Corran Purdon
Corran Purdon | |
|---|---|
 Purdon at Merville Battery, June 2014 | |
| Birth name | Corran William Brooke Purdon |
| Born | 4 May 1921 Cobh, Ireland |
| Died | 27 June 2018 (aged 97) Wiltshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1939–1976 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Service number | 112917 |
| Unit | Royal Ulster Rifles No. 12 Commando Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces Hong Kong Police Force |
| Commands | 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces School of Infantry North West District Near East Land Forces |
| Battles/wars | Second World War Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Dhofar Rebellion |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Overseas Territories Police Medal Colonial Police Medal |
| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Purdon
(m. 1945; died 2007)Jean Otway (m. 2009–2018) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relations | Terence Otway (Cousin) |
Major-General Corran William Brooke Purdon CBE MC (4 May 1921 – 27 June 2018) was an Irish-born career soldier in the British Army, who took part in the raid on St Nazaire as a commando for which he was awarded the Military Cross. He was subsequently a prisoner in Colditz Castle.[1][2][3][4]
Early life
Purdon was born on 4 May 1921 in Rushbrooke, Queenstown (now called Cobh), near Cork, Ireland, during the Irish War of Independence. His father Major General William Purdon worked for the army as a medical officer and his mother Myrtle, from Belfast was a homemaker.[5] In the early 1920s the family moved to India. In 1926, after his father completed his tour with the Indian Army, the family moved to Belfast. Purdon was educated firstly in India, then at Campbell College in Belfast and, finally, at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[6]
Career
Military career
Purdon was commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1939 at the start of the Second World War.[6] His training at Sandhurst was cut short and he was posted to the regimental depot in Armagh.[7] Disappointed at being too young to receive an active service posting he volunteered for No. 12 Commando which was then forming in Derry Northern Ireland.[8] Following extensive training he was deployed with his unit as part of Operation Chariot on the raid on St Nazaire, for which he was awarded the Military Cross.[1] Wounded by grenade shrapnel whilst trying to break out of the docks area he was captured and taken eventually to Oflag IXAH at Spannenberg near Kassel.[9] He was subsequently imprisoned in Colditz Castle for a year.[1]
He became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles in 1962 and in that role was deployed to Borneo during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.[6] He went on to be Commander, Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces and Director of Operations during the Dhofar Rebellion in 1967, Commandant, School of Infantry in 1970 and General Officer Commanding North West District in 1972.[6] His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding, Near East Land Forces in 1974 before retiring in 1976.[6]
Police career
After retiring from the British Army, Purdon was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1978, and worked for it until his retirement in 1981 at the age of 60.[1]
Family
In 1945, Purdon married Maureen Patricia Purdon (née Petrie); they had two sons and one daughter. After the death of his first wife, Purdon married Jean Ottway (née Walker).[6]
Death
Purdon died in his sleep of natural causes at his home in Devizes[10] in the early hours on 27 June 2018 at the age of 97 with his family at his side.[1]
Media and events
Purdon appeared in some history-related documentaries. In March 2009, Purdon, then aged 87, along with Micky Burn (1912-2010) and Dr Bill 'Tiger' Watson' (1921-2018) went to Saint-Nazaire to commemorate the raid while filming a feature-film documentary adapted from Burn's 2003 autobiography Turned Towards the Sun.[11]
In March 2012, Purdon, then aged 90, was made guest of honour in St Nazaire at the 70th anniversary celebratory event of the St Nazaire Raid. In June 2014, Purdon, then aged 93, attended the 70th anniversary celebratory event of the D-Day Landings.[12]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Major-General Corran Purdon obituary". Thetimes.co.uk. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "War hero who escaped Colditz dies aged 97". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ "Purdon, Corran William Brooke (Oral history)". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- ^ Obituaries, Telegraph (15 July 2018). "Major General Corran Purdon". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ^ Purdon (1993), p. 6
- ^ a b c d e f Who's Who 2010, A & C Black, 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-1414-8
- ^ Purdon (1993), p. 14
- ^ Purdon (1993), p. 16–17
- ^ Purdon (1993), p. 36–43
- ^ "War hero who escaped Colditz dies aged 97". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 4 July 2018.
- ^ "Turned Towards the Sun". IMDB. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ Tillotson, Michael (31 March 2012). "Veterans recall their raid on St Nazaire". Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
Sources
- Purdon, Conran (1993). List the Bugle: Reminiscences of an Irish Soldier. Greystone Books. ISBN 978-1870157193.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1921 births
- 2018 deaths
- Prisoners of war held at Colditz Castle
- British Army personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- British Army Commandos officers
- British Army major generals
- British World War II prisoners of war
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Royal Ulster Rifles officers
- British colonial police officers
- Hong Kong police officers
- British Army personnel of World War II
- World War II prisoners of war held by Germany