Riflemen George Anderson 1084996

George Anderson, from Leith, was a Riflemen in the 9th Battalion of the Cameronians . He landed in Normandy on the 17th of June 1944. During his time in he was posted in a place called Kleve which is south of Arnhem. Right next to Kleve is the Moyland Forest. . Between the 15th-18th February 1945 his time was employed as a Company runner. This meant that Anderson’s job was to relay messages and information throughout the Company, facing severe danger as a result. The communications within the Company had been cut off due to heavy shelling, and the firing of the enemy automatic weapons, This is why Riflemen Anderson was employed as a runner, as this was the only way for the Company to send messages. There were high casualties and this meant that Anderson was the last remaining runner, therefore he took on all responsibilities that had to do with communication within the Company. Every message that Anderson was given to relay was successfully delivered, despite the heavy shelling from the enemy. Later in March 1945 Anderson would have a deadly encounter with a tank when he and four of his fellow comrades volunteered to try and destroy a German tank that was stopping the whole Battalion from moving forward. Anderson’s four fellows were killed by this tank and George was severely injured as he laid in a field in Germany for four days before he was found by a patrol. Anderson’s injuries were severe as he was missing one leg and had a badly damaged upper thigh on his other leg. For both his actions as a runner and his encounter with the tank ,Anderson was awarded the Military Medal as seen below.

Another responsibility that Anderson took on was that he performed all administration duties for the Company while he was still performing his own duties. The reason George took on these extra responsibilities was due to heavy casualties within Company Headquarters, one of the causalities included the Company Sergeant Major.

Anderson was also well aware of how dangerous his job as a runner was, this is why he handed over some of his personal belongings to his Company Commander just before he went on one of his missions, as he thought he may not return.

The citation for Anderson’s Military Medal states; “He has more than once assumed responsibility far above his rank. His conduct and example through the campaign has been an inspiration to his comrades”

Below is Andersons Citation for the Military Medal he received, detailing his brave actions and diligent service:

After Andersons Military service he started off as a driving instructor; this was fairly shot lived, however, as he would then take on the role of a driver for an engineering company called Bruce Peebles. After his time as a driver, Anderson decided to renew his army links in order to lend his experience as a sergeant instructor at Hamilton Place. After several years of being a sergeant instructor Anderson was then promoted to a storeman in Redford Barracks, which is where he would spend the rest of his working life before retiring and spending time with his wife Betty, whom he married on Christmas Day in 1940. Here are some images of George Anderson:

Later in life Anderson would be presented to the Queen, this unique occasion was captured in a photo that was proudly presented in Georges home:

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