John Godwin (Royal Navy officer)
John Godwin | |
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| Born | 13 December 1919 RNVR |
| Unit | No. 14 (Arctic) Commando |
| Awards | World War II |
Temporary Lieutenant John Godwin,
Geneva Convention
, they were forced to march 30 miles a day on cobbles testing army boots.
On 2 February 1945 they were led to execution, in accordance with Hitler's Commando Order of 1942. Godwin managed to wrestle the pistol of the firing party commander from his belt and shoot him dead before being himself shot. No superior officer witnessed this act so a decoration could not be awarded. However, his bravery was mentioned in dispatches (posthumously). The citation, in The London Gazette, 9 October 1945, read: "For great gallantry and inspiring example whilst a prisoner of war in German hands in Norway and afterwards at Sachsenhausen, near Oranienburg, Germany, 1942–1945".[2]
Notes
- ^ a b "Operation Checkmate". Commando Veterans Association. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "No. 37299". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 October 1945. p. 4954.
Sources
- Volunteers from Argentina who gave their lives in WWII. Memorial
- CWGC entry
- ISBN 0-316-28840-3
- Reilly, Joanne (1997). "Appendix: Belsen Testimonies". Belsen in History and Memory. Routledge. pp. 216–217. ISBN 0-7146-4767-5.
- Gilbert, Sir Martin (2004). The Second World War: A Complete History. MacMillan. pp. 637. ISBN 0-8050-7623-9.
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