Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Lance-Sergeant

Unit:

No. 3 Commando, 1st Special Service Brigade, Combined Operations Headquarters, War Office, British Government

Awarded on:

January 13th, 1944

L/Sgt Wilkinson was second-in-command of a patrol of one officer and six other ranks which was landed near Bova marina on night 27th-28th August 1943 with the object of going to Reggio and reporting on enemy activities with a wireless set.His officer left him inm a defensive position and with omne L/C[pl went to do a reconnaissance. While he was away the Sgt's party came under rifle fire, so he moved to join his officer but again came under small arms fire had to extracate his party.The officer never re--appeared.While making towards Melito on the 29th -August they came under fire.. Seeing only 4 Italains they returned it driving themoff and capturing their food water and kit.This helped the party to carry on. On the third day the wirless failed and on the 4th day,the Sgt was warnned by a peasant that Carabinieri weresearching the farms sohe moved to Sanpantaleone .During the afternoon he was able to observe and avoisd two parties of German Infantry. The next six days he kept his patrol concealed in a farm as one of them was sick and on the 6th September , succeeded in joining our own army.It was entirely due to the fforts of this NCO that his party of two Commando signallers and two RA Signallers were able to survive a week with little water and food and no exact knowledge of when the British Invasion was intended to take place.