An exceptional Posthumous Bronze Star group of four awarded to Captain H....

An exceptional Posthumous Bronze Star group of four awarded to Captain H. McL. “Diamond Jim” Stacey, 141st (The Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, 31st Armoured Brigade, who was killed in action in March 1945

1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45; United States of America, Bronze Star, together with card box of issue for the first three addressed to his mother, and named condolence slip, extremely fine (4) £400-£500

Special Collection
This lot is to be sold as part of a special collection, The Alan Cathery Collection of Medals to The Buffs, the East Kent Regiment.

Provenance
The Robert F. Brett Collection of Medals to the Buffs, Dix Noonan Webb, September 1999.

Footnote
Bronze Star London Gazette 17 October 1946: ‘Capt. Hugh McLaren Stacey, 324582, The Buffs (since died).’

The following recommendation for the Posthumous Award of the Bronze Star is taken from official records: ‘Lieut. Hugh McLaren Stacey has distinguished himself by heroic achievement not involving participation in aerial flight.
At Geilenkirchen on 20th November, 1944, when “A” Squadron 141 R.A.C. (The Buffs) was in support of 333 Infantry Regiment (84 United States Infantry Division) Lieut. H. M. Stacey was acting as Liaison Officer between the flame throwing tanks and the Infantry. During the course of the action in the direction of Suggerath, Lieut. H. M. Stacey was constantly up with the Infantry who were under very heavy mortar and shell fire. One platoon, having lost its commander and N.C.Os, was personally reorganised by Lieut. H. M. Stacey, and later did excellent work in the clearing of some pillboxes.
At one point during the battle, a party of 12 to 15 United States infantrymen all became casualties. Lieut. H. M. Stacey, who was on the spot, realising that these men were out of contact with their own troops, dashed back and organised a stretcher party.
He personally led this party to the wounded men, regardless of the heavy mortar and machine gun fire which was ranged on this area. Throughout the evacuation of these casualties, Lieut. H. M. Stacey was a fine source of inspiration and encouragement to all around him.
Two days later, Lieut. H. M. Stacey led a party of United States Engineers well forward of our forward troops, for the purpose of setting explosive charges upon secret equipment which had been disabled by the enemy the previous day. Again Lieut. H. M. Stacey distinguished himself by heroic achievement in that he performed his task in full view of the enemy and under heavy fire. All of these actions were highly commended by the local commanders.’

The 141st (The Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps in North West Europe
The Buffs was one of several infantry regiments which had one or more battalions converted to tanks in 1941. 7th Battalion, The Buffs became known as 141st (The Buffs) Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps. As a Churchill Tank Regiment in 31st Army Tank Brigade in February 1944 they were selected as the first to convert to operate Crocodile flame-throwers. They continued to wear the Buffs Dragon cap-badge and two Troops landed on the Normandy Beaches on ‘D’ Day, 6 June 1944, the remainder following shortly after. During the landing and the breakout from Normandy 141st Regiment suffered 117 casualties from an overall strength of 600.

The Crocodile was a flame-throwing variant of the British Churchill Tank developed under Major General Sir Percy Hobart and was produced from October 1943. The Crocodile had a flame projector which replaced the front mounted Besa machine gun which was connected to an armoured trailer via an armoured pipe mounted along the underside of the tank. The armoured trailer weighed 6 ½ tons and carried 1,800 litres of fuel as well as a compressed propellant which was enough for 80 one seconds blasts.
The conversion kit was designed so that R.E.M.E. workshops in the field could convert any available Church Mk VII into a flame throwing Crocodile tank. The design of the conversion kit allowed the tank to retain its main turret mounted 75mm gun. Furthermore, the armoured trailers could be jettisoned if it was hit, or once empty to give the tank greater freedom of movement; the trailers were additionally fitted with towbars so they could be collected after the action by unit transport.

