PHANTOM Averill, Maurice

John Robertson

Administrator
Staff member
  • SURNAME
Averill
  • FORENAME
Maurice
  • UNIT
A Squadron GHQ Liaison Regiment (Phantom)
  • RANK
Sergeant (T/SSM)
  • NUMBER
7880509
  • AWARD
Distinguished Conduct Medal
  • PLACE
Greece 1941-42
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
enlisted Royal Tank Regiment
A Squadron,GHQ Liaiaon Regiment
Sergeant 8.2.1941
POW - escaped Greece 1941
H Squadron
commissioned R.A.C. (2Lt 259422) 22.8.1942
H Squadron,GHQ Liaison Regime
Training and Holding Unit,GHQ Liaison Reg.,R.A.C. 1945 (Captain)
Stafford Army Cadet Force postwar
resigned commission 8.10.1954
London Gazette 35697, 8th September 1942, Page 3949
 

CITATION:

Distinguished Conduct Medal : S.S.M. AVERILL was captured by German parachutists near CORINTH on 26.4.41 and after two days they were taken to CORINTH P/W camp, where he met Sgt. BRITTON who subsequently escaped with him and has also been recommended for recognition.

Conditions in the camp were very bad. The food was poor and there was much brutality. A colonel was struck down for obeying and order too slowly, and a sergeant stripped and beaten for singing.

On 8.6.41 S.S.M. AVERILL entrained at KALAMAKI with those detailed to be taken to GERMANY. They changed trains at ATHENS and on the following day were detrained at GRAVIA and marched towards LAMIA. When they reached a rocky track the Austrian guard, who had been talking to S.S.M. AVERILL, went ahead to show off how quickly he could go over the loose rocks. S.S.M. AVERILL then slipped away with Sgt. BRITTON and hid.

No search was made, so they spent that night in the hills and the following day reached the monastery at DAMASTA. Here one of the brothers looked after them, warned them off if enemy patrols were in the district and afterwards, when the head of the monastery returned and threatened to hand them over to the enemy if the came within a mile of its walls, continued to feed and help them.

They then lived for a time in the hills, dressed as shepherds and supported by two Greeks.

At the end of October they went to DERNITZA but returned to their friends in the hills in November.

They were consistently on the look out for a chance to getaway and were now becoming desperate - especially as they had been joined by other escapers; their Greek friend said he would find transport and come with them, but was clearly rather frightened; a rich Greek woman had promised help but could do nothing; and a caique owner they had contacted dared not risk a journey as he had just been imprisoned for helping escapers.

On 2.1.42 they at last found a caiuque and S.S.M. AVERILL, Sgt. BRITTON and the party of five Palestinians and their Greek friend which they had collected, made their way to the water's edge, where they embarked. They had to avoid Italians manning search lights and A.A. guns in the district.

There was no wind so they took turns rowing. They put in for water to a village on the north coast of the bay the next day, opposite the coast of EUBOEA.

The afternoon of the 6.1.42 they reached SKIATHOS, sailing close to the coast on the S.E. corner of the island. Here they were joined by three Australian privates who had been on the island for ten days.

On 8.1.42 they left for SKOPELOS and landed in a bay opposite STRONGYLI Island. They lived at a monastery while the were on the island, trying vainly to find a caique for TURKEY. Meanwhile the wife of the caique captain, who had taken them to SKIETHOS, had betrayed them and the Australian who returned to SKIATHOS to find a caique had been shot by Italians defending himself. Two days later the Italian patrol had already reached GLOSSA. Their only chance of escape was a caique from HALONNESUS. This they found fortunately, and after being well looked after by the Mayor of HALONNESUS and a shepherd on SKANTZOURA Island, where they were forced to land because of bad weather, they reached CHESME on 5.2.42.

S.S.M. AVERILL and Sgt. BRITTON in spite of a protracted time in enemy territory under the most trying conditions, never once gave up persevering in their attempts to escape - nor did they forget their responsibilities to other escapers they met and ably led their small party back to TURKEY. It was a highly meritorious performance often calling for much courage and quick thinking in the face of unexpected danger.

WEB LINKS:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35697/page/3949
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7369541

NATIONAL ARCHIVES:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7369541
Last edited by a moderator:
Maurice Averill

This information has been taken from GHQ Liaison Regiment: A Nominal Roll with Short Biographies, by Asher CJ Pirt, MA

http://pirtonline.org/newpublication.aspx
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/ghq-liaison-regiment-a-nominal-roll-with-short-biographies/8334070
 
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