County Constabulary Gloucestershire PAMS & WWII Welsh Guard (Injured)

[Insp43519]

1939-1945 Star: Unnamed as issued
France & Germany Star: Unnamed as issued
Defence Medal: Unnamed as issued
War Medal: Unnamed as issued
Royal Life Saving Society Bronze Medal: G.D. HICKS, JUNE 1939 (With RLSS bar and named 1940 bar)

GORDON D. HICKS was born during 1925 in Westbury on Severn, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, where his father was Pc Gordon W. Hicks of the Gloucestershire Constabulary.
He followed in his father's footsteps and in 1940 he joined the Gloucestershire Police Auxiliary Messenger Service in Cheltenham, as he lived with his parents at 32 Shakespeare Avenue, St Marks. His name appears in a local newspaper in 1939 for being awarded the RLSS Bronze medal in Cheltenham, he was later awarded a bar for it in 1940.
In September 1942 he was awarded a 2nd bar from the RLSS but he was not issued it due to the war time metal shortage, and was just given a token to swap after the war for the bar. The same month in 1942 he passed the RLSS first class instructors course all whilst serving in the Cheltenham Police. Then in December 1942 he was given the RLSS award of merit certificate in the police. (All original certificates, patches and badges are with the medals).

In 1943 he enlisted with the Army and went into 2nd Battalion Welsh Guards, during February 1944 he conducted training with the Guards Armoured Division and is in a group photo at the training wing. He then went with his Battalion to France and landed at Normandy on 26/06/1943. He would have been engaged in such Operations as Goodwood and Bluecoat and went on to liberate Brussels in September 1944 as part of Operation Market Garden, they then led the spearhead attack into Holland. I strongly suspect he was a member of the Recce / scouting force of the Guards Armoured Division.

20 year old Guardsman Hicks was injured in April 1945 whilst fighting in the European Theatre of War, admitted to hospital due to receiving a shoulder injury and shock, the story was reported on the front page of the Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucester Graphic on 12/05/1945, including his photo which matches his image from the training wing photo in 1944.

[Brian Wolfe]

Another interesting post Jon, it's always good to see WWII groups that can be traced to the recipient.

Regards

Brian