The son of a General, Corran William Brooke Purdon was born in Ireland on 4th May 1921. Educated in India then at Cambell College, Belfast, he entered Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1939 from a course truncated by the outbreak of war. Posted to the regimental depot in Armagh, he was frustrated at the lack of prospect of operational service so volunteered for Commando forces. On 28th March 1942, after extensive training, he took part in Operation Chariot, the Commando raid on the dry dock at St Nazaire. The dock was the only one in occupied Europe capable of taking the German battleship Tirpitz. The dock gates were rammed by the destroyer HMS Campbeltown which was laden with explosives, and which put the installation out of action until well after the war. The commandos fought gallantly until surrounded by vastly superior German forces, their ammunition expended. Of the 621 men on the raid only 228 returned to Britain on the accompanying small boats. 5 Victoria Crosses were awarded and 84 other decorations including a Military Cross for Purdon. Wounded and taken, Purdon escaped from prison camp in March 1943 but was recaptured and sent to the notorious ‘escape proof’ camp, Colditz Castle. Liberated at the end of the war he returned to the Ulster Rifles and served with them on counter insurgency duties in Palestine. After attending the army staff course at Camberley he served in both the Malayan and Cyprus emergencies becoming an expert in counter terrorist operations. In April 1962 he took command of his battalion in Germany where the unit became the first to field the FV432 tracked armoured personnel carrier (some of which are still in service today). Purdon commanded the battalion during the Borneo Confrontation before serving at Warminster as chief instructor of the All Arms Tactics Course. Gaining accelerated promotion, he became a brigadier and seconded to the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces in 1967 suppressing the Dhofar rebellion. At the end of his tour, he was awarded the CBE. Promoted to Major General, Purdon served as GOC North West District and GOC Near East Land Forces before retiring from the Army in 1976. Recommended to take over the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Government opted for an English police officer so he became Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Hong Kong Police. On his second retirement he was awarded the Colonial Police Medal. Purdon filled a exceptionally long and active retirement with involvement in a number of charities such as the Royal Humane Society and the St John Ambulance. He was also heavily involved in regimental and Airborne Forces associations. In 2013, as a spritely 92-year-old, he attended the D-Day commemorations in Normandy. Major General Corran Purdon CBE MC CPM died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his family at the age of 97. His son wrote “He really just died of old age - he was happy for everyone to be around him.” The historian James Dorrian wrote: “He was extremely charming, charismatic and incredibly inspirational. He was the sort of person you would follow into hell.” #famousfriday Today, the Operation Chariot Memorial Project is raising funds for a permanent memorial to the raid and the gallantry and sacrifice of those who took part at the National Memorial Arboretum. The Sandhurst Trust has donated to this worthy cause, which can be found at: www.stnazaireraid.org Found this post interesting? Curious to delve deeper into the intriguing world of RMAS alumni? Discover the extraordinary stories of 200 people who trained at Sandhurst, but went on to gain recognition beyond the army, in the new Sandhurst Trust exclusive book. ”They Also Served” https://bit.ly/theyalsoserved (fb)

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