In which G.M. Norton looks back at a swashbuckling Scotsman.
Please allow
me to introduce to you another war hero, Sir Thomas Macpherson.
Known as
the “Kilted killer”, Sir Thomas, or Tommy as he was known to his comrades, is
the most decorated British soldier in history.
Some gallant
war heroes are honoured to have the Military Cross proudly pinned to their chests.
Macperson had three of them! That’s in addition to three Croix de
guerre, a Légion d’honneur, and a papal knighthood for his heroics during the
Second World War.
Macpherson
was born in Edinburgh on 4th October, 1920. In his mid-teens, he was
confined to his bed for months after he was struck down with osteomyelitis. To help get through this enforced convalescence,
the young Scot read adventure book after adventure book, featuring tales of
derring-do from the likes of Buchan, A.E.W. Mason and Robert Louis Stevenson.
By the time he had recovered, Hitler’s troops were marching
into Rhineland, an action that was against the Treaty of Versailles, which
Germany had accepted following the end of the Great War.
Macpershon, no doubt inspired by his favourite books, promptly
signed up and was drafted into the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. He wasn’t
to stay there for long though as he volunteered himself to join one of
Churchill’s Commando units which had been set with the challenge to “set Europe
ablaze”.
Soon after, he was rewarded for his reckless courage
with his first Military Cross. After this quick triumph, Macpherson was promptly
dropped off in North Africa on a daring mission to capture Field-Marshall Erwin
Rommel. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned when the submarine that was due
to pick him up failed to turn up. Hundreds of miles from safety, Macpherson set
off on foot but despite making good time, the Italian’s captured him. Over the
next two years, he managed to escape seven times before finally making it back
to Blighty.
Macpherson was too important to twiddle his thumbs at
home though. Two days after the Allies had stormed the Normandy beaches, he was
parachuted behind enemy lines in France wearing his Highlander’s battledress
(yes, including his kilt).
His message to the wavering French resistance was clear –
we can win this war, but we must take the battle to the Nazis.
In case you’re wondering how successful this
kilt-wearing soldier was, the Germans soon had wanted posters plastered all
across France with a 300,000 franc bounty placed on his head.
Macpherson’s finest hour came that summer in 1944, just
after D-Day. 23,000 hardened German troops were travelling to Normandy so it
was imperative that they were stopped, or at least, delayed. A small band of
the French resistance held a vital bridge in the Loire valley, preventing them
from passing. But with 23,000 soldiers, there was only going to be one victor
if it came to a battle. Armed with this information, Macpherson stole a German
jeep and drove through ten miles of enemy soldiers, until he reached their
field headquarters.
Stepping out of the vehicle, the star of so many wanted
posters demanded an audience with the commanding officer, Major General Elster.
Elster was stunned. The king of bluff, Macpherson cooly informed Elster that he
had 20,000 of his own men just around the corner, along with tanks and RAF
bombers waiting in the wings. Surrender, laddie, or die. Of course, this was
all complete and utter guff but Elster fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
23,000 enemy soliders, spearheaded by the feared SS Panzer Division, had waved
the white flag to a kilt-wearing Scot. Macpherson 1 Nazis 0.
With France freed from Nazi rule, Macpherson was quickly
dispatched to Italy to do it all again. It was here that he faced a new enemy,
Yugoslavian leader Tito, who was intent on taking parts of Italy. Given
Macpherson’s tried and tested methods of killing sprees, blowing bridges and
destroying supplies and communications, a second bounty was placed on his head.
What a man! What a legend!
Sir Thomas Macpherson led an extraordinary life, before
bowing out for good on 6 November 2014 at the age of 94. With his bravery,
chutzpah and gung-ho spirit, Tommy was the epitome of a hero.
G.M. Norton
Protagonist of 'Norton of Morton'
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Wow! A real Adventure Hero. What stories he must have had to tell.
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