Brigadier PGA Prescott, MC

Brigadier Peter Prescott, MC died during the morning of Wednesday 31 October 2007. Peter was the son of Colonel JA Prescott who was Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards then Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment from 1941 to 1946. The following is a recollection by Brigadier Prescott in respect of his long and distinguished career: Between 1941 and 1942 I was a LCpl in Eton College Home Guard before enlisting in the Grenadier Guards in December 1942 as 2623772 Guardsman Prescott P. I attended the Guards Armoured Training Wing at Pirbright then went to 101 O.C.T.U. at Sandhurst for Officer Training. I recall that whilst there, I nearly got sacked for lining up the cross-wires of my sight (I was a gunner in a Valentine Tank on a dawn
attack exercise) onto the Commandant, the Second in Command and the Adjutant (Arthur James) who were about 100 yards in front; just for fun.

I pushed the 2 pounder foot pedal as a matter of instinct not knowing that the Operator had loaded a 2 pounder blank. I remember that through my gun sight, I had never seen three senior Officers duck so fast.

October 1943. Despite this incident, I was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards and moved to Windsor for initial Officer training with the Training Battalion. I was sent to Battle Camp in Wales to take-over temporarily from the Grenadier Officer Commanding whose wife was desperately ill. On return to Windsor I found I was not the flavour of the day when the Adjutant (Jimmy Hamilton) caught me reading The Times in the Officers Mess at 1100 hours. As a penalty, I was given a months understudy of the Sergeant in Waiting.

January 1944. I was posted to take command of No. 2 Troop, No. 2 Squadron, 2nd Armoured Battalion Grenadier Guards at Helmsley, North Yorkshire with whom I served until I was, at last, wounded on 21st April 1945 at Heeschlingen on the way to Cuxhaven in Germany. If my memory serves me right, Sergeant Tommy Trow was my Troop Sergeant, to be replaced by Willy Marfleet. My driver was Guardsman (Ex L/Sgt) Butcher a marvelous Reservist, I suspect, who taught me all I needed to know for another 40 years. Although Gdsm Butcher was originally the Commanding Officer's driver, for some reason he came to me. I have never regretted it, sadly when we were both knocked in the first battle we went into, I did not see him again.

Dead of Winter - Early 1944. Exercise Eagle - for the Guards Armoured Division, probably on the Yorkshire Moors. Two memories - The Battalion forming up in Squadron "boxes", "by the left" (I have a feeling that the Sergeant Major dressed us by the right. Hullo Bolo, this is Salo; inches only !!!). Do you remember the introduction of "Hullo 2 Zero this is 2 one"? It caused absolute chaos to "Salo" who knew he was the RSM, but hadn't the foggiest that he was Zero One Charlie. It was blisteringly cold, I remember getting a "rocket" from my Squadron Leader (Sir. Arthur Grant, Bt) for shaving around that part of my face which was the only part outside my Balaklava helmet.
April 1944. The Battalion moved to Hove. Two Squadron were in Palmyia Avenue. On the 17th May, the Princess Elizabeth inspected the 1st and 2nd Battalions on the sea front.

Mid June. Drove towards Portsmouth to embark for Normandy. I remember we were held up on the A3 above Portsmouth and the road was packed nose to tail with tanks and vehicles and, even then, I recall thanking the RAF that no Lüftwaffee aircraft could come and make mincemeat of us; it was the most blatant disregard of any air threat. We stayed in a wood before embarking in a Tank Landing Craft (4 Shermans and one scout car) from Gosport for Normandy. I remember that everyone, including the skipper, was seasick. Until 18 July, when we attacked Cagny as part of the Goodwood Operation, we spent all the time changing our tactics completely to take account of the Bocage terrain in which armoured "sweeps" in box formation were out. During the Cagny battle, my Troop was attacked by two FW190, but I failed to shoot one down because the .5 inch Browning on the cupola was jammed with dust.

30th July. We moved out to the Caumont area to help the US breakout. I was wounded at Montamy on 3rd August, but was awarded the Military Cross. I did not rejoin the Squadron until we crossed the Vive Vassy road. Thereafter the Battalion crossed The Seine and drove up to Dovai airport from which 2 Squadron led off for Brussels on the northern axis. We were ambushed at Pout-a-Marcq) Squadron HQ were leading, I suspect, because the Squadron Leader wanted to be the first into Brussels). A fatal decision for a number of casualties. It took the whole day for Kings Company and 2 Squadron to clear up Pont-a-Marcq and we did not get to Brussels until a day later. I was slightly wounded again, but "soldiered on". We took part in Operation Market Garden, but were knocked out about 200 yards from the roundabout leading to the bridge (See the photograph at the bottom of this page). we were also involved in the capture of Heesch. Spent Christmas helping the US Forces to hold the Ardennes Offensive. Lastly, we made the dash through Holland and Germany. I was finally wounded and evacuated to a hospital in the UK from a place called Heeschlingen, between Hamburg and Bremen on 21st April 1945. I returned to duty with the Training Battalion at Windsor as Assistant Adjutant in February or March 1946.

Thereafter

June 1946 - With 2nd Battalion as 2nd Captain of No. 2 Company. Served in Schleswig and Berlin.

1948 - Assistant Adjutant/Weapon Training Officer with the 2nd Battalion at Sennelager where we trained potential Non Commissioned Officers for the Rhine Army.

1949 - Adjutant at Mons Officer Training School, Aldershot where I had to ride a horse up the steps on Passing Out parades.

1951 - Officer Commanding no. 3 Company of the 3rd Battalion. Served in Tripoli, Canal Zone and Jordan.

1954 - With the 1st Battalion as Officer Commanding No. 2 Company.

1957 - Staff College.

1958 - Company Commander with the 2nd Battalion.

1959 to 1961 - School of Infantry as GSO2 Research. Only claims to "infamy" were that I helped to design the FV432 Armoured Fighting Vehicle, the General Purpose Machine Gun, the 81mm Mortar, introduced the Vickers Vigilant Anti Tank Guided Weapon and the Carl Gustav Anti Tank Weapon.

1961 - Senior Major of the 1st Battalion at Tidworth.

1962 to 1964 - Brigade Major 4th Guards Brigade in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR).

1964 to 1966 - Military Assistant (MA) to Chief of General Staff - Ministry of Defence.

1966 to 1969 - Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion in BAOR.

1969 - Lieutenant Colonel commanding the Grenadier Guards. My father held the record for longest in the job (1941 to 1945) and I the shortest!

1969 to 1972 - Commander of 51 Infantry Brigade in Hong Kong. I also had responsibility for British Forces serving in Singapore, Brunei and Okinawa.

1973 - Attended the Royal College of Defence Studies as a student. ("Backward Brigadiers Course").

1974 to 1976 - Deputy Commander North East District. I commanded the Territorial Army in Northumberland Co. Durham and Yorkshire/Humberside as well as being Chief of Staff. I gained an awful respect for the TA during this period and a realisation of their indispensable value to the British community and the Forces. A serious fire at a factory in Hull would have developed into a National disaster had not we deployed a TA Signal Squadron, Royal Engineer Squadron and RASC Transport Squadron to the site within 24 hours.

The Grenadier Guards Association is Registered Under the Charities Act, 1960 No.287265