Awards D.S.O. & O.B.E. 53698 Capt. Vivian Wakefield STREET, M.C. 1 Special Air Service

Awards D.S.O. & O.B.E. Capt. Vivian Wakefield Street, M.C. 1 Special Air Service (53698)

O.B.E. ​

Officer in charge of beach at Port Raphtis during Allied evacuation of Greece, 1941

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Captured on a raid after having to leave their jeeps after running out of petrol and yomp sixty miles in 3 days to their rendezvous they arrived at Bir Dufan wadi where they were surrounded and captured by Italians.


Manged to evade capture whilst on an enemy submarine after it was hit by depth charges and bombarded by the Royal Navy, said to be Italian but the only u-boat lost in the Mediterranean on 13th January 1943 was U-224.

Making it back to his unit and was wounded Tunisia 26th April 1943.

Distinguished Service Order ​

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Awarded Military Cross during 1938 as an intelligence officer with 14 Infantry Brigade in Palestine.

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SOE File HS 9/1423/12

Street’s private papers at Kings College London STREET, Maj Gen Vivian Wakefield (1912-1970)

Born 1912; educated at Wellington and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; commissioned into The Devonshire Regt, 1932; Lt, 1935; service as Intelligence Officer, 14 Infantry Bde, Palestine, 1938; awarded MC, 1938; General Staff Officer 3, British Forces in Palestine and Transjordan, 1939-1940; served in World War Two, 1939-1945, with the Rifle Brigade, 1 Special Air Service Regt (SAS), and in Yugoslavia; acting Capt, 1939-1940; General Staff Officer 3, General Headquarters, Middle East, Cairo, Egypt, 1940; Capt, 1940; service in Kenya, 1940; attended Staff Course, Haifa, Palestine, 1940; General Staff Officer 3, G2, Force Headquarters, Athens, Greece, 1941; Officer in charge of beach at Port Raphtis during Allied evacuation of Greece, 1941; General Staff Officer 2, 1941; awarded OBE, 1941; General Staff Officer 2, General Headquarters, Middle East, 1941-1942; War Substantive Maj, 1942; General Staff Officer 1, 1942; acting Lt Col, 1942; service with 1 Special Air Service Regt (SAS), based at Kabrit, Egypt, and raided behind enemy lines, North Africa, 1942-1943; captured by Italians, 1942; escaped from torpedoed Italian submarine, 1943; service with Rifle Bde, Tunisia, 1943; General Staff Officer 1, 1943-1944; awarded DSO, 1944; Assistant Quartermaster General, 1944; General Staff Officer 1 and Second in Command, British Military Mission, Yugoslavia, 1944; commanded Bde, 1945; Maj, 1946; General Staff Officer 2, War Office, 1946-1947; General Staff Officer 2, Anti-Aircraft Command, 1947-1948; General Staff Officer 2, Directing Staff, Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1948-1950; General Staff Officer 1, Defence Ministry, 1950-1952; Brevet Lt Col, 1951; Lt Col, 1953; Col, 1954; temporary Brig, 1954; commanded Parachute Bde, Territorial Army, 1954-1956; Deputy Director of Staff Duties, War Office, 1956-1957; awarded CBE, 1958; Military Adviser to Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan, 1959-1961; Brig, 1960; Maj Gen, 1961; General Officer Commanding 3 Div, 1961-1962; awarded CMG, 1962; retired 1963; Justice of the Peace, 1966; Member, National Hunt Committee, 1967; Chairman, Save the Children Fund, 1967; died 1970.

 

Street's Military Cross Palestine

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The Daily Colonist (18th December 1938

 

The Tatler 13 June 1945

 

Newsweek (US Edition) 15th February 1943 Issue 7 Volume 21