Terence Otway
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel
Terence Brandram Hastings Otway DSO
, (15 June 1914 - 23 July 2006) was a British
soldier, best known for his role as commander of the paratroop assault on the Merville Battery on D-Day
.
, Egypt
on 15 June 1914 at the American Hospital, he returned with the family to England in 1915 where he stayed while his father served in France
. From December 1918 to autumn 1921 he lived in Rushbrooke
, County Cork
, Ireland
. The family returned to England where Terence attended the local Council school at Thame
, Buckinghamshire
, followed by Watford Grammar School. In the last 6 months of 1923, he became severely ill with whooping cough. As a result, on medical advice he was sent to Dover College
where the sea air would help lungs that were in a poor state. He was at the Junior school until 1928 and the senior school until 1932.
, he chose the British and, in August 1934, was commissioned into The 2nd Battalion of The Royal Ulster Rifles
, based at Gravesend
.
In the summer of 1935, Otway required a serious middle ear operation at The Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham
. During convalescence his pub-crawling companion was the Crown Prince of Spain who was in the next room.
In autumn 1935, Otway was posted to 1st Battalion, based in Hong Kong
. He travelled by P & O liner to take up his post as Intelligence Officer. In May 1937, he was posted to Hong Kong HQ Cipher staff. In August 1937 he was promoted to Lieutenant and rejoined the battalion who were posted to Shanghai
as part of the international force sent to protect the settlement from the Japanese who had invaded China. The battalion suffered four months of constant bombing, shelling and machine-gun fire from the Japanese, losing twenty killed. In December 1937, the battalion was posted to Rawalpindi
, then part of India
. On return from six weeks leave the battalion was posted to Razani, North West Frontier. Otway was appointed Signals Officer.
, Devon
, a retired Colonial Police Officer, who had been Chief of Police in Penang
, Malaya
. Terence and Stella returned to Rawalpindi, but Stella flew home in April 1940, while the battalion returned by sea to Oxford for conversion to mechanised infantry (from the camels, mules and horses they had been using in India.)
In December 1940, Otway was promoted to Major
. He went to Staff College
in June 1941, passing out 4th of 200 in December 1941. During 1942 he served as a Staff Officer in London, responsible for briefings and briefing papers for the War Cabinet
. In July 1943 he returned to the R.U.R as a Company Commander. The battalion was part of the 6th Airborne Division.
and took over as Commanding Officer.
The Normandy Landings - the invasion of Europe took place in June 1944. The 9th were dropped in the night before to secure vital objectives, particularly to neutralise the Merville Gun Battery
.
In spite of severe problems in the landing, his battalion took the Merville Battery. Otway started with about 750 men, few of whom had seen action before; of the 150 who took part in the attack, 65 had been either killed or wounded by the end of the action, which saved a great many Allied lives.
His numerically weak and all but exhausted battalion then pushed into Le Plein, where they encountered stiffening resistance and, despite their depleted numbers, took Château St Come on the ridge, and succeeded in beating off two enemy attacks, each of several hours duration, by a regiment of 21st Panzer Division
.
Two days later, while making a routine tour of his positions, a stray shell landed close to Otway. He was diagnosed with severe concussion and subsequently evacuated to hospital in Cardiff
, then graded unfit for a return to active service, and was posted as a Staff Officer to the War Office
.
Otway was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO) in October 1944 for his outstanding leadership in the actions at Merville and Le Plein. The citation for his DSO stated that his utter disregard for personal danger had been an inspiration to all his men.
(Wingate's Burma Force) in Rawalpindi with instructions to turn them into the 15th (King's) Parachute Battalion
, 2nd Indian Airborne Division. In September 1945, Terence was appointed GSO1 at Division which was posted to Karachi
, where in December Stella and his son, Michael joined him. After one year Terence was posted to the War Office as a GSO1 and the family returned home. His task was to write the official history of "Airborne Forces". Originally restricted, it finally became available to the public in 1990 as Army Airborne Forces in the Second World War to mark their 50th anniversary.
as Assistant General Manager, The Gambia
, transferring a year later as a General Manager to Nyasaland
. In June 1949 he was invalided back to the UK and banned from further service in the East.
Between 1949 and 1965 Otway worked in the area of sales and management, starting by selling life insurance as a learning experience and culminating as General Manager for Kemsley Newspapers (later Thomson Newspapers) and then as Managing Director of the Empire News
, a Sunday paper with a circulation of 5.5 million. After the Thomson take-over Terence resigned over financing requirements of the papers.
