David Liddell
Encyclopedia
Major
David Liddell, MC
(9 January 1917, Hankow, China — 20 March 2008) was a Scottish soldier, insurance broker and farmer.
A British Army
World War II
commander awarded an immediate MC for his outstanding service in Italy while serving with the 12th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). On 23 December 1943, he commanded the reinforcements to the Essex 5th Battalion Regiment, which was sent to capture the Italian village of Villa Grande, near Termoli
, which was being held by the German
1st Parachute Division.
While training he was called to assist with the capture of Rudolf Hess
who had landed nearby.
, predeceased him, and Liddell was survived by two sons and a daughter. His brother was Ian Oswald Liddell
VC.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
David Liddell, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(9 January 1917, Hankow, China — 20 March 2008) was a Scottish soldier, insurance broker and farmer.
A British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
commander awarded an immediate MC for his outstanding service in Italy while serving with the 12th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). On 23 December 1943, he commanded the reinforcements to the Essex 5th Battalion Regiment, which was sent to capture the Italian village of Villa Grande, near Termoli
Termoli
Termoli is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, and it is a local resort town known for its beaches and old fortifications...
, which was being held by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
1st Parachute Division.
While training he was called to assist with the capture of Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
who had landed nearby.
Family
His wife Joan, sister of the artist Rodney RussellRodney Fryer Russell
Rodney Fryer Russell was a well known West Country watercolourist and portrait painter and poet. Born in Dorset, England, he was the great-great-great grandson of Isaac Gulliver and the second cousin of Dame Sybil Thorndike. In 1950 he won a scholarship to Paris and lived in London, West Sussex,...
, predeceased him, and Liddell was survived by two sons and a daughter. His brother was Ian Oswald Liddell
Ian Oswald Liddell
Ian Oswald Liddell VC was a British 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.-Biography:...
VC.