A superb North West Europe assault on the Wesel bridgehead Military Medal group awarded to Guardsman R.J.T. Greig, 5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards who would original service with the General Service Corps and Pioneer Corps on enlistment until transferring to the Coldstream Guards in March 1944. He would be sent to North-West Europe on 16th October 1944 joining the 5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards. He would be awarded the Military Medal in the London gazette of 19th April 1945 for his bravery in his battalion’s attack on Hommersun on 16th February 1945 when his section was attacked by a German machine gun post concealed by a smoke screen deployed for the benefit of the formation on the right. The section commander was killed, and Greig at once assumed command of the section, seizing the Bren Gun. In the meantime however, two more men in the section had been killed by the machine gun. Greig now single-handedly charged the machine gun post killing the two men on the gun and putting the remainder to flight. He would then fall wounded with four wounds to the leg. As a result of this action he allowed the few remaining men of the section to continue their advance thus covering the right flank of his platoon and incidentally the whole company. The wounds suffered by Greig would lead to the end of his wartime service, although he would later join the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards in Germany in in April 1946 before later being discharged in March 1948.
Group of 4: Military Medal, GVIR 1st type bust; official correction to the last letter of the surname (14402668 GDMN. R.J.T. GREIG. C.GDS.) 1939-1945 Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal, all privately named ‘Boots style’ (14402668 GDSM. R.J.T. GREIG. M.M. 5.C.G.)
Condition: official correction to last letter of the surname on the MM, otherwise Good Very Fine
Robin James Turnbull Greig was born in the West Indies to British parents on the 24th July 1924. He worked as a kitchen hand and enlisted in the General Service Corps and Pioneer Corps on 13th August 1942, before transferring to the Coldstream Guards in March 1944. He was sent to North West Europe on the 16th October 1944 joining 5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards and on the 16th February 1945 was present when his battalion attacked the German defences south of Hommersun. For action on this day he would go on to be awarded the Military Medal in the London Gazette of 19th April 1945, the original recommendation reading:
‘Guardsman Greig was a member of the right hand section of the right hand company of the Battalion attack. After a long advance under heavy enemy artillery fire this section was within a few hundred yards of the final objective when it was temporarily unsighted by a smoke screen put down for the benefit of the formation on the right. For this reason they did not see a German machine gun post in their vicinity until it had opened up at short range killing the section commander and one other man. Guardsman Greig at once assumed command of the section and seized the Bren gun, but while he was doing this two more men in the section had been killed by the same German machine gun post.
Guardsman Greig now single handed charged the enemy post, killed the two men on the machine gun and put the remainder to flight. He then fell wounded in four places in the leg. As a result of this fine action he allowed the few remaining men of the section to continue their advance thus covering the right flank of his platoon and incidentally the whole company.’
Greig’s injuries would mean the end of his active service during the war, but he would later return to duty in Germany in April 1946 with 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards. He was discharged in March 1948. His next of kin being listed as his wife Joicey whom he married on 3rd April 1946 at Itchingfield, Sussex with their home address in Brookwood, Surrey.
