Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Second War ‘Normandy Landings, June 1944’ M.M. group of five awarded to Corporal R. E. Jermey, 224th Parachute Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, attached 6 Airborne Division H.Q at Le Bas de Ranville

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (7377858 Cpl. R. E. Jermey. R.A.M.C.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45, mounted for display, extremely fine (5) £3,000-£4,000

M.M. London Gazette 19 October 1944.

The recommendation states: ‘On 9 June 1944 Divisional Headquarters at 1073 (France 1/100,000, Sheet 7F) was heavily shelled and mortared from 1920 to 2030 hours. About 20 casualties were sustained. Corporal Jermey, after attending to one of these casualties who was bleeding badly from a leg wound, carried the casualty on his own, using the Firemans Lift, to the Main Dressing Station, 500 yards away as no vehicles with stretchers were available at the time. Although shells were literally bursting all round him he never faltered. On two occasions he and his patient were knocked down by the blast of the shells but he collected his patient and carried on immediately. In this case he undoubtedly saved the patient’s life as the nature of the wound was such that immediate surgical interference was necessary.
His complete disregard for personal safety combined with his coolness and determination has been an example to all ranks.’

D-Day June 1944 - Airborne Landings
On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Corporal Robert Jermey, Royal Army Medical Corps attached to 6th Airborne Divisional HQ, leapt into the void from the Dakota carrying him and other elements of R.A.M.C. airborne personnel and successfully parachuted into the apple orchards of Normandy, France. There then ensued a hectic time of setting up a Casualty Clearing Station and dealing with numerous Airborne casualties which inevitably streamed in from the Airborne and Airlanding troops desperately trying to hold their various outlying positions.

Three days after the initial invasion, 6th Airborne Divisional HQ came under intense German artillery and mortar fire, during which Corporal Jermey, his position straffed by exploding shells, courageously left cover to go to the aid of a stricken comrade who was badly wounded in the legs. With complete disregard to his own safety, he firstly applied field dressings then despite shells falling to left and right, hoisted the man onto his back and although knocked down twice from the blasts of exploding shells he, encumbered by the dead weight of his stricken comrade, finally managed to cover the 500 yards to the comparative safety of the Casualty Collection Post and in so doing, certainly saved the man’s life. For his outstanding bravery, he was rewarded with the well earned award of the Military Medal.

6th Airborne Divisional HQ, D-Day - Operation Mallard
At 03:35, the 6th Airborne Division headquarters landed by glider in the landing-zone cleared by sappers. Only a few gliders missed the landing-zone, due to the poor weather and errors in navigation. Once the headquarters staff and accompanying airborne troops had been gathered together, the headquarters was moved to the Le Bas de Ranville area and set up there. Contact was established with the headquarters of 5th Parachute Brigade at 05:00, and with the headquarters of 3rd Parachute Brigade at 12:35, and the division linked up with 1st Special Service Brigade as it advanced from the invasion beaches at 13:53.

Mallard was the final wave of the 6th Airborne Division’s landings and consisted of 220 Horsa and Hamilcar gliders, carrying the 6th Airlanding Brigade and other units. The gliders arrived at their landing-zone, coming under heavy small-arms and mortar fire from nearby German positions as they landed. Casualties were light and within ninety minutes the glider-borne troops had gathered at their rendezvous points. By 00:00 7 June, the entire 6th Airborne Division had been fully deployed on the eastern flank of the invasion beaches (with the exception of 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment – part of 6th Airlanding Brigade – that was due to arrive by sea on 7 June).

The division ended the day with the 3rd Parachute Brigade holding a 4-mile (6.4 km) front, with 9th Parachute Battalion at Le Plein, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion at Les Mesneil, and the 8th Parachute Battalion in the southern part of the Bois de Bavent. The 5th Parachute Brigade had the 12th Parachute Battalion occupying Le Bas de Ranville, and the 13th Parachute Battalion holding Ranville, while the 7th Parachute Battalion had been moved into reserve. The 6th Airlanding Brigade was poised to commit its two battalions to extend the bridgehead. The 1st Special Service Brigade, which had temporarily came under the command of the division, was holding villages to the north and north-east of DZ N.

The 6th Airborne Division suffered a total of 800 casualties between 5 June and 7 June, out of the 8,500 men deployed.

Robert Jermey was born on 8 August 1917, and later lived at South Wigston, Leicestershire. His occupation in 1939 was that of a carpenter at Lewes Prison, Sussex. He had previously seen active service in North Africa before being selected for Airborne training. He died in July 1993, aged 75, at Brentwood, Essex.

The Airborne R.A.M.C. units attached to 6th Airborne Division on 6 June 1944, were 195 Airlanding Field Ambulance RAMC, 224 Parachute Field Ambulance RAMC, and 225 Parachute Field Ambulance RAMC