Andrew Brown Kiddie

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from John Hamblin, Researcher.

Andrew Brown Kiddie, Lieutenant 247061, A Company, 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
Killed in action on the 26th of June 1944, aged 26.

Andrew Brown Kiddie was born at Falkirk on the 27th of April 1918, the son of John Brown Pearson Kiddie, a grocer and wine merchant, and Jessica Duncan Kiddie of “Craigernie”, Derliton Avenue, North Berwick, East Lothian. He was educated at George Watson's College from 1931 to 1934 after which he left to join his father's business.

He was married at Blanford, Dorset in 1939 to Nancy Sarah (née Cuff), a confectioner and cake maker, and they lived at 18, High West Street, Dorchester. Following the outbreak of war he enlisted in the London Scottish on the 17th of January 1940 and attended No. 164 Officer Cadet Training Unit at Barmouth, North Wales before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Gordon Highlanders on the 30th of September 1942. He joined the 2nd Battalion of his Regiment on the 3rd October 1942 and was posted to A Company on the 7th of July 1943.

On the 14th of June 1944, the 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders left their base at Findon, Sussex and travelled to the marshalling yards at Haywards Heath. On the evening of the 18th of June the main body of the Battalion embarked to the sound of bagpipes onto two vessels at Newhaven for the journey to Normandy. When they arrived off the French coast at Arromanches the weather was so poor due to the great storm which hit the Normandy coast between 19-20 June. As a result, they were unable to land until the 20th, when they marched six miles inland to Vaux-sur-Seulles. They waited there for their equipment, which was also delayed due to the storm, and didn't land until the 23rd of June.

Late on the 25th of June 1944, the Battalion moved forward to assembly positions for a major attack on the city of Caen  the following day as part of Operation Epsom. Having breakfasted in the rain on the morning of the 26th, the men moved to their jumping off position for the attack which was just to the north of the village of Cheux. There they found tanks waiting to support their advance and the sound of British artillery in support was reassuring. The drizzle and low cloud had made the visibility so poor that the promised air support had to be called off and their advance began in a hail storm.

Their objective was to capture Colleville and the nearby village of Tourville but progress was initially quite slow due to the troops ahead of them meeting stubborn resistance from the German defenders, with several of the supporting tanks being knocked out. When they entered Cheux they came under sniper fire but soon passed through and resumed their advance. A and B Companies were leading the way but as they reached open country they came under heavy fire from enemy machine guns and tanks which were dug in to their front. A Company suffered particularly badly when they were caught in the open in a cornfield under a hail of mortar fire which broke up their advance. Meanwhile B Company managed to gain the village of Colleville but C and D Companies, who were in support of the attack, had only advanced to a position about one mile to the south of Cheux and were forced to dig in there for the night.

Andrew Kiddie was killed during the fighting that day. He was buried at St Manvieu War Cemetery, Plot IX, Row J, Grave 18. He is commemorated on the war memorial at George Watson’s College.