Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War North Africa M.M. group of four awarded to Lance-Bombardier J. A. King, 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, who was decorated for his gallantry as wireless operator in an armoured O.P. at Ed Duda during the Sidi Rezegh battles of November 1941 - he was subsequently killed in action in the “Cauldron” feature

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (960386 Gnr. J. A. King, R.A.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, clasp, 8th Army; War Medal 1939-45, the first with contact marks and edge bruising, nearly very fine, the reminder good very fine (4) £ 800-1000

M.M. London Gazette 19 March 1942. The original recommendation for an immediate award states:

‘Gunner J. A. King was wireless operator in an armoured O.P. during the enemy attack on Ed Duda on 29 November 1941. The O.P. was forward but to a flank of our tanks in an isolated position, and was suddenly blinded by an enemy smoke screen. Shortly afterwards, enemy tanks emerged from the screen and engaged the armoured O.P. at close range. Two hits were scored in the engine, thereby making the light tank immobile. Gunner King was quite unperturbed, and continued to pass fire orders until he was ordered to evacuate the tank. Even then he did not leave until he had made certain that his set was unserviceable to the enemy. He showed the very greatest bravery, devotion to duty and determination throughout the whole operation. The officer in the tank was wounded shortly afterwards, and therefore the account of Gunner King’s gallantry has only recently been learnt.’

The action at Ed Duda, one of many notable actions fought around Sidi Rezegh in November 1941, assisted in keeping open the “Tobruk Corridor”. And specific mention of the recipient’s battery at work is to be found in The Crucible of War, by Barrie Pitt:

’The first move in the battle began late the following morning (29 November) when 15th Panzer, which had climbed the Escarpment east of Point 175, swept down the Sidi Rezegh valley to turn north around Abiar el Amar in a move reversing the sequence with which 21st Panzer had opened their first attack on the airfield seven days before. By mid-afternoon they were facing north-east towards the defences of Ed Duda, which consisted of the infantry of 1st Essex, 2nd/13th Australians, a company of 1st Royal Northumberland machine-gunners and twenty-six ‘I’ tanks of 4th R.T.R., all under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Walter O'Carroll of the R.T.R. In a three-hour attack, the leading Panzers rolled over two companies of the unfortunate Essex infantrymen, destroyed all the anti-tank guns in the area and knocked out fifteen tanks, but fortunately for O'Carroll, just behind his headquarters was a battery of Royal Horse Artillery. When, shortly after 1700 hours, the Panzers advanced again, they found themselves pinned down by a storm of fire which took them totally by surprise.

Moreover, the bombardment increased as darkness thickened, for Brigadier Willison arrived and decided that shock tactics alone would rectify the situation. Just before midnight, after yet another crashing barrage from the R.H.A., the eleven remaining tanks of 4th R.T.R. lined up abreast with only a foot between their horns and advanced directly forwards with every gun firing as fast as it could be reloaded and two companies of Australians charging with the bayonet immediately behind. By 0200 hours, the Essex positions were re-established, 167 German prisoners were being led back towards Tobruk and the bodies of many more littered the area. Panzer Regiment 8 had been bloodily repulsed and the Tobruk “Appendix” still existed.’

Sadly, however, John Arthur King, a native of Torquay, was killed in action in the Cauldron battle on 2 June 1942, by which date he had been advanced to Lance-Bombardier in B/O Battery, 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. Buried in the Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Libya, he left a widow, Mary King, who received her late husband’s M.M. at a Buckingham Palace investiture held on 8 June 1943; sold with original investiture letter, with later inscription to reverse, and reference to The Sparks Fly Upward, by Geoffrey Armstrong, which contains a photograph of the recipient and mention of his gallantry.