Sergeant Wilfred Daniel "Percy" Medhurst
British Army Queens Own Cameron Highlanders
from:Kensington, London
Wilfred Daniel Medhurst was born at 2 Devonshire Terrace, Church Road, Northwood, Ruislip, Middlesex on 26 July 1909. During the 1920's, Wilf worked in London as a chauffeur, to the boss of a hearing-aid Company called Ardente. One day he was asked to drive his boss to Scotland for a series of business meetings. Whilst up there, Wilf fell in love with a local Scottish lass. When the boss finished his business, Wilf had to think of a way of staying in Scotland with his new sweetheart. The best idea he could come up with was to join the Army, so he signed on with the Cameron Highlanders! He first enlisted in the Queens Own Scottish Regiment on 23 Sep 1927 aged just 18 years and 39 days. His romance fizzled out, but he was stuck in the regular army until 1934, when he was transferred to the Army Reserve. Then he returned to London, where he met and married his wife Dot.
He was mobilised on 2 Sep 1939 when his unit was among the first divisions to be sent to France. "When the war broke out on Sep 1939, the 1st Camerons mobilised at Aldershot and moved to France with the British Expeditionary Force, arriving at Cherbourg on 24th September 1939. They formed part of the 5th Infantry Brigade in the 2nd Division, and prepared positions at Aix. On 5th December the 1st Camerons were inspected in the field by HM King George VI, The Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment. When the Germans advanced into Belgium in May 1940, the 2nd Division moved towards the River Dyle, east of Brussels. As the BEF withdrew, the 1st Camerons fought a counter-attack action on the River Escaut, and on the 25th May 1940, held a defensive position on the La Bassée canal against an order of about 300 German tanks, until they were ordered to withdraw to Dunkirk. On 31st May 1940 the 1st Camerons embarked at Dunkirk, seventy nine strong. They still wore the kilt, and were the last Battalion to wear it in action". Extract from ‘Queens Own Highlanders’ By Lt Col Angus Fairie
In late November 1939, while passing through Orleans, France, Wilf was struck down with a ‘mysterious illness”, which had him creased in agonising pain for several hours. It took a sharp-witted doctor to ask a very simple question… “By any chance – is your wife expecting??” Wilf answered that Dot was, indeed due at any time, to which the wise doctor told him – well I think the baby is born now!! Sure enough, a few days later, word came through that Wilf had a baby daughter, and that miraculously, Dot had suffered no labour pains – it seems that Wilf had had them for her! The baby was christened Joan (after Joan of Arc, to celebrate the Maid of Orleans).
Wilf's duty was to drive a petrol tanker across France and Belgium. He told his wife, Dot,: “If you ever get a telegram saying I am missing in action, don’t expect them to find much of me if a bomb or grenade hits my tanker!” Eventually, Wilf found himself heading for Dunkirk, staying in (when he was lucky) draughty old tin huts, until he finally made it to the beaches, where was he ordered to destroy his vehicle. Then he had to watch helplessly as friends around him were killed or injured when enemy planes bombed and strafed them. At sea, he saw a troop ship carrying over 600 wounded men have a bomb dropped down one of its funnels and the whole ship was blown apart! He spent 3 days on the beach and in the water, amongst the bodies of his friends, until he was finally picked up by a little boat, shattered, wet and weary, and brought home to England. His division had been over 700. He was one of the 79 to return!
By the time the re-formed Battalion embarked for India, in 1942, Wilf (no longer fit enough to fight) was in Scotland. He was broken-hearted that he couldn't be with his comrades, but he was posted to Perth, to a small Scottish village called Auchtermuchty. He remained in the Army until he was formerly medically discharged in April 1944. From being: 'A1 - Fit for service anywhere in the world' his Discharge papers read: "..permanently unfit for any form of military service."
Wilf never worked a proper full-time job again. He drove for National Express buses and then Windsorian coach for a while, until his health broke down again. After that, a friend gave him a very temporary job as a delivery driver for Oakleigh Animal Products in Ascot, Berkshire. But he was never a fit man again after the war, and died at the age of just 52 years old, on 8th June 1965.
