Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part II)

General Service 1962, 1 clasp, Radfan (23910263 Pte. C. Cassidy, Para.), in original card box of issue, an official late claim and the only such award ever issued to the recipient, extremely fine £600-800

Private C. Cassidy, a member of ‘B’ Company, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, was severely wounded in the action fought at “Cap Badge Ridge”, Dhala, Radfan on 4 May 1964. Farrar-Hockley’s account of the action, part of Operation “Nutcracker”, states:

‘ ... ‘B’ Company, 3 Para. advanced to the Wadi Taym and came under heavy and accurate small arms fire from the fort and buildings of the village of El Naquil on the lower slopes of Cap Badge Ridge. The Company Commander, Major Peter Walker, led the leading platoon to clear the fort while the rest of the Company assaulted the village, driving out the dissidents and killing several in the process. A determined group of the enemy managed to move in behind the leading troops and started a surprise attack. They were themselves then ambushed by the rear element of the Company under the Second-in-Command, Captain Barry Jewkes and all the enemy party was killed. Enemy snipers from the slopes above the village now opened accurate and incessant fire causing several casualties. The snipers were in dead ground to the supporting Marines on the cliffs above and as such, were unable to help. Eventually ground attack R.A.F. Hunter aircraft were called in to strafe the position but despite this, casualties continued to mount.

In the course of the protracted fire-fight, Captain Jewkes and Private Davies were killed and Sergeant Baxter and Private Cassidy were critically wounded and both would have surely died, had it not been for the ministrations of the Company Sergeant-Major, who was fortunately trained as a medical orderly ... ’

Just four days earlier, 3 Troop, ‘A’ Squadron, 22 S.A.S. had fought a similar action at “Cap Badge Ridge”, it originally having been the plan for them to prepare a D.Z. for the Parachute Regiment. Greatly outnumbered, the Troop made an extremely gallant “fighting retreat” but in so doing had to leave behind two fatalities - the heads of the latter were afterwards stuck on poles and paraded around the Yemen by the rebels.

Sold with an original letter to the recipient from Colonel G. R. Flood, M.C., Parachute Regiment (dated 7 May 1964), in which he writes to say how sorry he was to learn that Cassidy had been wounded - ‘We have all read with pride and interest about your action on the Aden Frontier and you have worthily upheld the great name of the Regiment’; two old photographs which include the recipient; and extensive research regarding Operation “Nutcracker” and the action at “Cap Badge Ridge”.