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He is my wife's Uncle
Man of Honour
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Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher receives his George Cross from The Queen PDF Print E-mail
Written by marin2008
Saturday, 01 November 2008
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, from Solihull, Birmingham has received his George Cross from HM The Queen at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace today.
The Royal Marine Reservist was awarded the nation's highest honour after he dived on a live grenade to save his comrades in Afghanistan.
On receiving the honour from HRH The Queen, LCpl Croucher said:
"It was a great honour to receive my award from The Queen today. I
feel very proud to be part of the Navy's Royal Marines and it was very
special to be awarded the George Cross."
LCpl Croucher's mother, Margaret, said:
"I am a very happy mum today. I am hugely proud of my son and all he
has achieved. It has been a fantastic day."
LCpl Croucher was part of the Commando Reconnaissance Force tasked on 9th February 2008 to conduct reconnaissance of a compound in which it was suspected that Taliban fighters manufactured Improvised Explosive Devices.
LCpl Croucher was at the head of the team as they moved silently through the darkened compound when he felt a wire go tight against his legs. This was a trip-wire connected to a grenade booby-trap, positioned to kill or maim intruders in the compound. He heard the fly-off lever eject and the grenade, now armed, fell onto the ground immediately beside him.
He quickly acted on instinct and threw himself beside the grenade, pinning it between his day-sack back pack and the ground to absorb the explosion.
Amazingly, he survived virtually unscathed when his body armour and a rucksack on his back absorbed most of the explosion.
LCpl Croucher, who is the first reservist to receive either a Victoria Cross or George Cross since current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan began, said:
"I automatically sensed an extreme fear when I looked down at the ground and realised that there was a grenade with the pin pulled at my feet. It was one of those situations where I had a split second to decide what to do. I had a quick look around and realised that there was no real place to take cover.
"There were two guys initially right behind me and a third just a bit further back, so I felt a bit guilty for setting the device off. I thought that the best course of action for everyone including myself was to lie right next to the grenade, point my body armour towards it with my day sack and take the brunt of the explosion and see what happens from there."
His commanding officer at the time, Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Birrell, said:
"The award of the George Cross is a fantastic achievement for Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher who demonstrated quite exceptional courage and selflessness to protect his comrades. The 40 Commando deployment was a challenging and difficult operation which brought out the very best in all the men and women within the battlegroup; nowhere was this more apparent than in the actions of Matthew Croucher who accepted great personal risk to save his fellow marines. This was a magnificent act which absolutely typified the highest traditions of commando service."
Written by marin2008
Saturday, 01 November 2008
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, from Solihull, Birmingham has received his George Cross from HM The Queen at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace today.
The Royal Marine Reservist was awarded the nation's highest honour after he dived on a live grenade to save his comrades in Afghanistan.
On receiving the honour from HRH The Queen, LCpl Croucher said:
"It was a great honour to receive my award from The Queen today. I
feel very proud to be part of the Navy's Royal Marines and it was very
special to be awarded the George Cross."
LCpl Croucher's mother, Margaret, said:
"I am a very happy mum today. I am hugely proud of my son and all he
has achieved. It has been a fantastic day."
LCpl Croucher was part of the Commando Reconnaissance Force tasked on 9th February 2008 to conduct reconnaissance of a compound in which it was suspected that Taliban fighters manufactured Improvised Explosive Devices.
LCpl Croucher was at the head of the team as they moved silently through the darkened compound when he felt a wire go tight against his legs. This was a trip-wire connected to a grenade booby-trap, positioned to kill or maim intruders in the compound. He heard the fly-off lever eject and the grenade, now armed, fell onto the ground immediately beside him.
He quickly acted on instinct and threw himself beside the grenade, pinning it between his day-sack back pack and the ground to absorb the explosion.
Amazingly, he survived virtually unscathed when his body armour and a rucksack on his back absorbed most of the explosion.
LCpl Croucher, who is the first reservist to receive either a Victoria Cross or George Cross since current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan began, said:
"I automatically sensed an extreme fear when I looked down at the ground and realised that there was a grenade with the pin pulled at my feet. It was one of those situations where I had a split second to decide what to do. I had a quick look around and realised that there was no real place to take cover.
"There were two guys initially right behind me and a third just a bit further back, so I felt a bit guilty for setting the device off. I thought that the best course of action for everyone including myself was to lie right next to the grenade, point my body armour towards it with my day sack and take the brunt of the explosion and see what happens from there."
His commanding officer at the time, Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Birrell, said:
"The award of the George Cross is a fantastic achievement for Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher who demonstrated quite exceptional courage and selflessness to protect his comrades. The 40 Commando deployment was a challenging and difficult operation which brought out the very best in all the men and women within the battlegroup; nowhere was this more apparent than in the actions of Matthew Croucher who accepted great personal risk to save his fellow marines. This was a magnificent act which absolutely typified the highest traditions of commando service."
Best hope he's not telling it to a boy then!
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George W Bush, that'll put the willies up em.