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While his individual bravery under fire cannot be denied, a leader to the last, he was known to say "My VC belongs as much to the men who were with me as to me." 🧵 7/7

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This was a source of pride for some - of the VC, East Lancs BEF veteran, Vic Burton would later be "right pleased with that, because we had put up a good show." All too aware of the vageries of recognising valour a modest Ervine-Andrews would echo the sentiment. 🧵 6/7

Underlining the bravery of the men who fought on the Canal de Beruges, the action accounted for more than half of the decorations awarded to men of the 1st East Lancs for service with the British Expeditionary Force. Ervine-Andrews' was the regiments sole VC of #WW2. 🧵 5/7

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The outcome was mixed - "I'm sad to say very few of them recieved any recognition". Of those involved in Ervine-Andrews' action just four others would be decorated - two subalterns with the MC, his CSM with the DCM and his orderly with the MM. 🧵 4/7

Recognising this, once he had returned, via Dunkirk, to Britain, he set about seeking recognition for his men. "I picked as many as I thought was a reasonable proportion" to put forward for a decoration. 🧵 3/7

As OC of B Company, 1st East Lancs, Ervine-Andrews led a body of brave men holding their position on the Dunkirk perimeter. "So many of my men had done so many gallant things and several had given their lives" he'd later recall. 🧵 2/7

#OTD in 1940, Captain Marcus Ervine-Andrews displayed the "courage, tenacity and devotion to duty" which would see him awarded the Victoria Cross. But, as he held back sustained attacks from the roof of a burning barn, he wasn't acting alone... 🧵 1/7

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Martin Whincup @whincupm.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The gallant actions of Captain Marcus Ervine-Andrews on 1st June 1940 would ultimately be recognised with the award of a Victoria Cross. Drawing on his assessment of recognising bravery, a look at just some of the vagaries of valour. combinedobservations.substack.com/p/the-victor...

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In 1957, Esmond Knight was the subject of "The is Your Life". Recognising wartime service on HMS Prince of Wales, this led to a meeting with someone he'd later wryly refer to as "the man who blew me to blazes", ex Bismarck gunnery officer, Baron Burkard Von Mullenheim-Rechberg.

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Martin Whincup @whincupm.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

In May 1941, peace-time actor and wartime RNVR officer, Esmond Knight found himself in the middle of one of the major naval engagements of #WW2. For a look at his experiences in the Battle of the Denmark Strait and the day's lasting legacy, read: combinedobservations.substack.com/p/he-fought-...

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Reposted by Martin Whincup

#OTD 85 years ago, battle raged on the Denmark Strait as the German battleship, Bismarck engaged HMS Hood and Prince of Wales. SINK THE BISMARCK! (1960) brought the action to the big screen, giving starring roles to a host naval veterans... 🧵 1/7 #WW2

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Knight's performance as his wartime commander, Captain John Leach, is both powerful and poignant. Tomorrow, over on Substack, we'll take a look at both his experiences and his route back to HMS Prince of Wales. Subscribe here to for more: combinedobservations.substack.com 🧵 7/7

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But one final sailor-actor had a closer connection than most to the action depicted in SINK THE BISMARCK! Esmond Knight had been aboard HMS Prince of Wales in May 1941. Above the bridge during the Battle of the Denmark Strait, he was blinded by shell splinters. 🧵 6/7

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With two decades in the service, Jack Gwillim (Captain Wilfrid Patterson) had the longest naval career of the cast. Joining aged 17, he became the youngest Commander in the navy at the time of his promotion and took up acting after being invalided out with arthritis. 🧵 5/7

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Peter Dyneley (Commander Jenkins) served in the Royal Canadian Navy, while Laurence Naismith (Sir Dudley Pound) had been a pre-war merchant seaman. John Barron (photographic intelligence officer) didn't get where he was today without wartime service as a naval officer. 🧵 4/7

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More's one-time boss, Michael Hordern (Admiral Sir John Tovey) also saw active service, both as a rating on the defensively equipped merchant ship, City of Florence and as Fighter Direction Officer on HMS Illustrious. He left the service a Lieutenant Commander. 🧵 3/7

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Martin Whincup @whincupm.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Kenneth More (Captain Shepard) saw extensive service as a naval officer. "I was in a ship, HMS Auroa, which was in every possible action, because we had a very gallant captain and where he went, we had to go with him", he'd later quip. 🧵 2/7

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On this night, 85 years ago, HMS Prince of Wales was steaming towards the Denmark Strait. Preparing for action, peace-time actor and wartime Sub-Lieutenant, Esmond Knight, found himself in the ship’s cinema to draw not theatrical costume, but protective anti-flash gear…

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During the Burma campaign of #WW2 the Vickers MMG provided valuable fire support during jungle fighting. In this week's Substack article, you'll find a closer look at one jungle action and the Vickers' legacy. Read: open.substack.com/pub/combined... 📽 IWM FUB7 🗓 22nd November 1944

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We may never know for sure the identity of the man in the picture, but if it were Bowers, it would be a fitting tribute to a young man who gallantly gave his today. - For a longer read on the legacy of the Manchesters at Pinwe, head over to Substack (pinned post). 🧵 8/8

