- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Captain
- Unit:
- 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance, 1st Airborne Division, British Army
- Awarded on:
- September 20th, 1945
- Awarded for:
- Operation Market Garden
Citation:
"Captain Lipmann-Kessel was taken prisoner when the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Arnhem, was occupied by the Germans on 18th September 1944. Following the evacuation of the lightly wounded, Captain Lipmann-Kessel was one of a small rear detachment who, whilst they were unguarded, were not asked to give their parole. In addition to his medical duties, Captain Lipmann-Kessel found time to organise a "transit camp" for evaders in the area. It was due to his efforts that a wireless and a quantity of Machine Guns and detonators stored in the hospital reached members of the Underground. On 13th October 1944 the remainder of the patients and staff were removed to Apeldoorn. As the majority of the wounded had already been sent to Germany, Captain Lipmann-Kessel received permission to escape, and two nights later he left the building unchallenged, with 3 other members of the R.A.M.C. After marching North for two nights the 4 escapers came into the hands of friends, and were hidden for a month until an evacuation of a large number of Allied personnel had been arranged. Captain Lipmann-Kessel acted as interpreter to the expedition, which unfortunately was not entirely successful. When he and two officers found themselves alone after an encounter with Germans, they returned to the Otterloo - Barneveld area.
Captain Lipmann-Kessel made two more efforts to reach safety before he finally met a British Unit near Lage-Ewaluwe on 10th February 1945 after a very hazardous journey.
This officer's work in keeping lightly wounded personnel on the "danger" list, in order to give them a chance of escaping, has been warmly praised by Brigadier Hackett."