John Anthony Cecil Chatfield

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

John Anthony Cecil Chatfield, Lieutenant 224011, 245 Battery, 62nd Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. Killed in action on the 8th of July 1944, aged 22.

John Anthony Cecil Chatfield was born at Sevenoaks, Kent on the 4th of July 1922, the elder son of the Reverend Albert Leonard Chatfield MC, Vicar of Laughton, and Gertrude Emily Louisa Chatfield (née Pressnell) of Bosham Vicarage in Sussex.

He was educated at St Michael's School, Uckfield from 1930 to 1936 and at Lancing College where he was in Olds House from May 1936 to July 1940. He gained his School Certificate in July 1938 and 1st M.B Part II in June 1940. He was a member of the Shakespeare Society and took part in a number of sporting activities. He was a member of the 2nd Football XI in 1940 and the Boxing Team from 1938 to 1940 and was appointed as Captain in 1940. He won House Colours for Running, Athletics and for Fives and was appointed as a House Captain in May 1939. He also served as a member of the Officer Training Corps and achieved Certificate A in November 1939. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in March 1940 and later to Corporal.

He attended an Officer Cadet Unit before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on the 17th of January 1942 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st of October 1942.

He served with 245 Battery, 62nd Anti Tank Regiment which landed on Juno Beach in the early hours of the 8th of June, 1944. They were equipped with 12 M10 self propelled 17 pounder anti-tank guns and moved inland to a reserve position on the Reviers-Tailleville road later that day. The following day they were moved to support the British 3rd Division and 6th Airborne Division in the eastern sector of the Allied bridgehead.

On the 4th of July they were involved in heavy fighting in the unsuccessful attack on Carpiquet airfield and two of their troops were then attached to the Canadian 9th Brigade for their part in "Operation Charnwood", part of the assault on the key position of Caen.

At 7.30 am on the 8th of July 1944 245 Battery crossed the start line near Les Buissons behind the Highland Light Infantry of Canada and advanced towards the heavily defended village of Buron. After a fierce and costly struggle the Canadian troops captured and held the greater part of the village and shortly after 9am the Battery's vehicles were able to move through the rubble strewn streets to the forward edge where they deployed, with "A" Troop covering the southern and western approaches and "B" Troop facing southeast.

Not long afterwards the barrage of incoming shell and mortar fire grew heavier and a counterattack was launched by the German armour. In the course of this, a battlegroup of 20 to 30 enemy Mark IV and Panther tanks moved across the front of the gun positions of 245 Battery and in the ensuing action 13 enemy tanks were destroyed before the remainder withdrew to the southeast.

During the battle John Chatfield was killed by shellfire near the village of Cussy, an incident which was witnessed by one of his crew, Gunner Thomas Bathe. Bathe was so affected by his officer's death that he suffered from shell shock and was affected by a stammer for the rest of his life. This action is regarded as one of the most celebrated British anti-tank engagements of the Normandy campaign.

By the end of the engagement, six M-10s had been put out of action (four were later recovered), two officers and four other ranks had been killed, and a further six men had been wounded. Later in the day the three guns that were still serviceable joined the North Nova Scotia Highlanders as they passed through Buron and advanced to Authie where they were deployed along the left flank of the village. At 10pm the remnants of the two Troops were withdrawn to the north of Buron for maintenance and reorganisation. Caen fell the following day, a month behind its planned capture in the original allied plans for Operation Overlord.

John Chatfield is buried at Ryes War Cemetery Bazenville Plot VI Row D Grave 7. He is commemorated on the war memorial at Bosham and on the memorials at St Michael's School, Tawstock in Devon and at Lancing College.