"On the 4th May, 1944, at Kohima in Assam,
a Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment attacked the Japanese
positions on a nearby ridge. Captain Randle took over command of the
Company which was leading the attack when the Company Commander was
severely wounded. His handling of a difficult situation in the face of
heavy fire was masterly and although wounded himself in the knee by
grenade splinters he continued to inspire his men by his initiative,
courage and outstanding leadership until the Company had captured its
objective and consolidated its position. He then went forward and
brought in all the wounded men who were lying outside the perimeter. In
spite of his painful wound Captain Randle refused to be evacuated and
insisted on carrying out a personal reconnaissance with great daring in
bright moonlight prior to a further attack by his Company on the
position to which the enemy had withdrawn. At dawn on 6th May the attack
opened, led by Captain Randle, and one of the platoons succeeded in
reaching the crest of the hill held by the Japanese. Another platoon,
however, ran into heavy medium machine gun fire from a bunker on the reverse slope of the feature. Captain Randle immediately appreciated that this particular bunker covered not only the rear of his new position but also the line of communication
of the battalion and therefore the destruction of the enemy post was
imperative if the operation was to succeed. With utter disregard of the
obvious danger to himself Captain Randle charged the Japanese machine
gun post single-handed with rifle and bayonet. Although bleeding in the
face and mortally wounded by numerous bursts of machine gun fire he
reached the bunker and silenced the gun with a grenade thrown through
the bunker slit. He then flung his body across the slit so that the
aperture should be completely sealed. The bravery shown by this officer
could not have been surpassed and by his self-sacrifice he saved the
lives of many of his men and enabled not only his own Company but the
whole Battalion to gain its objective and win a decisive victory over
the enemy."
From Capt. Randle's Victoria Cross citation, awarded on 21 May 1940.
May you be at peace,
Brian
A short of Randle's Victoria Cross action.
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