He started an import/export business specialising in toys and gifts with a shop in Knightsbridge
. The business prospered until, in 1965, a change in Value Added Tax
law effectively killed it. After a brief period with Outward Bound
, Otway joined Scotia Investments Ltd., a public company in the Leisure field, as Administrative Controller in 1966. In 1975, he sensed an impending scandal over misuse of funds and resigned, joining the London Chamber of Commerce with responsibility for membership. He retired in 1979, but retained various connections with business in non-executive directorships.
, publicising the issue and successfully putting pressure on the Government for adequate compensation for the men.
In 1995, his health and energy undiminished, he was still pruning branches, perched on a ladder, from a tree in the garden of his home in Tadworth
, Surrey
, to some consternation of his third wife Jeannie. He was also involved on the fringes in the case for the release of Lee Clegg
, a paratrooper imprisoned for murder after a shooting in Northern Ireland
at the time of the troubles.
The citizens of Merville-Franceville-Plage
in Normandy
, France
, decided to honour Otway by the placing of a bust depicting him at the age of 29 at the time of D-Day and the assault on the battery. This was unveiled in the grounds of the Merville Battery Museum on 7 June 1997 by himself, Raymond Triboulet
, a leader of the French Resistance
during the war, and Olivier Paz, the Mayor. The bust was sculpted by Vivienne Mallock who had also created busts of Montgomery and Richard Gale
. There was a large family gathering to witness the ceremony and twenty-one people sat down to dinner that night at the Moulin du Pre, a local restaurant, converted from a farmhouse, coincidentally the same farmhouse against which Otway landed on the night before D-Day.
In 2001, he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
, and more recently had a new road near the battery named after him (Rue Colonel Otway).
In 2007 his medals and beret were donated to the Merville Battery Museum by his wife, Jean. Visitors can now see the DSO and Légion d'honneur, along with a description of the battle by Terence taken from a BBC documentary.
commissioned a drama-documentary entitled D-Day 6.6.1944 which included interviews with members of both the Allied and German armed forces, along with dramatisations of some of the key scenes. Terence described the battle, and his character was played by Philip Rham. The film was later released on DVD.
Lieutenant-Colonel (UK)
Lieutenant colonel is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to colonel...
Terence Brandram Hastings Otway DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, (15 June 1914 - 23 July 2006) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier, best known for his role as commander of the paratroop assault on the Merville Battery on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
.
Early life
Otway was born in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
on 15 June 1914 at the American Hospital, he returned with the family to England in 1915 where he stayed while his father served in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. From December 1918 to autumn 1921 he lived in Rushbrooke
Rushbrooke
Rushbrooke is an urban area on the western side of Cobh on Great Island in Cork Harbour, Ireland. It is in the townland of Ringacoltig .The townland is Ringacoltig, an anglicised version of the original Irish name....
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The family returned to England where Terence attended the local Council school at Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, followed by Watford Grammar School. In the last 6 months of 1923, he became severely ill with whooping cough. As a result, on medical advice he was sent to Dover College
Dover College
Dover College is a co-educational independent school in Dover in southeast England. It was founded in 1871, and takes both day pupils and boarders....
where the sea air would help lungs that were in a poor state. He was at the Junior school until 1928 and the senior school until 1932.
Early military career
In January 1933, Otway entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst reaching the rank of Cadet Sergeant and passing out 18th of 200. Although this gave him eligibility to join the Indian ArmyBritish Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, he chose the British and, in August 1934, was commissioned into The 2nd Battalion of The Royal Ulster Rifles
Royal Ulster Rifles
The Royal Ulster Rifles was a British Army infantry regiment. It saw service in the Second Boer War, Great War, the Second World War and the Korean War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.-History:...
, based at Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
.
In the summer of 1935, Otway required a serious middle ear operation at The Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
. During convalescence his pub-crawling companion was the Crown Prince of Spain who was in the next room.
In autumn 1935, Otway was posted to 1st Battalion, based in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He travelled by P & O liner to take up his post as Intelligence Officer. In May 1937, he was posted to Hong Kong HQ Cipher staff. In August 1937 he was promoted to Lieutenant and rejoined the battalion who were posted to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
as part of the international force sent to protect the settlement from the Japanese who had invaded China. The battalion suffered four months of constant bombing, shelling and machine-gun fire from the Japanese, losing twenty killed. In December 1937, the battalion was posted to Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, then part of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. On return from six weeks leave the battalion was posted to Razani, North West Frontier. Otway was appointed Signals Officer.
