Orders, Decorations and Medals

A ‘Battle of El Alamein’ D.C.M. awarded to Acting Serjeant James Stephenson, Gordon Highlanders, who was killed in action in Normandy, 23 August 1944

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.VI.R. (5046681 A. Sjt., Gordons) very fine £3500-4000

D.C.M. London Gazette 14 January 1943.

‘On the night of 27th October 1942, A/Sgt. Stephenson located an enemy sniper and accompanied by an officer, stalked and killed him. The following morning A/Sgt. Stephenson discovered that another sniper had moved up to the same position and was firing at the Coy. on his right. Without hesitation and regardless of his own safety, A/Sgt. Stephenson jumped from his trench and crawled across 100 yards of open, bullet swept ground, and shot the sniper with his Tommy gun. This was in broad daylight and despite the fact that the sniper continued to fire at him’.

The Gordon Highlanders were gazetted 17 Distinguished Conduct Medals for service during the Second World War, only one of which was for El Alamein.

Serjeant James Stephenson, 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders, was killed in action in Normandy on 23 August 1944, aged 31 years. He was buried in the St. Desir War Cemetery, Calvados, France. He was the husband of Mary Ann Stephenson of Lisburn, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Stephenson's platoon commander, Lieutenant William McFarlan, M.C., commanding 11 Platoon, B Company (the Company Commander was Major Mike Du Boulay, M.C.) 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders, submitted an unpublished manuscript to the Gordon Highlanders Museum, prior to his death in 2003. The manuscript contains several mentions of Sergeant Stephenson, some of which are recorded below:

‘The next day I had only one NCO left in the platoon, a corporal who was not suitable to be my sergeant. So after an argument, I had managed to get Pte. Stephenson to be my sergeant instead of the corporal who retired to the rear. Stephenson was Officer’s Mess Sergeant in the South Staffordshire Depot but he wanted action, which was refused, so he collected the Christmas turkey too late to be cooked! He therefore joined us as a private. He was the greatest support I ever had. Unfortunately he was killed by a sniper in Normandy when I was not there ....... That morning we were bothered by a sniper, that night we dealt with him and his telephone. By night we patrolled and Sergeant Stephenson dealt with two more snipers .........I did alternate nights on deep patrols. I always took Sergeant Stephenson and Pte. Laurie but the CO told me to take different men on each patrol - these patrols meant going behind the enemy isolated forward positions and as we three knew each others moves suggested he gave me some easier patrols to teach others’.

With some copied research.