Early Life
Richard Annand was born South Shields on the 5th November 1914. He was educated at Pocklington School, East Yorkshire. When he left school he first worked at the National Provincial Bank in South Shields.
Military Career
In 1933 he joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and in 1938 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the Durham Light Infantry.
Victoria Cross
The London Gazette reported his heroism as follows:
“For most conspicuous gallantry on the 15th–16th May 1940, when the platoon under his command was on the south side of the River Dyle, astride a blown bridge. During the night a strong attack was beaten off, but about 11 a.m. the enemy again launched a violent attack and pushed forward a bridging party into the sunken bottom of the river. Second Lieutenant Annand attacked this party, but when ammunition ran out he went forward himself over open ground, with total disregard for enemy mortar and machine-gun fire. Reaching the top of the bridge, he drove out the party below, inflicting over twenty casualties with hand grenades. Having been wounded he rejoined his platoon, had his wound dressed, and then carried on in command.”
The batman Private Joseph Lakeman Hunter was captured and died of his wounds.
Because of his wounds he was evacuated back to England and became an instructor.
This was the first Victoria Cross awarded to a member of the British Army in the Second World War.
He received the Victoria Cross from King George VI at Buckingham Palace on 3 September 1940.
Later Life
In 1948, Annand became Personnel Officer at Finchale Abbey Training Centre for the Disabled, near Durham. He was a founder member of the British Association for the Hard of Hearing which became Hearing Concern in 1963 and was also involved in the founding of the Durham County Association for the Disabled.
He married Shirley Osborne in 1940, they did not have any children
Richard Annand died at Durham shortly after his 90th birthday on 24 December 2004.
Below is the address given by Major General Robin Brims at Durham Cathedral where over 1,000 people were present.
ADDRESS BY MAJOR GENERAL ROBIN BRIMS, COLONEL THE LIGHT INFANTRY
AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR
CAPTAIN RICHARD WALLACE ANNAND VC
DL DURHAM CATHEDRAL – 7 FEBRUARY 2005
The vast majority of us here knew Dick Annand personally. That this is so for a man who was over 90 when he died is very remarkable. But Dick was a very remarkable, special gentleman with a gift for making each one of us feel a personal friend. I am sure you can all see that wonderful smile in your mind now.
Of course Dick Annand is and was defined by his award of the Victoria Cross. We are rightly in awe of his conspicuous gallantry repeated throughout 14, 15 and 16 May 1940. But those stunning days typify the man who for 90 years lived his life, overcoming so many trials and demands, with the courage of his Christian conviction, the love, support and energy of Shirley, and ever faithful to his motto: “keep smiling and help yourself; never give up”.
So it is with some trepidation, but a very real sense of pride and humility, that I try to capture in a few minutes the very remarkable life of this very special gentleman. Now he can hear every word and understand our every thought. I hope, Dick, you now know how much we all loved you, and how much you enriched our lives.
With impeccable DLI timing Dick was born on Inkerman Day 1914. His father was killed at Gallipoli. He was Adjutant of the Collingwood Battalion Royal Naval Division. He was last seen waving his sword and shouting; “Come on Collingwoods”. He was seen to fall, but his body was never recovered. Dick was just 6 months old. His mother was devastated. Dick was brought up to revere his father as the epitome of bravery, and his one ambition was to show himself worthy of his father. Amazingly, but demonstrating a complete lack of arrogance, he silently worried that he had not lived up to his father’s example. Touchingly on his last television interview the day before his 90th birthday he ended the programme by saying “my father was a wonderful man and I’m glad I didn’t let him down”.
He went to Pocklington School and told everyone he intended to follow his father into the Royal Navy, His mother unsurprisingly did not approve, and by the time he left Pocklington he was too old to go to Dartmouth. He joined the Royal Navy Voluntary Reserve – first the Tyne Division and then London Division as his job with the National Provincial Bank moved him. But Banking was not his forte, military life held greater attraction, even though the Royal Navy could not provide the outlet he craved. On advice from his uncle he joined 2nd Battalion The Durham Light Infantry via the Supplementary Reserve.
He relished Army life, and his platoon blossomed under his leadership. He was nicknamed Jake after a cartoon character of the time, because whenever his platoon created a defensive position he would take off his coat, roll his sleeves up, and dig with his troops – those great miner-soldiers. On the 14th May 1940 2nd Battalion The Durham Light Infantry were in such a defensive position in Belgium. Dick’s platoon was astride a blown bridge on the banks of the River Dyle, just south of Brussels.
