| | HERO OF THE MONTH BY LORD ASHCROFT BY LORD ASHCROFT HERO OF THE MONTH iven his immense courage on the and Pontypridd Grammar School. After BELOW Major Tasker Watkins VC with his wife and battlefield, it is little wonder that, his family moved to Essex, he attended child, Mair, photographed following his investiture at G as president of the Welsh Rugby Romford County School before working Buckingham Palace. (TOPFOTO) Union, Tasker Watkins was sometimes for Crookes Laboratory in the chemical asked to address his nation’s players before a industry. However, he was released from his Regiment in Normandy from the end of July big international match. As he attempted to job to take a degree in law and commerce at that year. He was part of the reinforcements inspire them to victory on the rugby field, he London University. sent out as the Allies tried to push their way Major Sir Tasker Watkins would compare their chosen sport to warfare, through France in the wake of the landings. since he stated that both required “a cool Rising Through the Ranks On the evening of 16 August 1944, as mind, discipline and self-sacrifice”. After the outbreak of war, he served in the Allies continued to squeeze the Falaise VC GBE PC QC DL As a talented player in his younger days, the ranks of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light ‘pocket’ in their effort to trap two German Watkins was hugely respected by those Infantry from 16 October 1939 to 16 May armies, Watkins’ battalion attacked targets sporting the famous red rugby jerseys. 1941 until, on 17 May 1941, he was granted near Bafour, a village a few miles west of They knew only too well why he had been an emergency commission as a second Falaise itself. His ‘B’ Company came under decorated with the Victoria Cross during the lieutenant in the Welch Regiment and was heavy and relentless machine gun fire while Second World War. Tasker Watkins was promoted to substantive lieutenant on advancing through corn fields that had been born in Nelson, Glamorgan, on 18 November 3 April 1942. booby-trapped with mines. 1918. The son of a Welsh-speaking miner, Various significant postings followed By the time the men reached two enemy Bertram Watkins, and his wife Jane (née including, while in the rank of temporary machine gun posts, Watkins was the only Phillips), the young Watkins divided his early major, a role as a senior instructor at the officer left standing. By then, his men childhood between his own parents’ home in War Office Battle School at Llanberis, north were isolated from the main British force Station Road, Nelson, and the nearby home Wales. Here Watkins earned a reputation as and, to make matters worse, all radio of his grandparents in Shingrig Road. a hard taskmaster. communications were down between the He was one of seven children and had Shortly after the D-Day landings of 6 two companies that led the attack and been christened with his grandmother’s June 1944, Watkins reverted to his role as Battalion HQ. The regimental records maiden name. While still living in South a substantive lieutenant and returned to the described a feeling of fear as the enemy Wales, he attended Llanfabon Infants School front line, serving with the 1/5th Welch appeared to be advancing from all sides: B “His 'B' Company came under heavy and relentless machine gun fire while advnacing through the corn fields that had been booby-trapped with mines” HERO of the MONTH By Lord Ashcroft 110 www.britainatwar.comwww.britainatwar.com www.britainatwar.com 111 | | HERO OF THE MONTH BY LORD ASHCROFT BY LORD ASHCROFT HERO OF THE MONTH his leg could be saved. While recuperating However, still with no communications in hospital, Watkins learned he had been Victoria Cross Heroes Volume II and with no signs of support, he eventually awarded the VC for his earlier bravery. His withdrew. At 1am, he brought in the citation concluded: “His superb gallantry Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is a remaining 27 members of his company, and total disregard for his own safety businessman, philanthropist, author along with some German prisoners: 33 men during an extremely difficult period were and pollster. His sixth book on from his company had become casualties: responsible for saving the lives of his men, gallantry Victoria Cross Heroes killed or wounded. Watkins was unharmed and had a decisive influence on the course Volume II was published in hardback and unbowed. “It didn’t surprise me at all. It of the battle.” in 2016 and is now available in was typical of him,” Captain Morgan, one of Watkins never