Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Second War Escapers M.C. and Bar group of seven awarded to Major E. E. Tonks, 10th Royal Hussars

Military Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1944’ and additionally inscribed ‘Capt. E. E. Tonks, 10th R. Hussars’, with Second Award Bar, the reverse officially dated ‘1944’; 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals; British Fire Services Association, Bronze and Silver medals, both officially named, together with corresponding miniatures of the first seven, two certificates from the Institution of Fire Engineers and another for Associate Membership of the Fire Protection Society, these all named and dated, four photographs of the recipient and a small quantity of research, extremely fine (16)

M.C. London Gazette 3 August 1944. The official recommendation states: ‘On 23rd Jan 1942, at SAUNNU, this Officer was commanding a troop of tanks when they came under heavy and close range fire from A/T guns. Lieut Tonks’ tank was hit almost immediately, and burst into flames. The advance of the remainder of the troop was held up. Showing courage and determination of the highest order Lieut Tonks advanced on foot alone, and with a Bren gun killed or wounded the crew of the A/T gun that was hilding up the advance, thus allowing it to be continued and saving further casualties. This Officer’s coolness, devotion to duty and complete disregard for his personal safety was an inspiration to all.

Two days later this Officer was captured and has now succeeded in escaping. He got away to our troops in S. ITALY, a distance of some 700 miles. Again, this Officer showed his customary initiative, determination, and courage in making good his escape. Out of 1850 P.O.W. in his Camp under 50 escaped.’

Bar to M.C. London Gazette 9 November 1944. The official recommendation states: ‘Captured at MSUS on 25 Jan 42 by the Germans, Lieut Tonks was imprisoned at TRIPOLI, CAPUA, PADULA and BOLOGNA (Camp 19). Whilst at PADULA he took part in several tunnel schemes; the last one was conceived by him and he had already worked on it for some time before divulging it to the escape committee. This had, however, to be abandoned when a concrete wall was reached. Here also he was a member of the Intelligence Committee.

After the Armistice Lieut Tonks, braving the German fire which burst forth as the mass evacuation was commencing, successfully evaded recapture. During his journey he met a party of paratroops, dropped to guide P/W to the coast, and remained with five of them in a peasant’s hut on the mountain for a few days. He was then instrumental in saving them from a German patrol. A Sgt remained behind, the others compelled the German officer they had captured to lead them through the lines, but all except Tonks were wounded slightly when the German caused a mine to explode; in the confusion the German escaped. They proceeded a little further before staying in a hut for the night. The next day they ran into some anti-personnel mines and one of the party was killed. The sound of the explosion caused Americans to find them and the wounded were sent to hospital.’

Major Edward Edmund Tonks joined the 10th Royal Hussars from Sandhurst in 1941. The regiment became part of the 2nd Armoured Brigade and on 27 November 1941 disembarked at Port Trewfik in the Middle East. He commanded a troop of three Honey tanks and by 22 January was in action against Rommel. He proved to be ‘an outsatnding Troop Leader’ and won his Military Cross at the Battle of Saunnu in January 1942. During the fighting in the Saunnu depression he became separated from his squadron and on the 25th during the withdrawal towards Gazala fell in with a party commanded by his C.O., Lieutenant-Colonel Harvey. Travelling east, Harvey’s party sighted a mixed column of fourteen German tanks and anti-tank guns heading towards Brigade HQ and posing a direct threat to the 22nd Guards Brigade on the coast road. Harvey now decided to rush this column and drive straight through it. This action, which was highly successful, completely surprised the enemy, who were unable to use their own weapons effectively owing to the damage they would have done to their own vehicles, while our own tanks, including a troop of the Bays who had joined them, let fly with every weapon they had.

In the course of the running fight, Tonks’ tank was hit and he and his crew captured. A narrative written by Tonks (copy sold with the lot) describes the scene after his capture: ‘We were searched, put into the vehicle and taken into the enemy column. I found myself amongst some German officers. As we were talking, in stepped none other than Rommel himself. I gave him a salute which he acknowledged and asked with a wry grin “had I enjoyed myself” to which I replied “I had until now”. I was put into his staff car and taken to where some other officers of the Brigade were being held. I’m sure if the CO had known how close he had been to the “Desert Fox” he would have attacked the convoy and might have captured Rommel himself.’

Tonks was subsequently handed over to the Italians and held in a squalid transit camp at Agheila, where his sang froid immediately impressed the writer and SOE operative-to-be, George Millar (then a subaltern in the Rifle Brigade), ‘By far the most self-possessed of the four of us,’ he wrote, ‘was young Tonks, a regular of the 10th Hussars. He had even had a shave. Admirable.’ Taken to Italy, Tonks proved a perfect nuisance to his captors and made several attempts to escape. He finally got away in 1944 and, after a most difficult time, found himself in a farmyard with a ‘convenient haystack’. His narrative continues, ‘I clambered to the top of the stack and lay there getting my breath back. As it was now dark I had a good snooze. When I woke up the next morning I found myself looking at German troops. These troops remained in the farm for ten days with me still on top of the haystack’.

Sometime later Tonks met up with three members of the Airborne Forces who had been parachuted in to perform a special mission, which they had failed to do, and were now evading capture. Moving on, they skirted around enemy troops until they came to a shepherd’s hut in the mountainside, not far from Monte Cassino. Here they intended to light a fire and eat. Tonks continues, ‘I went outside to collect firewood and down the track came a German officer and four soldiers. The officer called on me to put my hands up and as he said this one of our party put his head out of the hut. The German officer told me to get the rest of our party out. I went into the hut and told them to come out shooting. The noise was deafening, the soldiers were killed, the officer was wounded and gave in.’

After avoiding several German sentries and negotiating a minefield, they eventually met up with a platoon of U.S. troops. At this point Tonks handed over the briefcase of the captured German officer, since escaped, to the American CO. Tonks was the only one of his party not to have been wounded. His obituary states that he was awarded the Purple Heart for his services in helping the Americans cross the River Volturno. After the war he subsequently became an Instructor at Sandhurst, and later transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps as a fire adviser. When the Army Fire Service was ‘civilianised’ he remained with them until his retirement in 1969. Major Ted Tonks died on 20 September 1986.