Lives in Cricket No 42 - Frank and George Mann

82 Education and War-Time While George was in action in Italy, John Pelham was back in England with the Third Battalion preparing for the planned Allied invasion of German-occupied Europe. The battalion crossed the Channel as part of the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944 and a few weeks later John Pelham took part in the liberation of Tilburg for which he was awarded the Bronze Lion of the Netherlands. On the afternoon of 20 November 1944, now an acting major, he was in command of the ‘left flank’ squadron of the Third Tank Battalion of the Scots Guards during the advance towards Sevenum, east of Eindhoven, and in support of the leading infantry battalion which had advanced about 2,000 yards, when it encountered a strong enemy defensive line consisting of two infantry companies in fortified farmhouses and trenches. John Pelham realised that the enemy would reinforce their position during the night so he decided to lead his squadron of Churchill tanks into attack at once. The German infantry were soon engulfed in blazing buildings and forced to retreat. But the vigorous advance of the British meant that the tanks of the squadron were a considerable distance ahead of any infantry support and they were engaged at a range of only 500 yards by enemy anti-tank guns. John Pelham saw no alternative but to attack the guns head-on and the squadron forced them to withdraw. For this act of exemplary bravery during active operations against the enemy he was awarded the Military Cross and later also received the France and Germany Star for operational service in France, Belgium, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Germany from 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945. The proposed renewal of the County Championship in 1946 was eagerly anticipated by many servicemen hoping for an early discharge from active service to enable them to rejoin their clubs. John Pelham took advantage of some leave in London in June 1945 to play in a two-day match and then a one-day match at Lord’s for the Second Army against P.F.Warner’s XI which included Gubby Allen, Bill Edrich and Ian Peebles. But he had not yet decided whether he would return to University to complete his degree and play for Cambridge, or pursue a commercial career, perhaps with Mann, Crossman and Paulin, and play occasionally for Middlesex alongside his elder brother George whose progress within the family firm was assured.