Delaney John James W/Lt 268954
Personnel Entry
Name Delaney James John
Army number 268954
Rank War Substantive Lieutenant.
Decorations Military Cross - gazetted 31/8/1944, Mentioned in Despatches - gazetted 31/8/1944. Legion d'honneur 2016.
Date of birth Born 22/1/1919 in Sunderland. Mother's maiden name Forbes.
Age 97 at the time of his death.
Unit Family information suggests service in the ranks before being commissioned but this was NOT in the DLI or the RNF. Further detail required. Joined The Durham Light Infantry - Emergency Commission as 2/Lt 27/3/43. Posted 10th Battalion DLI 28/4/1943, (Some returns, and his Gallantry Citation, show number as 268953). Short Service Commission as Lieutenant 27/9/1943. Served Normandy. Wounded 28/6/1944. Regular Army Reserve of Officers 12/10/1952. Class 3 1/11/1954. Relinquished Commission 1/7/1959.
Company/Battery D Company, HQ Company.
Platoon or other sub-unit
Task or role Rifle Platoon Commander, Battalion Signals Officer.
Joined Brigade 28-Apr-43
Promotions W/S Lt 27/9/43. T/Captain 28/10/45. Captain 27/3/49.
Wounded Yes - 28/6/1944. Understood to have been wounded a second time - details not yet known.
Prisoner of War
Died/Killed in action Date of death 3/9/2016 on Guernsey.
Home address Son of James Delaney (shipyard labourer. Died of wounds 26/3/1919 sustained while serving with the Green Howards.) and Jennie Forbes. Resident of Sunderland in 1944. Married - firstly - Charlotte Ellen May Stoneham - born 15/1/1910 - in 1940 - divorced around 1960. Married - secondly - Denise Elizabeth Grace Pigott (nee Erskine) on 9/2/1966 in Westminster. She died in 1979, aged 55. Maried - thirdly - Elizabeth in 1986. Worked as a farmer and became a Director of Securicor. Lived in South Africa and on Guernsey
Source table 10DLI
The Citation for the award of the Military Cross to Lieutenant John James DELANEY, 10th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, appeared in the London Gazette on 31st August 1944, and can be found in The National Archives under file reference WO 373/48 piece number 21699.
The recommendation was made by Lt Col F.W. Sandars, Commanding 10th DLI and endorsed by Brigadier Cooke-Collis, Commanding 70th Infantry Brigade.
The Citation reads as follows:-
On 18th June 1944, at 04:00 hours, two Platoons of D Company, 10th DLI, attacked an enemy position in an orchard on the outskirts of St PIERRE 8568. On entering the orchard the attackers were subject to heavy machine gun and sniping fire. Lt DELANEY was one of the Platoon Commanders. The Company Commander was wounded on the start line, whereupon Lt DELANEY immediately took command. Under his command this Company cleared the orchard after two hours of close quarter fighting, but lack of ammunition compelled the Company to withdraw. Throughout this action Lt DELANEY displayed outstanding devotion to duty and complete disregard for his personal safety. His leadership and coolness were at all times quite exceptional and an inspiration to all under his command.
In further endorsing the recommendation Major-General Barker, Commanding 49th Division wrote…”I strongly support this recommendation. The initiative shown by this Officer retrieved what might have become an awkward situation. The Company did an excellent piece of work under his leadership….”
Particular thanks are due to Mr Jeremy Archer who permitted the use of his research for an article he was preparing on Captain Delaney for The Rifles - thus allowing some genealogical information to be corrected and refined.
