31-558: Captain Lionel Ernest Queripel VC (13 July 1920 − 19 September 1944) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Lionel Queripel came from a well established and highly decorated military family; his father, Colonel L. H. Queripel,
62-636: A NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force . The rank of captain in the Royal Navy is considerably more senior (equivalent to the Army/RM rank of colonel) and the two ranks should not be confused. In the 21st-century British Army, captains are often appointed to be second-in-command (2IC) of
93-587: A company or equivalent sized unit of up to 120 soldiers. A rank of second captain existed in the Ordnance at the time of the Battle of Waterloo . From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the junior officer rank of captain. RAF captains had a rank insignia based on the two bands of a naval lieutenant with the addition of an eagle and crown above the bands. It was superseded by
124-516: A company composed of the men of three parachute battalions. As they advanced along a main road on an embankment towards Arnhem they came under continuous machine-gun fire. At one point, the fire became so heavy that the company was split up on either side of the road and suffered considerable losses. Captain Queripel immediately began to reorganise his troops, crossing and recrossing the road while doing so, under extremely heavy and accurate fire from
155-635: A few weeks after the outbreak of World War II , he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Sussex Regiment . He was posted to the regiment's 2nd Battalion, a Regular Army unit then commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Manley James , a Victoria Cross (VC) recipient of World War I. The battalion was serving in Northern Ireland on internal security duties before moving to England in December where it became part of
186-422: A lieutenant-colonel). The rank insignia were returned to the shoulder boards in 1880 for all officers in full dress , when the system of crowns and stars was reorganised. From this time, until 1902, a captain had just two stars. The 1902 change gave captains three stars, which continues to be used. In addition to the shoulder badges, officers' ranks were also reflected in the amount and pattern of gold lace worn on
217-789: A live shell with a burning fuse from the deck and threw it overboard. In February 1945 when the award of the Victoria Cross was announced, Tunbridge Wells Council commissioned a poem by Herbert Hope Campbell. At the time Lionel Queripel was posted as missing, it was not until after the war that it was confirmed he was killed: We who are burghers of your native town Hail you today with your illustrious name, Your knightly valour wins for you renown; We glory in your courage and your fame! May we be worthy of your daring deed Performed by you in England’s hour of need. On 19 September 2007, Lionel Queripel's sword, which had been held with B Coy
248-421: A result of this, the advance was able to continue. Later in the same day, Captain Queripel found himself cut off with a small party of men and took up a position in a ditch. By this time he had received further wounds in both arms. Regardless of his wounds and of the very heavy mortar and spandau fire, he continued to inspire his men to resist with hand grenades, pistols and the few remaining rifles. As, however,
279-409: A strong point consisting of a captured British anti-tank gun and two machine guns. Whilst carrying a wounded sergeant to the regimental aid post under fire he was himself wounded in the face. Having reorganised his force, Captain Queripel personally led a party of men against the strong point holding up the advance. Despite the extremely heavy fire directed at him, Captain Queripel succeeded in killing
310-739: The 133rd Infantry Brigade , itself one of three brigades forming Major General Edmund Osborne 's 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division . Together with the rest of his battalion, Queripel went to France in April 1940, only to return less than two months later, after the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), despite fighting bravely in the Battle of France , was forced to retreat to Dunkirk , from where they were evacuated to England . Almost two years of home defence, spent mainly in Kent , were to pass before Queripel, who on 22 April 1941
341-799: The London Regiment , was presented to the Royal Sussex Regiment Museum in Eastbourne. His surviving sister, her family and Regimental representatives were present. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum . Captain (British Army and Royal Marines) Captain ( Capt ) is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines and in both services it ranks above lieutenant and below major with
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#1732779969506372-544: The 2nd Battalion who qualified and progressed to parachute training and they formed the basis of the 10th Parachute Battalion at Kabrit under Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Smyth , of the South Wales Borderers . The battalion eventually became part of Brigadier John Hackett 's 4th Parachute Brigade , which in June 1943 became part of Major General George Hopkinson 's 1st Airborne Division . The 4th Para Brigade
403-733: The Royal Sussex Book of Remembrance in Chichester Cathedral ; the entrance porch to the village church at Somerby and of course the Airborne Forces Museum and the Royal Sussex museum at Duxford , Aldershot and Oosterbeek . Recently, Captain Queripel’s school, Marlborough College , has unveiled a VC/GC memorial on which his name is commemorated; it had already been commemorated on the walls of
434-566: The award of the VICTORIA CROSS to:— Captain Lionel Ernest Queripel (108181), The Royal Sussex Regiment. (1st Airborne Division) (Dorchester). In Holland on the 19th September, 1944, Captain Queripel was acting as Company Commander of a composite Company composed of three Parachute Battalions. At 14.00 hours on that day, his Company was advancing along a main road which ran on an embankment towards Arnhem. The advance
465-562: The battalion was one of several to provide candidates for selection to form a new battalion of the Parachute Regiment . Originally, when the 2nd Battalion was scheduled for conversion it was known as ‘S’ Battalion. However, the War Office then decreed that a regular unit could not be transferred to the Army Air Corps and the battalion remained on strength bolstered by men of the 4th and 5th Battalions . There were 200 or so men of
496-437: The case of Scottish regiments, the rings were around the top of the gauntlet-style cuff and the badges on the cuff itself. During World War I, some officers took to wearing similar jackets to the men, with the rank badges on the shoulder, as the cuff badges made them conspicuous to snipers. This practice was frowned on outside the trenches but was given official sanction in 1917 as an alternative, being made permanent in 1920 when