I think it right to tell of Dick’s heroism through the words of his platoon. The men had been under attack all the previous day, hit by the lightning advance of the German army and continuous air raids from the Stuka dive-bombers. The Germans had already tried to break through but Dick’s platoon had driven them back.
Shortly after dawn the enemy attacked again and at 11 am, in the thick of the battle, they pushed forward a bridging party. Once again his platoon counter attacked, but soon ran out of ammunition. Dick then went forward himself over open ground with utter disregard for the fierce mortar and machinegun fire. Reaching the top of the ridge, he drove out the German bridging party with hand grenades, inflicting more than 20 casualties. Although wounded he managed to rejoin his platoon.
The following evening the Germans launched another assault and Dick, armed with grenades went forward again and forced the enemy to retreat, taking heavy casualties. His platoon sergeant said later: “Mr Annand came to me at platoon headquarters and asked for a box of grenades as they could hear Jerry trying to repair the bridge. Off he went and he sure must have given them a lovely time because it wasn’t a great while before he was back for more. Just like giving an elephant strawberries.”
“The previous night while both sides were sending over the heavy stuff, he realised he had not received word from our right forward section which held a pillbox about 250 yards to our right front, so he decided to get out to them and see how they were fixed. He had been gone about two hours or so, and we had come to the conclusion that they had got him, when something which I found hard to recognise came crawling in. It was just Jake – that is the name by which we knew him. He looked as though he had been having an argument with a wild cat. His clothes were torn to shreds and he must have been cut and bruised all over. How he got there and back God only knows, because he had the fire of our own troops to contend with as well as Jerry. I don’t suppose he knows the meaning of the word fear. He never asked a man to do anything he could do himself. I can quite understand he wouldn’t talk much about it. He isn’t that kind. It was just another job of work to him.”
As Dick led the survivors of his platoon away from the bridge in the early hours of May 16, he discovered that his batman, Private Joseph Hunter, from Sunderland, had been wounded in the head and legs and unable to walk was left behind. Despite his own wounds sustained in the previous days’ fighting, he returned again, found a wheelbarrow, lifted Hunter into it and wheeled him to the rear until their way was barred by a fallen tree. Now without the strength to lift he left Hunter in an empty trench and set out to find help. He collapsed from exhaustion and loss of blood shortly after finding his company HQ position abandoned, Hunter was captured by the advancing Germans and sent to a Dutch hospital, but died of his wounds a month later.
What an astonishing story. No account such as this can be accurate in every detail. When awarded the VC there was an inference that Dick had saved poor Private Hunter. Typically, Dick said to his Commanding Officer that as this was not so, the VC must be returned. That would have been a real injustice. To my mind Dick had won more than one VC in those days of May 1940.
Most people assume that Dick’s deafness was caused by those events in Belgium; it certainly cannot have helped. In fact he had become very deaf in one ear following a summer on the range with the 2nd Battalion in 1938. Although Dick recovered from the wounds inflicted whilst winning his VC, he finally lost most of hearing whilst on a company commanders course. He was medically downgraded and had to leave the 2nd Battalion as it embarked for Burma. Dick was broken hearted. He begged to be sent on a suicide mission in the jungle. But someone pointed out that as he could not hear he would not be much use as a spy!
So here is a young man, a hero, unable to pursue his military career at a time of war. And he faced the prospect of isolation due to profound deafness. But the light of his life was shining, and shone with him for 64 years of marriage. I think without Shirley, Dick would not have been able to achieve all that he did. They were engaged in August 1940 – before the announcement of his award. And Dick thought Shirley was his best prize for the rest of his life. They were married on November 9th 1940 at St George’s Hanover Square. Even an air raid that hit the Church could not extinguish their light which burned so brightly for all of us to see. I quote from Canon Jon Bell’s address at Dick’s funeral:
“Shirley and Dick were the superb complementation of two remarkable lives. It is said that men can’t do life properly without the partnership, love and resourcefulness of a good woman. Their marriage of 64 years has been a joy, solace and support to them both. The words of the marriage service say that we leave father and mother and become one flesh. This is self-evidently true of Dick and Shirley.”
Throughout the war Dick held a number of training appointments and worked at the War Office. I pick out 2 encounters that clearly sowed seeds in Dick’s creative, generous mind.
Whilst at Elgin Dick met Kurt Hahn, Headmaster of Gordonstoun School and he was seconded to Hahn to instruct the older boys in pre-service training. Hahn admired him a lot and was amazed when they both travelled in a very hot train to London on a scorching August Bank Holiday. Dick wore his Army Greatcoat buttoned up to the neck so that no-one could see his ribbon. Hahn said “If you had been a German Officer with the Knights Iron Cross, you would have stood in a snowstorm without a coat so that all could see your Cross!!” Dick was very impressed by Hahn’s idea of the “Five Fold Achievement” later developed by the Duke of Edinburgh into the Duke of Edinburgh’s award and was later to use it when he organised camps for young deafened people.
