Edmonds, Lionel Frank

Date of death:: December 9th, 1941
Service number:: 7886393
Nationality:: British

Biography

Later taken a prisoner-of-war by the Italians, he was killed when the Italian S.S. Sebastiano Vernier, in which he and other prisoners were being transported, was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine Porpoise, on 9 December 1941, five miles south of Navarino. His body was never recovered and his name was commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.

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Military Medal (MM)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Corporal
Unit:: "B" Squadron, 7th Hussars Royal Tank Regiment, 7th Armoured Brigade, 7th Armoured Division, British Army
Awarded on:: November 29th, 1940

Recommendation:
"On the night of 29 June, 1940, this NCO was in command of a light tank attached to "B" Sqdn. 7th. Hussars for a night attack on Capuzzo' He used his searchlight on the Fort at close range enabling the other tanks to obtain observation until ordered to put it out. Owing to a failure of the inter-communication in his tank his driver failed to retire with the rest of the tanks when ordered to do so. The tank was struck by a small shell knocking out the driver and dazing the gunner. The suspension of the tank ws also damaged by the shock. Cpl. Edmonds managed to revive the driver ad ordered him to continue to drive on, urging his gunner to keep firing on the guns which were on three sides of him.He succeeded in penetrating the defences, and when almost clear, the tank failed to negotiate the bard wire defences on the other side. Although being shown up by Verey lights and the Fort Searchlight, he dismounted and cut through the wire with wirecutters and succeeded in making a path through which the tank could pass. Later he managed th rejoin his own Squadron which was acting as rearguard, and remained on patrol under fire until the squadron returned to the laager. In addition he has always shown zeal and dash beyond the normal when engaged in operations in the Capuzzo area."