527-528: The crews of the machine-guns and recapturing the anti-tank gun enabling the advance to continue. Later Captain Queripel was ordered to defend some woodland near the Wolfheze level crossing which was vital to the allied advance (Wolfheze is about 12 km to the northwest of Arnhem Bridge but only a few hundred metres from the Drop and Landing Zones used). By this time he had received further wounds in both arms,
558-437: The cuffs of the full-dress tunic. From 1902, a complex system of markings with bars and loops in thin drab braid above the cuff (known irreverently as the asparagus bed) was used at first but this was replaced in the same year by a combination of narrow rings of worsted braid around the cuff, with the full-dress style shoulder badges on a three-pointed cuff flap. Based on equivalent naval ranks, captains had two rings of braid. In
589-438: The enemy pressure increased, Captain Queripel decided that it was impossible to hold the position any longer and ordered his men to withdraw. Despite their protests, he insisted on remaining behind to cover their withdrawal with his automatic pistol and a few remaining hand grenades. This is the last occasion on which he was seen. During the whole of a period of nine hours of confused and bitter fighting Captain Queripel displayed
620-551: The highest standard of gallantry under most difficult and trying circumstances. His courage, leadership and devotion to duty were magnificent, and an inspiration to all. This officer is officially reported to be wounded and missing. Queripel is buried in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery . Following the custom of the British Army, his gravestone is marked with the regimental badge of the regiment he
651-462: The rank of flight lieutenant on the following day. Badges of rank for captains were introduced on 30 January 1855 and were worn on shoulder epaulettes. After the Crimean War a new rank system was introduced which contained the first complete rank insignia in British Army history. A captain's rank insignia was worn on the collar and displayed a crown and a pip (which is now the rank insignia for
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#1732779969506682-626: The school's Memorial Hall. Recently his home town of Tunbridge Wells (to where the family moved in 1926) added his name to the Town War Memorial but he had already been included in a unique VC Memorial in Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells. Ten VC recipients had lived in Tunbridge Wells including the very first VC to be awarded to Charles Lucas , who as a mate on HMS Hecla ] during the Crimean War in 1854 picked
713-518: The subsequent Normandy Campaign , before being selected to take part in Operation Market Garden . Queripel was 24 years old, and a Captain in the 10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment , 4th Parachute Brigade , 1st Airborne Division during this battle when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. By 1400 hrs on 19 September the confusion and heavy casualties saw Captain Queripel acting as commander of
744-841: Was appointed CMG and awarded the DSO , having served during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 and later in Mesopotamia, France and Russia during World War I . His grandfather (appointed CB ) and great-grandfather were also soldiers. He was born in Winterborne Monkton , Dorset , England . He was educated at Marlborough College . Queripel, intent on pursuing a military career, entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in January 1939. On 22 October, just
775-554: Was conducted under continuous medium machine-gun fire which, at one period, became so heavy that the Company became split up on either side of the road and suffered considerable losses. Captain Queripel at once proceeded to reorganise his force, crossing and recrossing the road whilst doing so, under extremely heavy and accurate fire. During this period he carried a wounded Sergeant to the Regimental Aid Post under fire and
806-418: Was cut off with a small party of men and took up a position in a ditch. Disregarding his injuries and the heavy mortar and machine gun fire, he continued to inspire his men to resist with hand grenades, pistols, and the few remaining rifles. On at least one occasion he picked up and threw back an enemy stick grenade which had landed in the ditch. As the enemy pressure increased, Captain Queripel decided that it
837-721: Was first commissioned into rather than that of his serving unit, The Parachute Regiment . As is often the case with posthumous VC recipients, there are many Regimental memorials to Lionel Queripel, these include: the Parachute Regiment Roll of Honour which used to be in St Martins-in-the-Fields Church, London but is now in Aldershot; Queripel House the site of 10 PARA’s HQ at Duke of York’s in London; Leicestershire where 10 PARA emplaned;
868-753: Was held in reserve and unused during the Allied invasion of Sicily but participated in Operation Slapstick , part of the Allied invasion of Italy , in September 1943, and fought briefly in the early stages of the Italian Campaign before returning, with the rest of the division, to England in December 1943. As in Sicily, the division was held in reserve for the D-Day landings and unused during
899-402: Was himself wounded in the face. Having reorganised his force, Captain Queripel personally led a party of men against the strong point holding up the advance. This strong point consisted of a captured British anti-tank gun and two machine-guns. Despite the extremely heavy fire directed at him, Captain Queripel succeeded in killing the crews of the machine-guns and recapturing the anti-tank gun. As
930-487: Was impossible to hold the position any longer and ordered the men to withdraw. Despite their protests, he insisted on remaining behind to cover their withdrawal with his automatic pistol and a few remaining hand grenades. This was the last occasion on which he was seen. The full citation for Queripel's Victoria Cross appeared in a supplement to The London Gazette on 1 February 1945, reading: War Office, 1st February, 1945. The KING has been graciously pleased to approve
961-510: Was promoted to lieutenant , and his battalion were to see further action. In May 1942 Queripel's battalion, along with the rest of the 44th Division, now under Major General Ivor Hughes , left England, destined for North Africa . On 27 July Queripel was promoted to the temporary rank of captain . After participating in the Battle of Alam el Halfa and the Second Battle of El Alamein (the latter where they sustained heavy casualties)