John Williams (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel John Williams MBE
DCM
(1934 - 2002) was a British army
officer.
John Williams, known as Patch after losing an eye at during the battle of Plaman Mapu during the Indonesian Confrontation, joined the Army as a bandsman in 1949. He transferred to the infantry in 1954. He served with the The Parachute Regiment in the Suez canal, Cyprus and Borneo.
On 27 April 1965 CSM Williams's Company base at Plaman Mapu came under heavy attack by the Indonesian infantry. He was awarded the DCM
for gallantry during the Battle where he served as a Company Sergeant Major with the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. An extract from his citation for the DCM reads: "The successful defence of the position against great odds was largely due to his courage, his example and leadership and to his own direct intervention in the battle at every crisis and at every point of maximum danger."
He underwent many operations as a result of injuries sustained during the battle. He later became Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. He was commissioned in 1971. He was awarded the MBE and appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Staff Quartermaster of the Army Staff College, Camberley
in 1983. He retired from the Army in 1989.
He was president of The Gallantry Medallists' League from 2000. He was appointed MBE
in 1983 and DCM in 1965.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
DCM
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
(1934 - 2002) was 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...
officer.
John Williams, known as Patch after losing an eye at during the battle of Plaman Mapu during the Indonesian Confrontation, joined the Army as a bandsman in 1949. He transferred to the infantry in 1954. He served with the The Parachute Regiment in the Suez canal, Cyprus and Borneo.
On 27 April 1965 CSM Williams's Company base at Plaman Mapu came under heavy attack by the Indonesian infantry. He was awarded the DCM
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
for gallantry during the Battle where he served as a Company Sergeant Major with the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. An extract from his citation for the DCM reads: "The successful defence of the position against great odds was largely due to his courage, his example and leadership and to his own direct intervention in the battle at every crisis and at every point of maximum danger."
He underwent many operations as a result of injuries sustained during the battle. He later became Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. He was commissioned in 1971. He was awarded the MBE and appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Staff Quartermaster of the Army Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1983. He retired from the Army in 1989.
He was president of The Gallantry Medallists' League from 2000. He was appointed MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in 1983 and DCM in 1965.