Eric Garland 11 Commando

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 07/02/2016 16:43:36

I came upon this by chance in the local Isle of Man newspaper. What a man...a typical commando attitude to life.
I realize that his obituary has already been posted here but this article gives a more detailed look into his life.

Decorated war hero, soldier, pilot, prisoner of war and escapee, the life of Port Erin resident Eric Garland ? who died on January 17 aged 95 - reads like a Boy?s Own adventure.
Despite this, sadly Eric declined to give public interviews or write his story down. ?We said you should write a book,? said his widow Christine. ?He said: ?Why? There are so many written?. He never thought he had done so much.?

Fortunately he did agree to an interview with Lord Ashcroft for a special edition of Britain at War published last year, and it revealed information new even to those closest to him.
Eric was born in south London on February 2, 1920. After leaving Whitgift School, Croydon, he worked with Imperial Airways and also joined the TA.
At the outbreak of the war he was commissioned into the York and Lancaster Regiment and in November 1939 crossed to France with the BEF.
He distinguished himself during the retreat to Dunkirk, when he rescued three British military policemen from a house being used as an ammunitions store which was ablaze. Ammunition exploding around, he helped them out one by one even though the raid was still going on. Eric was awarded the MC for his ?conspicuous bravery?.
While retreating to Dunkirk, Eric, supported by 40 men, was ordered to hold a bridge ?at all costs? over the Canal des Moëres at Téteghem against a much larger German force. They came under heavy mortar fire but held out for three days. He was one of the last soldiers to be evacuated from Dunkirk.
He volunteered for the No 11 (Scottish) Commandos. During his training, he learned that an enemy bomb had hit his home at Chipstead, Surrey, killing his sister, who was 17, and the family dog.

He joined his commando unit in Palestine where they were to take part in the invasion of Vichy-controlled Syria and Lebanon. They formed up with the 21st Australian Infantry Brigade and were given the task of securing both banks of the Litani river in order to prevent the demolition of the Qasmiye Bridge, allowing the advance towards Beirut.
Eric had to cross the wide, fast-flowing river while taking heavy casualties from mortars and machine guns. His force was pinned down by shelling and snipers. He told Lord Ashcroft: ?I was tired of waiting and having my men killed. I got to the river bank and I thought I would chance it. I exposed myself to the fire a few times so that I could locate one of the snipers ... I located him nearly 200 yards away on the other side of the river, and I shot and killed him using a Bren gun ... It was quite a dangerous ?game? but by then I felt like a cornered cat: I was prepared to kill or be killed.?
After more fighting, the enemy surrendered. Out of 456 men, 130 were killed or wounded in 29 hours of fighting.
For this he gained a bar on his MC which stated he ?displayed throughout the action cool and clear-headed leadership and complete disregard for his own personal safety.?
He transferred to the RAF in 1942 and trained as a pilot in Southern Rhodesia learning to fly Tiger Moths. He gained his wings in August of that year.
He was posted to 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron and flew operations over the Western Desert. In the first week of flying in April 1943, his Hurricane suffered engine failure, forcing him to land in a minefield. ?I picked the roughest bit of ground I could see hoping it wouldn?t be mined ... I hit the ground, decelerated and my head hit the reflector sight. I thought: ?I am dead? ? but a few moments later I woke up.?
In June 1943 he joined 208 Squadron and carried out tactical reconnaisance sorties throughout the desert. The squadron was equipped with Spitfires, and in March 1944 landed in Italy. On May 4 1944 he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over the Cassino battle area.
He said that after a loud bang a fire started, he had to evacuate very quickly. After disconnecting himself, he turned the plane upside down and ?rolled out. Then I started to fall towards the ground with my clothing scorched and all the skin had been burned off my hands. It was all very painful. I wondered whether to pull my rip-cord or not. I thought about ending things because we were told we would probably get rough treatment on the ground. But I suppose I had a desire to live and so I pulled the rip-cord.?
A group of German soldiers ?leapt? on him and one attempted - but failed - to steal his watch. They did not mistreat him.
He was taken to see his aircraft, which had exploded in a farmyard, injuring the farmer. ?He (the farmer) was crying,? Garland said, ?and one of the German soldiers and I grinned at each other over this rather weak behaviour.?
He was now a prisoner of war, but despite having a seriously injured leg and burns, Eric made several attempts to escape. Twice he was caught while climbing through a window. The third time, after sliding down a laundry chute, he was captured while trying to saw through a door. He made a successful fourth attempt on June 17 1944 after jumping from a hospital train near Verona taking him to a PoW camp in Germany.
He slept rough and sometimes took refuge with Italian families. In August, while walking from Lake Garda to Cremona, the wound in his injured leg became infected and he had to spend 60 days hiding in a false wall at the end of a barn while his injuries healed. He continued his journey and joined the partisans fighting at Vasto di Sotto in which 78 German soldiers were killed or captured. He continued to fight with the partisans until he crossed the lines in the Po valley and met up with US forces in January 1945.
In May 1945 he rejoined 208 Squadron. In 1947 he was appointed MBE for his services as a PoW and his actions with the partisans. He remained in the RAF for two years before moving in 1948 to Kenya where he became a farmer. During the Mau Mau uprising he was co-opted into the Police Air Wing, flying light aircraft on reconnaissance missions. Here he met Nadine Snelling, who was an air stewardess, and they married in 1952. Later he worked as a pilot for East African Airways, returning to Britain in 1972 when he became a pilot for Manx Airlines (Nadine had Manx connections) retiring in 1985. They had a son, Robert.
Nadine died in 2003 and in 2005 he married Christine McBryde, who had been Nadine?s best friend. He had a leisurely retirement, said Christine, that included lots of war films.  Lord Ashcroft wrote: ?My respect for Eric Garland and his bravery is immense: he has displayed unlimited amounts of what I call ?cold?, or premeditated, courage.?
He added not once during their six-hour interview did he say he had been brave. ?He said he was ?simply doing his duty?.?

What a character.....first degree hero and Commando.

Thanks Peter
Regards

John M