MANDER, d’Arcy (#225)

Alan Pollock’s Rough Notes:

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Colonel d’Arcy MANDER  DSO of lst, 2nd, 4th & 11th Bns the GREEN HOWARDS, her TERRITORIAL BATTALIONST 150th INFANTRY BRIGADE EIGHTH ARMY; commissioned into lst Bn Sep29 within lst GUARDS BRIGADE, he was prewar Cairo Intelligence & in Germany/Austria language training; 1940-42 was with 4th Bn and was captured 1J un 1942, when 2i/e “BOX” at GAZALA, 5 days hard fighting, surrounded & all ammunition spent; to POW CAMPO 29 nr PIACENZA in ITALY.

After ITALIAN SURRENDER of 8 Sep 1943 and escape, he made a long successful 3 month WINTER EVASION to ROME (9Dec43) & chose to work with a pro ALLIED ITALIAN INTELLIGENCE Organisation, allowing advance warning of major German counter attack at ANZIO, penetrating the German SS & helping other EVADEES until Jun44, (DSO Award); here too. we recall the excellent work nearby in ROME of IRISH Monsignor O’FLAHERTY and Major Sam DERRY DSO & the CONTADINI of NORTHERN ITALY elsewhere, who “heloed us and thousands of other escapers, at appalling risk to their lives and property”; 24 Bns of the GREEN HOWARDS were raised in WW1 (56 Battle Honours. 7,500 KILLED & almost 24,000 wounded) and 1-2 Bns were raised in WW2,, awarded 25 BATTLE HONOURS,, 3 VCs, 19 DS0s, 50 MCs, 16 DCMs & 92 MMs.