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From: "Mark Urry" <>
Subject: Military Honours
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 14:08:47 +0200


Here's something that deserves to be remembered and may be of particular
interest to some of you.

MILITARY MEDAL AWARDED TO EAST COWES MAN.

The Military Medal has been awarded to Corpl. I. J. Dexter, Hampshire Regt.,
serving with the Royal West Kent Regt. in Italy. He is the grandson of Mrs.
M. Dexter and the late Mr. J. Dexter. In a letter home he states that whilst
on the Rapido crossing near Cassino in May "My company were making the
last attack which gained them Route 6 and cut off Heydrich's paratroops
and sealed their escape route from the town. We were practically on our
objective when two Spanduas opened up, accompanied by heavy morter
and heavy shellfire, which managed to pin us down and inflict severe
casualties. Fortunately three of the New Zealand tanks came up and tried
to help us with accurate shelling and machine gun fire, but owing to the
very close country, although they set the objective on fire, a fortified
series of houses (approach to the Gustav line), the Spanduas (machine
guns) continued firing un - checked. We could fix a bearing on the machine
gun posts by their fire, but the tanks had to keep closed down, and when
that happens their visibility (in close country) is very small. So feeling
very
annoyed with the whole lot I climbed on top of two tanks in turn and
directed their fire. The snipers bullets (there were plenty, by the way)
pinged around, but I was dead lucky and thanks to my pals, I managed to
rejoin them and send a runner back for orders from the company
commander, as by this time the machine-guns were silenced for good.
Upon orders, I withdrew with the rest of the platoon (officer and sergeant
being wounded) and managed to dig in and consolidate half-way to the
objective. Meanwhile, we contacted the rest of the company and rejoined
them. I shall never forget the night of May 15th - it was hectic, to say the
least. "Stonked" all night: only one officer, the C.S.M., and self (the only
N.C.O., left) with 12 men. That's another story. But in passing, the Isle of
Wight boys from the Hampshires have done well. Brave young Fineran, of
Wroxall, and plucky Peter Kennedy, from Ryde, and steady young Don
Groves, of Freshwater. Only Bastiani and myself are left now- the rest have
all done a good job in the Hampshires tradition...

~ As printed in the Isle of Wight county press ~


Mark URRY
Marans, France.
URRY & BASTIANI Family History - http://www.marcireau.fr/urry/

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