Early wartime service
In August 1939, during three months leave, Otway married Stella Whitehead, daughter of Basil Whitehead of Bovey TraceyBovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey is a small town in Devon, England, on the edge of Dartmoor, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". The locals just call the town "Bovey" ....
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, a retired Colonial Police Officer, who had been Chief of Police in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
. Terence and Stella returned to Rawalpindi, but Stella flew home in April 1940, while the battalion returned by sea to Oxford for conversion to mechanised infantry (from the camels, mules and horses they had been using in India.)
In December 1940, Otway was promoted to Major
Major (UK)
In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
. He went to Staff College
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 June 1941, passing out 4th of 200 in December 1941. During 1942 he served as a Staff Officer in London, responsible for briefings and briefing papers for the War Cabinet
War Cabinet
A War Cabinet is a committee formed by a government in a time of war. It is usually a subset of the full executive cabinet of ministers. It is also quite common for a War Cabinet to have senior military officers and opposition politicians as members....
. In July 1943 he returned to the R.U.R as a Company Commander. The battalion was part of the 6th Airborne Division.
Normandy
In August 1943, Otway transferred to The Parachute Regiment to become Second-in-Command of the 9th Battalion. In March 1944, he was promoted to Lieutenant-ColonelLieutenant-Colonel (UK)
Lieutenant colonel is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to colonel...
and took over as Commanding Officer.
The Normandy Landings - the invasion of Europe took place in June 1944. The 9th were dropped in the night before to secure vital objectives, particularly to neutralise the Merville Gun Battery
Battle of Merville Gun Battery
The Battle of Merville Gun Battery occurred on 6 June 1944, as part of the Normandy landings. Allied intelligence believed the Merville Gun Battery was composed of heavy-calibre guns that could threaten the British landings at Sword Beach, only away.The British 9th Parachute Battalion,...
.
In spite of severe problems in the landing, his battalion took the Merville Battery. Otway started with about 750 men, few of whom had seen action before; of the 150 who took part in the attack, 65 had been either killed or wounded by the end of the action, which saved a great many Allied lives.
His numerically weak and all but exhausted battalion then pushed into Le Plein, where they encountered stiffening resistance and, despite their depleted numbers, took Château St Come on the ridge, and succeeded in beating off two enemy attacks, each of several hours duration, by a regiment of 21st Panzer Division
German 21st Panzer Division
The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the North African Campaign from 1941–1943 during World War II when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the Afrika Korps.-Origins:...
.
Two days later, while making a routine tour of his positions, a stray shell landed close to Otway. He was diagnosed with severe concussion and subsequently evacuated to hospital in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, then graded unfit for a return to active service, and was posted as a Staff Officer to the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
.
Otway was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO) in October 1944 for his outstanding leadership in the actions at Merville and Le Plein. The citation for his DSO stated that his utter disregard for personal danger had been an inspiration to all his men.
Service in Asia
He was regraded category 'A' in May 1945 and posted as CO of the 1st King's RegimentThe King's Regiment (Liverpool)
The King's Regiment was one of the oldest infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th Regiment of Foot in 1751...
(Wingate's Burma Force) in Rawalpindi with instructions to turn them into the 15th (King's) Parachute Battalion
15th (King's) Parachute Battalion
The 15th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War....
, 2nd Indian Airborne Division. In September 1945, Terence was appointed GSO1 at Division which was posted to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, where in December Stella and his son, Michael joined him. After one year Terence was posted to the War Office as a GSO1 and the family returned home. His task was to write the official history of "Airborne Forces". Originally restricted, it finally became available to the public in 1990 as Army Airborne Forces in the Second World War to mark their 50th anniversary.
Post-war career
Disillusioned with the post-war Army, Otway resigned his commission in January 1948. He joined the Colonial Development CorporationCommonwealth Development Corporation
The Commonwealth Development Corporation, now known as CDC Group plc, is a British development organisation owned by the UK Government...
as Assistant General Manager, The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
, transferring a year later as a General Manager to Nyasaland
Nyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
. In June 1949 he was invalided back to the UK and banned from further service in the East.
Between 1949 and 1965 Otway worked in the area of sales and management, starting by selling life insurance as a learning experience and culminating as General Manager for Kemsley Newspapers (later Thomson Newspapers) and then as Managing Director of the Empire News
Empire News
The Empire News was a Sunday newspaper in the United Kingdom.The newspaper was founded in 1884 in Manchester as The Umpire. A penny newspaper, it was the first successful provincial Sunday newspaper in England. Owned by H. S. Jennings, the Umpire was subtitled "A Sporting, Athletic, Theatrical...
