Anthony
Firstname
George Alfred
Middle Name
Jaques
Surname
Date of Birth
School Years:
Date of Death:
1929 - 38
Family
Married to Dinah who was a WRAF plotter in 1945.
His son Richard (leaver in 1980) and grandson Tom (leaver in 2015) were at the School and the latter was in the !st XV.
School Record
Member of Holden House.Scrum Half of the 1937 1st XV, the most successful and unbeaten Rugby team in the School's history.
Branch of Service:
Army Royal Armoured Corps
Service Number:
145200
Rank:
Decorations:
Service Record
Captain/Tempoary Major.
Military Cross, MID and Campaign Medals.
Post War Career
He could have avoided Military Service on two grounds, being in a reserved occupation (agriculture) or Education (he had a place at Cambridge) but he volunteered as he did not want to let down his friends in the Territorial Army.He joined the Suffolk Regiment, part of which converted to Tanks and he became part of the Royal Armoured Corps 142 Regiment.
The Regiment travelled to North Africa via Canada to avoid the U-boats and landed in Morocco. He fought in Churchill Tanks which were outgunned and less well armoured than the German Tiger Tanks. The regiment was part of Operation Ochsenkopf and fought at Medjez El Bab in Tunisia. Ted Forrest (O.I.), one of the backs in the 1937 Team fought alongside him. On Good Friday in 1943, The Regiment began the day with 60 tanks and ended it with just 8 functioning. At that time he was ordered to take 3 tanks to defend an advanced position in the mountains east of Tunis, protecting the infantry of the Lancashire fusiliers. His tank was disabled and despite a large German formation, including some Tiger tanks, he walked at night through enemy lines to get further orders, having forgotten his revolver. He returned and his 3 tank troop held the position for 3 days to protect the front line troops. He fought alongside Ted Forrest, one of his rugby team's backs.
The remarkable part of his story is that, when he announced that he was staying to fight, he offered each of the 14 men under his command the opportunity to stay or leave without prejudice. All but one chose to stay and all survived. the position itself was held and Anthony Jacques was awarded the Military Cross.
The Regiment was then moved to Italy and took part in some of the bitterest fighting of the War close to Monte Casino. He took part in breaching the Gothic Line near Rimini. He was promoted to Major and commanded a squadron of 18 tanks. He was wounded in 1944 and withdrawn from combat, being subsequently mentioned in despatches. After his wounds healed, he was attached to the free Polish Corps in the Middle East as a military intelligence officer.
He went back to farming and partnered Leonard Pipe, moving to the remote and often bleak marshes at Boyton. He continued agreat family tradition, his own grandfather having been, in the nineteenth century, the largest breeder of the Suffolk Trinity - Suffolk Punch, Red Poll and black face sheep. He continued farming until his retirement in 1984.
Burial Information
Additional Information
Gazette notice for M.C.:- https://www.gazette.co.uk/London/issue/36053/supplement/2720 dated 15/06/43.
Gazette notice for MID:- https://www.gazette.co.uk/London/issue/37184/supplement/3720 dated 19/07/45
Obituary in OIJ issue 7 of 2016 at pages 43/4
War diary National Archives WO 175/282 and WO 166/1428.
Other Pictures
In the Churchill Tank.
Mentioned in Despatches.
The Regiment wore the Suffolk Cap Badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps.