Later Dick was appointed Instructor at the Highland Fieldcraft Training Centre at Glenfeshie. It was anticipated that there would be very heavy losses among subalterns when the Allies landed in France so young soldiers who were considered to have leadership qualities were selected from the ranks and sent to Glenfeshie to carry out what Dick always said was Scout Training. They were under the command of Lord Rowallan (later Chief Scout) and spent their time swimming lochs and doing terrific marches and, of course, fighting. Dick loved this and was much admired by the trainees with whom he kept in touch until his death.
Dick was finally discharged from the Army in 1948 and came up to Durham to join the staff at Finchale Training College for the disabled. Here he threw himself into the work, and under a sympathetic superintendent he was given unpaid leave to pursue one of his ideas, developed from Kurt Hahn’s Five Fold Achievements. This was to organise a fortnight’s camp once a year for young deafened people of both sexes where they would find an outlet for the frustrations of deafness. He used his VC to persuade a landowner to lend him a field, a nearby school to lend him the athletic equipment and the cadet force to lend him tents and with no funding he advertised the camp through the Hard of Hearing organisations.
Before leaving the Army Dick met Sir Beechcroft Towse VC who had overcome his own blindness and set up St Dunstan’s. Inspired, Dick set out with energy and determination to do something similar for the hard of hearing. To cut a long story short he was a founder of The British Association of the Hard of Hearing, now Hearing Concern.
He also developed clubs for the physically handicapped all round County Durham. And just like Jake the Platoon Commander, he was actively involved as a doer as much as a director. Recall the words of his Platoon Sergeant “Mr Annand never asked a man to do anything he could do himself”. This remarkable man demonstrated in fullness how to bring meaning to “give and not to count the cost”.
Because of his VC numerous ex-service organisations wanted him as President and he became President of the Dunkirk Veterans and was then approached by the Normandy Veterans. He refused because he had not been in the landings but when they pressed him he agreed to do the job for a year – and was still their President when he died!
I can only give a hint of all his charitable activities and involvement with people nationally and here in Durham. Honorary Freeman of South Shields, Deputy Lieutenant County Durham, Royal British Legion – at one stage Dick and Shirley were the sole Durham collectors; later Dick became President of the Durham County Royal British Legion. He was Vice President Royal Overseas League. And so the list goes on. He was a hero of the DLI Association – and heroic supporter. And he continued his very active support for The Light Infantry: we were all so proud to know him. He and Shirley devoted their lives to helping others: and did it magnificently. Never “we”, “me” or “I”: always modest, approachable and kind. Always interested and interesting, and everready to give his genuine friendship, Dick sought nothing back.
In reality being a hero is a burden. Dick was always in demand, and could never retire. Indeed he was never off duty since May 1940. Where he found the energy from I can only guess. A great deal of it came from Shirley, and an active social life. This was so important, but cannot have been easy given his deafness. He loved golf, tennis – he played in the Newcastle tournament mixed doubles with my Aunt before the war – holidaying in Europe, and he and Shirley took up skiing in their 40s. And his humour and mishaps ensued that there was never a dull moment. Locked out of his house, but inside his porch without his keys; or losing his teeth in Malta’s harbour are cases in point. More famously in 1979 when Dick and Shirley dined on board HMS Bacchante at the Tyne Commissioned quay. On stepping ashore the Captain pointed at something, Shirley took a step back not realising she was so near the edge of the quay. She fell into the river. Dick dived in after her. On surfacing Dick said “it’s no use talking to me, my hearing aid has gone phut in the water”. But via swim and climb they reached safety. The newspaper headlines:
“VC hero saves wife” was OK. But, “JP (Shirley) ends up in river after shipboard party” nearly resulted in the Editor being thrown in the Tyne. At least that ship’s Captain was not disadvantaged- rising to Second Sea Lord, And Admiral Sir John Brigstocke is here today.
What a life Dick had, and how he enriched all of us around him. We thank God for the man, the life: the inspiration. We thank God for the example he has set us – always to do the right thing without thought for self. We thank God for the union of Dick and Shirley. I leave the last words to Dick, said whilst in hospital shortly before he died. He said to Shirley:
“Darling, God has been so good to me. I have a wonderful wife and had full life. I am ready to go.”
God bless you Dick.
Annand, Richard Wallace ‘Dickie (Oral history) | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)