A fine Second World War Italy operations M.M. awarded to Private W. E. L. Nairn, York and Lancaster Regiment, who, having received multiple wounds in attempting to rescue his patrol leader from a minefield behind enemy lines off the Anzio beachhead, evaded capture and crawled back to our lines

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (2766058 Pte. W. E. L. Nairn, Y. & L.R.), good very fine £1200-1500

M.M. London Gazette 20 July 1944. The original recommendation - for a D.C.M. - states:

‘On 31 March 1944, on the Anzio beachhead, Private Nairn was detailed as a member of a small patrol to penetrate German lines under cover of darkness, locate their positions and, if opportunity offered, to capture a prisoner.

During the course of the patrol and while within enemy lines, the patrol entered a small uncharted minefield and the patrol commander who was leading was killed. Private Nairn, showing great presence of mind, immediately took command and, ordering the other two members of the patrol to cover him, crawled forward to where the patrol commander lay. On finding that he was dead he started to return to the others but in doing so exploded four mines which seriously wounded him with multiple injuries in the foot, legs, stomach, face and arms and slightly injured the other two.

Seeing that nothing further could be done, Private Nairn ordered the others to withdraw and they set out carrying him between them. At 0200 hours, after going some distance and avoiding two parties of Germans, they were stopped by two sentries who ordered them in English to lay down their arms, and marched off the two slightly wounded men saying that they would bring back a stretcher party for Private Nairn, who was left lying on the ground.

As soon as they were gone, Private Nairn, with a complete disregard for his wounds and despite the great pain he was suffering, started to crawl back to his company position. After two and a half hours he succeeded in reaching our wire, but then he failed to attract the attention of the sentries and it was not until after daylight at 0900 hours that he was seen and brought in.

It was entirely due to Private Nairn’s magnificent courage and sense of duty that very valuable information of the enemy’s dispositions was obtained. Had he allowed himself to be captured and receive the medical attention which his wounds demanded, no news of this patrol could possibly have reached us.’

William Edward Lawson Nairn was serving in the 1st Battalion, York & Lancaster Regiment, at the time of the above cited deeds.