‘The the first three Crocodiles of No. 15 Troop, ‘C’ Squadron, landed in France at Le Hammel shortly after ‘H’ Hour on ‘D’ Day. Shall we rather say they "parted company" with the L.C.T's. For with a delicious little gurgle of delight one subsided into the sea, one sat stolidly and comfortably down in a crater on the beach and the third creature, carried on by some unknown stamina right across the beach straightaway collapsed with broken tracks. Meanwhile some miles away, Lieutenant Shearman, of No. 13 Troop, also of ‘C’ Squadron, managed in a rough sea to pressure up two Crocodiles and clear the tanks for action supporting the 7th Battalion Green Howards in the cold grey light of 5:00 a.m.

By 8:30 a.m. the two surviving Crocodiles represented the only armour up with the forward companies and as such their popularity with the Green Howards was absolutely sky-high. For them these two great hulking Crocodiles clattered amiably along, bearing sometimes up to as many as forty Infantry, and pausing here and there to pepper with Besa or high explosives the fleeting Hun backsides fast disappearing over the skyline. A picturesque cavalcade paralleled only by Hannibal's passage of the Alps. On through Crepon they went and still on. Nothing now separated Shearman from Rommel, but a few German Infantry and Panzer Divisions. Not until Tierceville crossroads did he yield pride of place to the speedier Sherman Tanks, by which time some several hundred prisoners-of-war had already given themselves up.

The next port of call was Villiers-le-Sec where everybody came under long distance shelling from tanks on the high around south west of Creully. The Shermans were out of it in a flash but 13 Troop, with its cumbersome trailers, had time whilst, negotiating the corners, to indulge a little hopefully, in an armoured gun duel with no loss to either side - Thence to Creully where for four hours the Crocodiles manned the western approaches in “Hull Downs” against a threatened Panzer attack.

The day's peregrinations, however, were not over yet. Later the Troop was to go to Cowlombs where the Infantry Commanding Officer released the Crocodiles, which again returned to Creully. Here Lieutenant Shearman met a Squadron Commander of the Westminster Dragoons and it was decided to go into close laager together just south of Crepon.

Dawn at Crepon on 7 June 1944 was a rude awakening in the shape of a salvo from about 100 yards in rear of the laager. The two Crocodiles covered the withdrawal of the thin-skinned Flails and succeeded in keeping the enemy guns quiet by an area shoot of 75 mm. But as he followed out in the wake of the Flails Shearman caught sight of a whole array of artillery and transport in the growing light, breakfasting in gay abandon and all unwitting of the target they presented to the Boche guns behind. Whereupon artillery and Royal Corps of Signals personnel were organised to act as infantry with grenades to follow in the wake of the Crocodiles assault. This was to be a great moment in Crocodile history-their first use of flame against a real live German. Supported by the fire of two flails the Crocodiles assaulted. Some eight shots of flame and the position was white with flags- 50 prisoners-of-war walked out and a party went in to deal with the killed and wounded. This then was the baptism of Crocodile flame and a very successful one too.

After a few days rest in Erecy, on 11 June the two Crocodiles moved on southwest to support the Hampshires of 231 Brigade through the woods from St. Paul du Vernon to the main road south.’ (Article by Captain H. Bailey, the Regimental Intelligence Officer, as published in the Regimental Journal refers).

The Regiment, reinforced by more Crocodiles, subsequently served as part of the 79th Armoured Division throughout the Battle of Normandy and the subsequent campaign in North West Europe until the end of the War. Ultimately, the Crocodile was an effective assault weapon, used so successfully against bunkers that many surrendered after the first ranging shots; few Allied weapons struck fear into the hearts of the German infantrymen more than the fearsome Crocodile. Built on the chassis of the ever-reliable Churchill Infantry Tank, the Crocodile flamethrower was one of the most deadly weapons in the British Army’s arsenal as they fought through Europe during the latter stages of the Second World War.The flame projector was a powerful psychological weapon, so feared by the Germans that captured Crocodile crews were often summarily executed.

Hugh McLaren ‘Diamond Jim’ Stacey was killed in action on 1 March 1945. He was the son of Hugh and Cecilia Stacey, of Alciston, Sussex, and was only 19 years old when he was killed. He is buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.

Note: The few Bronze Stars that were given to the Royal Armoured Corps were generally given to those Officers who were killed who, had they lived, would likely have been recommended for the Military Cross. As a generality, the Recommendations for those awarded the Bronze Star read far more impressively than a number of the Military Cross recommendations.