207601 Pte. Jack Jackson MM.British Army 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards from:Consett, Co Duham My grandfather Jack Jackson was the son of and grandson of army regulars. He joined the Coldstream Guards in May 1915 having been a miner in Co.Durham. His MM was awarded 9th October 1917 for actions [that I have never been able to elicit] at the Battle for Poelcappele. Gazetted 18 January 1918. He served with the Regiment as part of the occupying forces.
He hated non-regimental officers and particularly the 'Staff' and as result refused to work for 'them' after the war, becoming a trusted bookie's runner. As a youngster I twice carried the leather bag with clock so that if he was stopped by our friendly policemen he was 'innocent'.
My father was also a regular with the Royal Tank Corps after TA service with the KOYLI's. He was killed in action on the 17th June 1941 with the 7th Battalion Royal Tank Regiment while helping to save some Guards Regiments during Operation Battleaxe. As it happens one of the regiments was the 3rd Coldstreams.
I joined the RAF as a regular in the '50's and my grandfather never spoke or wrote to me for 2 years until he saw me in uniform for the first time. I was then the first member of the family to be invited for a pint at his working mans club. He claimed that one of our forebears was the CSM of one of the newly formed cavalry regiments [Maybe Hodgson's Horse] that helped to quell the Indian Mutiny, as the only other 'white man' in the Regiment. The real claim to fame was that British soldiers of the Army in India had been injured or killed by cannon balls that rolled across the parade ground after being fired through mutineers. He suggested,and it was adopted, an easier method, just fire the gunpowder, same punishment result but no injured soldiers from the British regiments.
|