Continues: memories of German Air Force incendiary raid on London; coastal defence on Norfolk coast; training as mountain troops in Crickhowell area; handling mules in the Brecon Beacons; operating Bren Gun; exercises with Home Guard; move to Barry Port; amusing story of convoy following circular bus in Llanelli area, 1941; converting of his brigade into 1st Airlanding Bde; move to Barton Stacey; toughening up training at Barton Stacey; introduction of bakelite grenade; danger of operating Mark 1 Sten Gun; opinion of later marks of Sten Gun; training injuries he received at Ilfracombe; arrival of early mark of jeep; problems of fitting jeeps into gliders.

REEL 4 Continues: character of pilots attached to unit; three types of gliders used; fatal accident during first glider testing; performance of glider in air; death of commanding officer in glider crash at Kiddington; accident in which paratroopers were killed, 1942. Recollections of period as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, City of London Yeomanry, (The Rough Riders), 1st Airborne Div in GB and North Africa, 1942-1943: character of unit; loading guns into gliders and question of planning behind there use; problems with gliders towed behind Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle; background to having to face court of enquiry; move to Stiffkey for live firing; voyage from GB to Algeria.

REEL 5 Continues: arrival at Oran; morale of US troops encountered in Algeria; characteristic of Waco gliders; lack of navigational training of US pilots; pattern of training in North Africa. Recollections of operations as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, City of London Yeomanry, (The Rough Riders), 1st Airborne Div during Sicilian landings, 7/1943: plans to capture Syracuse; attachment to Border Regt for operation; character of landing and attempts to rescue jeep; problems of attacking objective; capture of Syracuse; outcome of glider landings; return to North Africa for further operational training. Aspects of operations as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Anti- Aircraft Bty, City of London Yeomanry, (The Rough Riders), 1st Airborne Div in Italy, 1943: landings at Taranto, 9/9/1943; sight of Italian Navy on route to Malta to surrender; losses during mining of minesweeper at Taranto; advance northwards from Taranto and surrender of Italian troops. Aspects of period as NCO with 1st Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Bty, City of London Yeomanry, (The Rough Riders), 1st Airborne Div in North Africa and GB, 1943-1944: return to North Africa, late 1943.

REEL 6 Continues: conditions on board train in Algeria; train collision in Algeria; in transit camp at Blida; return to GB, 12/1943; move to Skegness; reasons for application to join Special Air Service; move to 1st Airborne Div workshops at Sleaford. Aspects of period as NCO with 20 Liaison Special Air Service in GB, 1944: joining unit at Kilmarnock; use of Vickers K guns and mounting machine guns on jeeps; use of red berets; composition of different units; briefing at Rickmansworth. Recollections of operations with 6th Parachute Bde in Normandy, D-Day, 6/6/1944: attachment to brigade to operate artillery element of brigade; landing on wrong landing ground; loss of his guns to staff officer; moving Royal Engineers to Troarn.

REEL 7 Continues: blowing of bridge at Troarn; role evacuating wounded at Troarn; role setting up position to withstand German counter-attack near Troarn; opinion of Non-Combatant Corps; outcome of assaults on Merville Battery; return to GB, 6/1944. Recollections of operations with 20 Liaison, Special Air Service in North West Europe, 1944-1945: character of Operation Barker in Dijon area; aid given by Communists amongst railway workers; landing with jeep in Dijon area; memories of French comrade; advance to Epernay before arrival of US Third Army; policy towards German POWs; dropping in Netherlands during Operation Market Garden; abortive attempt to cross River Rhine near Driel; return to GB; memories of role of Special Air Service during Operation Amherst in Netherlands, 1945.

REEL 8 Continues: composition of unit. Aspects of period with 20 Liaison, Special Air Service in France and Belgium 1945: role he had in Nantes and Paris areas after VE Day; hunt for French war criminals; reasons for handing over prisoners to military police in Germany; liaison work in Brussels between British and Belgian Armies; last parachute jump at Waterloo, 10/1945; return to GB for demobilisation. Reflections of service with British Army, 1939-1945: reaction to Sicilian landing; question of fear during operations; length of time special forces are in action in comparison with infantrymen; attitude to having served with different regiments; effects of service; narrow escape from RAF in the Netherlands, 9/1944; attitude towards Germans and Italians; story of receiving US Army card stating that 'This man has been cleared by 1 Mobile Prophylactic Station in Paris.

REEL 9 Continues: story of drunken brawl on VJ Day in Paris.

 

Siney Nuttall on VJ Day