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Bowers was awarded a posthumous mention in despatches, but whether he earned photographic recognition is less clear. Both his wartime CO, Rex King-Clark and regimental historian, A C Bell identify Bowers in the picture. The the IWM credits an unnamed Lancashire Fusilier. 🧵 7/8

They succeeded in rescuing Lloyd, who'd lose an eye and an arm but gain the Military Cross for his endeavours. Bowers, however would never return, killed instantly within a pace or two of the Major on 17th November 1944. 🧵 6/8

The remnants of Lloyd's party made it back, but without the Major - assumed lost until his whistle echoed through the jungle. A SWB party reached, but failed to rescue him. A second - including Ptes Bowers and Broaders of the Manchesters - volunteered to try again. 🧵 5/8

The force had been surrounded and subject to fire for three days when a party led by Maj John Lloyd (OC C Coy, 6 SWB) arrived with much needed supplies. Spirits rose, but a gloom fell when heavy firing indicated that Lloyd's return journey had been less successful. 🧵 4/8

By the time he went forward with Lt Roy Baker and two sections of A Platoon, he'd been in the Far East for three months short of three years. His role in November 1944 was to support the 6th South Wales Borderers' push through thick jungle towards Pinwe. 🧵 3/8

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Born while talk of peace filled the air at Versailles, Bowers joined a British Army expanding to fight a second world war in November 1939. The Stockport lad was duly posted to the Manchester Regiment and was with the 2nd Battalion in Burma in November 1944. 🧵 2/8

Martin Whincup @whincupm.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Is this Private Harry Bowers? A #WW2 machine gunner with the Manchester Regiment, Bowers' former platoon commander described him as "about the best of the lot". But there's some doubt whether he is the soldier in this AFPU photograph... 🧵 1/8 📷 IWM SE 2894

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During the Burma campaign of #WW2 the Vickers MMG provided valuable fire support during jungle fighting. In this week's Substack article, you'll find a closer look at one jungle action and the Vickers' legacy. Head to my pinned post to read. 📽 IWM FUB7 🗓 22nd November 1944

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Baker, Bean, Brock, Evans, Fisher, Gunning, Hyde, King-Clark and Sedgwick. Nine men, who, along with the Vickers MMGs they used in battle, tell the story of the Manchester Regiment in the Second World War. Read the full story here: open.substack.com/pub/combined... 🧵 11/11 #WW2

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But the 9th wasn't the only battalion in Europe. The 1st supported the 53rd (Welsh) Division and the 7th, the 52nd (Lowland). Signals Officer Capt Alan Fisher would experience much of the 7th's war on the Schelt and into Germany, inspiring him to donate. 🧵 10/11

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9th Battalion also went on from Dunkirk to have a wider service. After a spell in Iceland, the battalion moved to Italy and was machine gun battalion to 46th Division when Capt Charles Sedgwick joined it. He'd earn an MBE for his work during the Battle for Montegallo. 🧵 9/11

While the rest of 2nd Battalion went forward from Kohima, D Company had been detached and, under Maj Denis Bean, supported 36th Division. MMG support was important, especially at Pinwe, where appeal organiser, Baker displayed "resource and courage". He and Bean won MCs. 🧵 8/11

From Dunkirk, 2nd Battalion headed east and, under King-Clark, would deploy its Vickers MMGs to great effect at the Battle of Kohima. Also with the battalion was donor Dick Brock, a fine soldier who would go on to become Adjutant. 🧵 7/11

Also in France in the summer of 1940 was 1/9th Battalion, machine gunners supporting III Corps, and 5th Battalion - territorial infantry who would eventually become a machine gun battalion, though not before training on tanks. All returned to Britain via Dunkirk. 🧵 6/11

Before a shot was fired in the Far East, the Manchesters had already been in action in Europe - something donors like Lt Col Rex King-Clark MBE MC had first-hand experience of. He served with 2nd Battalion, which, during the Battle of France, supported 2nd Division. 🧵 5/11

When the Japanese attacked in February 1941, the Manchesters fought valiantly (Evans and Gunning were among those mentioned in despatches) but was overcome. The men faced four long years as FEPOWs, while the regular 1st Battalion ceased to exist as a fighting unit. 🧵 4/11

Among the benefactors were Lt Cols John Gunning and Charles Hyde, and Maj Mike Evans, all of whom were with 1st Battalion on Singapore in 1941. The battalion, which had converted to a machine gun role in 1936, arrived on the island in 1938 following a tour of Palestine. 🧵 3/11

In 1991, Major Roy Baker MC launched an appeal to buy a Vickers for the museum of his regiment, the Manchesters. Such was the response from former officers - many or whose service tells the story of the Manchesters' war - that a #VickersMG was soon secured. 🧵 2/11

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Many who served with the Vickers MMG during #WW2 held the gun in high esteem. A look, this #InternationalMusueumDay, at regimental and personal pride and how 36 machine gunners turned the #VickersMG into an exhibit with a rich heritage. 🧵 1/11

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