Framlinghamian 2022 - Flipbook - Page 283
SOF | OBITUARIES
grain and transport business post-war.
thus liberating the town. Wounded in the
With war threatening he joined the
face by shrapnel he was given the choice
Norwich TA in April 1939, and on the
of treatment in Bournemouth or Brussels.
outbreak of war was mobilised as a
He chose Brussels. He discharged himself,
sergeant before going to Sandhurst.
against doctor’s orders, after 3 weeks, got
He was commissioned into the Suffolk
a lift in a truck back to his Battalion, and
Regiment as a 2nd lieutenant, joining up
resumed command of D Company.
with the remnants of the 1st Battalion in
In a very severe winter, the company
Somerset on their escape from Dunkirk.
was dug in on the banks of the Maas
On D-Day, as a Captain in command of a
at Blitterswijk, frequently encountering
carrier platoon of lightly armoured tracked
German night patrols, and short-staffed
vehicles, he landed on Sword Beach
as men were evacuated with frostbite.
where the Battalion’s target of the Hillman
On 25 February 1945, during the march
bunker fortress was attacked and taken.
to the Rhine, he was wounded again, this
From the bridgehead, thus established on
time requiring repatriation to England.
28 June, the Suffolks mounted an attack
After treatment he was on recovery leave
on the Château de la Londe, just north of
when the German surrender occurred in
Caen, encountering German Tiger tanks
late April. He was posted to Gibraltar for
for the first time. Operation Goodwood
6 months before being demobbed at the
saw heavy losses on both sides until
end of 1946.
Caen finally fell on 14 July. On 16 August,
with the enemy being forced north from
Ken’s commanding officer recommended
France, Mayhew’s carrier platoon “Ken
him for an award in these terms:
Force” was amongst the first liberators
“He proved himself a magnificent and
into Flers. As the advance through
courageous company commander,
Belgium continued into the Netherlands,
showing a contempt for his own safety
Mayhew’s platoon operated ahead of the
which shortly was to win for him the
main force, frequently accompanied by
admiration of every man under his
Dutch resistance, seeking intelligence on
command. “
German positions. At the battle of Weert
he deliberately drew enemy fire to reveal
“[At Venray] without hesitation
enemy positions, resulting in casualties to
Major Mayhew decided to continue
his men and to himself, before the town
the advance...he pressed forward,
was liberated on 22 September. By mid-
encouraging his men, doubling from
October Ken was promoted to Major,
platoon to platoon to give out his
taking over a rifle company in the battle
orders rather than send for his platoon
of Overloon and Venray. Tanks were
commander…at this point he was
unable to cross a ditch with steep banks,
wounded. In less than three weeks
but Ken pressed on across swampy terrain
however he was back with the Battalion,
under heavy fire to cross the obstacle,
before he had fully recovered. He
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