D Day - Mad Jack Churchill

 

As we celebrate D Day and the Allied invasion of Nazi Europe, think on Lt. Col. Mad Jack Churchill. Though born in Hong Kong of an old Oxfordshire family, Mad Jack fell in love with bagpipes, longbows and swords, not least the Claymore.

After a colorful career as a soldier, Mad Jack found himself in the Royal Marines, where he played his part in the Normandy landings:

D-Day, June 6th, 1944. Jack was assigned to 47th Royal Marines. Where he landed on Gold Beach, as soon as the landing craft he was on was taking fire, he stepped off the craft slowly with his bow an arrow, along with his broadsword. Eventually making it to the beachhead, where he decided to sheathe his weapons and take out the bagpipes he was playing. He marched slowly up the beach playing “The March of The Cameron Men.” (Link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH081uTTUj4&ab_channel=Rigdoo)

 As the soldiers around him dropped to the ground as fast as they could from the incoming MG42 fire, they witnessed Jack get to a certain position and stop marching forward. He stood still as he kept playing. Not even once thinking about how any moment a bullet could kill him, or an artillery shell. He only focused on his music and inspiring his men, and not a single bullet came near him.

After the battle of Gold Beach, when German POWs were captured, they were asked why none of the Germans shot at him. They all agreed that, “If a crazy bastard was going to play music here, he deserved to live.”

 

Yes, they were heroes

Mad Jack was, apparently, the last person up until now to be credited with killing an enemy combatant with a long bow. Think on that.

Respect,

LSP