Admiral Walter Cowan aged 72 taken in 1943 while serving with 2 Commando. One of the oldest men to see combat he was a veteran of the Sudan, Boer and Great Wars. Re-enlisting in WW2 he served as a naval liaison officer. In 1942 with the 18th K.E.O Cavalry he was taken P.O.W by the Italians while attacking a tank with only a revolver! Exchanged in 1943 he won a D.S.O with 2 Commando in the Adriatic.
Maj. Gen. Percy Hobart, A Most “Difficult” General
Lt. Gen. Miles Dempsey, commander Second Army (left), with Maj. Gen. Percy Hobart, commander 79th Armored Division, during an invasion exercise, May 1, 1944. A Ford GPA amphibious jeep can be seen behind the generals. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery examines the remains of a German V2 rocket near the headquarters of Maj. Gen. Percy Hobart, commander 79th Armored Division (left), Oct. 1944. Hobart was the brother-in-law of Montgomery.