Scots Guard Jim received Military award for bravery
WHILE crowds swelled round Buckingham Palace on May 8, 1945 celebrating Victory in Europe and hoping to catch a glimpse of the Royal family, Jim Mitchell was inside being presented with a Military Medal for his part in securing Allied victory.

A member of the Scots Guard, Jim had saved the life of the Second in Command of his Company Sir John Hope during the battle for Normandy. His Military Medal was awarded for this impressive act of bravery.
Jim, of Abbots Langley, was part of the Scots and Irish Guard units that had been combined before D-Day. It was Jim that led them onto the beaches.
However their journey over to Normandy was not the best preparation for battle. “We spent three days sitting in the Channel because D-Day was delayed. I remember thinking ‘I hope they land this thing',” said Jim.
“It was so rough, half the soldiers were vomiting. I was having to hose down the deck!”
There were over 300 troops on Jim's landing craft made up of soldiers from England, Ireland and Scotland while the crew of the craft were American.
The Americans initially took them to the wrong beach and when they finally arrived at the correct location the doors of the landing craft jammed.
The boat began to take on water and Jim's Regiment was forced to abandon ship and wade onto the beaches from half a mile out.
Jim was the first guardsman onto the beach. Despite the chaotic arrival, it wasn't long before they reorganised and were involved in securing Normandy for the Allies.
Jim's act of bravery came one evening when he came across a German tank just a hundred yards from their regiment.
Jim rushed back to where the rest of the Scots Guards were approaching and dragged the Second in Command away from the tank where he was sitting and into a ditch.
Seconds later the tank exploded showering Jim with debris.
This individual act of courage would later see Jim shaking hands with King George VI.
Although most of Normandy had been liberated relatively quickly, ‘gaps' remained where German resistance was fierce.
Jim's regiment were given the task of securing one of these ‘gaps'. A time and location were provided and they were told that they would have Naval support.
“As we crept up on this corn field we could see the Germans and realised they were also trying to creep up on us,” said Jim.
“Their artillery suddenly opened up. It looked like they might overrun us as we were all stuck sheltering trying to work out what to do.”
Luckily the Allied Naval barrage began and when it stopped there were just a handful of German soldiers left in the field.
“It was silent and peaceful all of a sudden, as if the war had just ended,” said Jim.
“Then the Irish Guards, who had a new inexperienced commander leading them, marched through from behind us. They looked almost like they were on parade. At that moment the Germans launched a final attack, throwing everything they had at the Irish Guards. They were almost all wiped out. Only 80 of them left the field in front of me. The cornfield was on fire and there were wounded soldiers trapped being burned alive. It was horrific.”
To stop the German forces escaping Jim's regiment were ordered to set up a roadblock. “I was a bit of an expert with mines and explosives so I was laying lines of 12 mines joined together across the road,” Said Jim:
“The two lads helping me were quite inexperienced. I was stood over these lines of mines trying to give instructions to one of these lads when there was explosion. The lad I was talking to just disappeared and I was blown a good 30 feet backwards.”
The young soldier had triggered the line of mines just feet from where Jim stood.
“I couldn't talk or breathe. I used a branch to lift myself up and my voice came back,” said Jim.
“All my uniform had been burned off except my belt and boots. I had no idea how I had survived.”
Jim was whisked away and taken back to England to recover.
“It's funny because it happened in August, which is a lucky month for me,” joked Jim.
“My birthday is August 7, I met my wife on August 10 1942, my daughter was born on August 10, 1944 and on the 11th I was almost blown up!”
Now 86, Jim never forgets how lucky he was. “I'm pleased to be able to be here today and that luck was on my side. It's only now I think about the life I've led. I survived.”