returned to the front line paperback. For more information, those present, said many decades later. but, after recovering from his injuries, was visit www.victoriacrossheroes2.com However, Watkins, by then an acting appointed commanding officer of the Royal Lord Ashcroft’s VC and GC collection is on public display at the Imperial War major, was severely wounded in a Engineers Battle School at Penmaenmawr, Museum London. For more information, visit www.iwm.org.uk/heroes and subsequent action. He received his injures as North Wales. He received his VC from details of his VC collection may be found at www.lordashcroftmedals.com the Allied forces advanced on Hertogenbosch George VI at an investiture at Buckingham For more information on Lord Ashcroft’s work, visit www.lordashcroft.com in southern Holland. Crossing a canal in Palace on 8 March 1945. Follow him on Twitter: @LordAshcroft October 1944, he was hit by shrapnel in the He once said of his VC award: “I’m pretty right leg and lower abdomen. grateful now… life’s very precious, after When in hospital in Brussels, it looked as if all, it’s all we’ve got really. It’s easy to be a considerable mark in two very different In common with most VC recipients, the limb might need amputating but, having philosophical out of battle but when you are spheres of life: the judiciary and rugby. Watkins was proud of his award but always been transferred to the Queen Elizabeth heavily involved you don’t have time preferred to be remembered for career Hospital in Birmingham, it was assessed that to think of such things. You get on with Distinguished Legal Career achievements in the worlds of law and rugby what you are doing, what you are called After moving to Llandaff, near Cardiff, rather than his actions in war. However, “The atmosphere was one of tenseness and upon to do.” However, most of the time, his Watkins trained as a lawyer and was called shortly before Armistice Day 2001, he was helplessness. It was impossible to restore the “His superb gallantry and total disregard for his only comment on the VC was: “I am proud to the bar in 1948. In 1965, he became a asked to reflect on his VC award and replied: situation.” own safety during an extremely difficult period were of that”. Queen’s Counsel and, in 1971 (the same year “You must believe me when I say it was just As the enemy closed in on the company, During the war, in 1941, Watkins had he was knighted), he was appointed as a another day in the life of a soldier. I did what Watkins decided he and his men would responsible for saving the lives of his men, and had a married Eirwen Evans in Dagenham, judge in the Family Division, followed later needed doing to help colleagues and friends, fight their way out of trouble and somehow Essex, and the couple had a daughter and by the Queen’s Bench Division and the Court just as others looked out for me during the get back to the British lines – and that he decisive influence on the course of the battle” son. After leaving the army in 1946, he left of Appeal. fighting that summer… would lead from the front. He charged the Watkins was appointed Deputy Chief “I didn’t wake up the next day a better or first machine gun post, personally, with his Justice of England in 1988 and worked braver person, just different. I’d seen more Sten gun, shooting the enemy manning it. closely with Lord Lane, then the Lord killing and death in 24 hours – indeed been Next, he led the charge on an anti-tank gun Chief Justice, on judicial postings and the part of that terrible process – than is right for that was targeting his men. When his Sten administration of the criminal justice system. anybody. From that point onwards, I have jammed, he threw the weapon in the face of He asked High Court judges to fill in time tried to take a more caring view of my fellow a German gunner before shooting him dead sheets to show how they spent their working human beings, and that, of course, always with his pistol. days, in an attempt to boost the case for includes your opponent, whether it be in war, As ‘B’ Company continued to try to get more judicial manpower. sport or just life generally.” back to the Allied lines, it crossed the In 1991, he sat alongside Lord Lane in In August 2007, Watkins fell heavily at his cornfield where it had come under attack the historic appeal case that established that home in Llandaff. He was admitted to the earlier. Once again, the Germans opened-up husbands living with their wives could be University of Wales Hospital, where he died on the British soldiers. Watkins directed convicted of raping them.