, a Sunday paper with a circulation of 5.5 million. After the Thomson take-over Terence resigned over financing requirements of the papers.
He started an import/export business specialising in toys and gifts with a shop in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. The business prospered until, in 1965, a change in Value Added Tax
Value added tax
A value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
law effectively killed it. After a brief period with Outward Bound
Outward Bound
Outward Bound is an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor educationorganization with approximately 40 schools around the world and 200,000 participants per year...
, Otway joined Scotia Investments Ltd., a public company in the Leisure field, as Administrative Controller in 1966. In 1975, he sensed an impending scandal over misuse of funds and resigned, joining the London Chamber of Commerce with responsibility for membership. He retired in 1979, but retained various connections with business in non-executive directorships.
Retirement
During retirement, he continued to remain active particularly in areas relating to the welfare of soldiers and their widows, as well as historical aspects of The Parachute Regiment, especially in respect of monuments in Normandy, France. He became known as 'Colonel X' when fighting for the rights of serviceman's' widows and their pensions. He was instrumental in persuading the Government to change their miserly attitude. In 1991, aged 76, he still had the energy to take up the cases of three guardsmen seriously injured during a training exercise in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, publicising the issue and successfully putting pressure on the Government for adequate compensation for the men.
In 1995, his health and energy undiminished, he was still pruning branches, perched on a ladder, from a tree in the garden of his home in Tadworth
Tadworth
Tadworth is a large suburban village in Surrey, on the south-east slope of Epsom Downs. It forms part of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The census area Tadworth and Walton has a population of 7,016. Neighbouring settlements include Walton-on-the-Hill, Kingswood, Epsom, Burgh Heath, Banstead,...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, to some consternation of his third wife Jeannie. He was also involved on the fringes in the case for the release of Lee Clegg
Lee Clegg
Sergeant Lee Clegg is a British Army soldier who was convicted of murder for his involvement in the shooting dead of two teenage joyriders in West Belfast, Northern Ireland. His conviction was later overturned.-Shooting:...
, a paratrooper imprisoned for murder after a shooting in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
at the time of the troubles.
Honoured in Normandy
When he met the German commander of the battery in 1993 he admitted that he did not have the guts to refuse the proferred hand, but said afterwards that he could not forget his men, shot by the Germans as they hung helpless in trees. He shooed away picknickers from the battery, which is now a memorial and museum, declaring: "I don't like people eating and drinking where my men died."The citizens of Merville-Franceville-Plage
Merville-Franceville-Plage
Merville-Franceville-Plage is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Geography:Merville-Franceville-Plage, more usually called Franceville, is situated on the Côte Fleurie, 6 km from Cabourg and from Caen...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, decided to honour Otway by the placing of a bust depicting him at the age of 29 at the time of D-Day and the assault on the battery. This was unveiled in the grounds of the Merville Battery Museum on 7 June 1997 by himself, Raymond Triboulet
Raymond Triboulet
Raymond Triboulet was a French politician. He was a leading World War II resistance fighter who helped U.S., Canadian, and British troops invade France, which was then occupied by Nazi Germany.-Biography:...
, a leader of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during the war, and Olivier Paz, the Mayor. The bust was sculpted by Vivienne Mallock who had also created busts of Montgomery and Richard Gale
Richard Nelson Gale
General Sir Richard Nelson "Windy" Gale GCB, KBE, DSO, MC was a soldier in the British Army who served in both world wars. In World War I he was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 whilst serving as a junior officer in the Machine Gun Corps...
. There was a large family gathering to witness the ceremony and twenty-one people sat down to dinner that night at the Moulin du Pre, a local restaurant, converted from a farmhouse, coincidentally the same farmhouse against which Otway landed on the night before D-Day.
In 2001, he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, and more recently had a new road near the battery named after him (Rue Colonel Otway).
In 2007 his medals and beret were donated to the Merville Battery Museum by his wife, Jean. Visitors can now see the DSO and Légion d'honneur, along with a description of the battle by Terence taken from a BBC documentary.
Film & Media
In 2004, for the D-Day 60th Anniversary programming, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commissioned a drama-documentary entitled D-Day 6.6.1944 which included interviews with members of both the Allied and German armed forces, along with dramatisations of some of the key scenes. Terence described the battle, and his character was played by Philip Rham. The film was later released on DVD.