Cumper, William John "Bill"

Date of death:: December 1954 (Rhodesia)
Service number:: 202597
Nationality:: British

Biography

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Mentioned in Dispatches

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Lieutenant
Unit:: 143rd Field Park Squadron R.E., 7th Armoured Division, British Army
Awarded on:: December 30th, 1941

Military Cross (MC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Temporary Captain
Unit:: L Detachment, 1st SAS Regiment, Special Air Service (SAS), British Army
Awarded on:: October 14th, 1943

"On 14 September 1942, the 1st S.A.S. Regiment raided Benghazi. From information received on the previous day it was believed that the Benghazi garrison had fortified their position by mines, wire and other entanglements. These obstructions to a night raiding party without artillery or tanks might have proved disastrous. Captain Cumper volunteered to lift the mines and clear a way through the entanglements and so lead the raiding party in. He picked a way which avoided mines and got the party to within thirty yards of the enemy’s positions. He carried on and managed to open the gate which allowed the attacking force to get at the enemy. All through the operation, Captain Cumper’s cheerfulness and bravery had a magnificent effect on the morale of the troops, and, although faced with an extremely dangerous and difficult job, he showed no regard for his own safety."