| Michael Allmand | |
|---|---|
| 22 August 1923 – 24 June 1944 (aged 20) | |
 Lieutenant (Acting Captain) Michael Allmand. MoD image. |
|
| Place of birth | Golders Green, London |
| Place of death | Burma |
| Resting place | Taukkyan War Cemetery, Burma |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1942 – 1944 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Michael Allmand (22 August 1923 – 24 June 1944) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Contents |
Details
Michael Allmand was born in Golders Green, London to Arthur John and Marguerite Marie Allmand on 22 August 1923.[1] He was educated at Ampleforth College, a Catholic boarding school in North Yorkshire, England, before attending Oxford University in 1941 where he studied history until the end of 1942 when he joined the Indian Army during World War II and was commissioned into the Indian Armoured Corps as an officer in the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers.[2]
Shortly after the fall of Singapore, Allmand was sent to India where, following a call from GHQ India, he volunteered for service with the Chindits during the Operation Thursday and was subsequently attached to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles.[3] He was just two months short of his twenty-first birthday and an acting Captain when the following deed for which he was awarded the VC took place.[3] The citation in the London Gazette reads:
Captain Allmand was commanding the leading platoon of a Company of the 6th Gurkha Rifles in Burma on 11th June, 1944, when the Battalion was ordered to attack the Pin Hmi Road Bridge. The enemy had already succeeded in holding up our advance at this point for twenty four hours. The approach to the Bridge was very narrow as the road was banked up and the low-lying land on either side was swampy and densely covered in jungle. The Japanese who were dug in along the banks of the road and in the jungle with machine guns and small arms, were putting up the most desperate resistance. As the platoon come within twenty yards of the Bridge, the enemy opened heavy and accurate fire, inflicting severe casualties and forcing the men to seek cover. Captain Allmand, however, with the utmost gallantry charged on by himself, hurling grenades into the enemy gun positions and killing three Japanese himself with his kukrie.Inspired by the splendid example of their platoon commander the surviving men followed him and captured their objective. Two days later Captain Allmand, owing to casualties among the officers, took over command of the Company and, dashing thirty yards ahead of it through long grass and marshy ground, swept by machine gun fire, personally killed a number of enemy machine gunners and successfully led his men onto the ridge of high ground that they had been ordered to seize. Once again on June 23rd in the final attack on the Railway Bridge at Mogaung, Captain Allmand, although suffering from trench-foot, which made it difficult for him to walk, moved forward alone through deep mud and shell-holes and charged a Japanese machine gun nest single-handed, but he was mortally wounded and died shortly afterwards.
The superb gallantry, outstanding leadership and protracted heroism of this very brave officer were a wonderful example to the whole Battalion and in the highest traditions of his regiment.[4][5]
Allmand succumbed to his wounds the following day and his Victoria Cross was given posthumously. It was presented to his family by King George VI at Buckingham Palace on 17 July 1945, having been announced in the London Gazette on 26 October 1944.[4] The medal remained in his family's possession until 1991, when it was presented to the Regimental Trust in Hong Kong.[6] Later, in 2003 it was decided to donate the medal to the Gurkha Museum at Winchester in Hampshire, England.[6]
His body is interred at the Taukkyan War Cemetery, in Burma.[7] His life is commemorated in the Memorial Window at the St Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Golders Green, London.[2]
Other decorations
Michael Allmand received the following other decorations:
Notes
- ^ "Casualty Details: Michael Allmand". Commonwealth War Graves. http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2083981. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b "St Edward: A Look Around the Church". The Catholic Parish of St Edward the Confessor. http://www.stedwardgg.com/six.html. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b Parker 2005, p. 195.
- ^ a b London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36764, p. 4900, 26 October 1944. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
- ^ A second member of the 3/6th Gurkhas also received a VC for his actions that day—Tulbahadur Pun. See Parker 2005, p. 197.
- ^ a b c "Michael Allmand, VC". www.victoriacross.org.uk. http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/bballman.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Michael Allmand (1923–1944)". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8185202. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
References
- Parker, John (2005). The Gurkhas: The Inside Story of the World's Most Feared Soldiers. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-07553-1415-7.
Further reading
- Buzzell, Nora (ed.) (1997). Register of the Victoria Cross in "This England". (3rd ed.). This England Alma House. ISBN 0906324270 [Amazon-US | Amazon-UK].
- Harvey, David (1999). Monuments to Courage: Victoria Cross Headstones and Memorials. Vol.2, 1917–1982. Kevin & Kay Patience. OCLC 59437300.
- Laffin, John (1997). British VC's of World War 2: A Study in Heroism. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 9780750910262 [Amazon-US | Amazon-UK].
See also
External links
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