Peter Francis Burr

The photograph is shared by the Trust with kind permission from the 11th Armoured Division Facebook Group and its Black Bull Research Team. Additional research is courtesy of John Hamblin.

Remembering Peter Francis Burr, Killed in Action, 18 July 1944.

Burr, Peter Francis Major 126623 OBE, C Squadron, 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps. Killed in action on the 18th of July 1944 aged 28

Peter Francis Burr was born at Upper Tooting, London on the 26th of February 1916, the son of Harry John Burr, a cigar merchant, and Ethel Gladys Burr (née Finney) of 5, Heathfield Road, Wandsworth, later of 4, Wentworth Close, Ditton Hill, Surbiton, Surrey. He was christened at Holy Trinity Church, Upper Tooting on the 4th of June 1916. He was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon.

He enlisted as a Trooper in the Royal Tank Regiment and attended the 102nd Officer Cadet Training Unit at Cobham Ridges in Surrey before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on the 6th of April 1940. He served with the Westminster Dragoons before being posted to the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. He was married in Surrey in 1940 to Eileen Beatrice (née Swann) of Stoneleigh in Surrey.

He served as Regimental Adjutant in North Africa and was wounded at the Battle of Gazala in May 1942 when his Grant tank was knocked out. He rejoined his unit from hospital on the 13th of July 1942.

While he was serving in North Africa he was appointed as Adjutant to Major General George Philip Bradley "Pip" Roberts, commanding officer of 22nd Armoured Brigade, who had previously commanded the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. Roberts described Peter Burr as follows - "He was a meticulous organiser, a most conscientious worker and got on well with everyone".

Peter Burr was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Miltary), which was announced by St James's Palace on the 14th of October 1942, and the recommendation for the award reads as follows: -

Period reported on - Oct 42 to Mar 43.
Immediately prior to the breakthrough at El Alamein the DAQMG of this Bde was posted away, and Major Burr, who was then Staff Capt, was called upon without any warning or such previous experience to undertake the duties of DAQMG. When the breakthrough was effected, this Bde advanced in one operation from Tel el Kisa to El Adem. After a pause of three days Bde HQ and a battle group advanced from El Adem to Marsa Brega. These operations imposed the greatest possible strain on the administrative side of the Bde and they were made possible almost entirely by Major Burr's initiative, energy and unfaltering devotion to duty. The whole way to El Adem the Bde maintained contact with a very fast retreating enemy and at one stage - S.W of Fuka - fought a tank battle, Later, during the advance from Marble Arch to Tripoli and from Tripoli to Medinine, Major Burr displayed the same resolute efficiency and maintained the Bde in the highest state of readiness for a long and difficult period. Altogether his performance during the time under review was an extraordinary example of administrative brilliance and served as an inspiration to everybody who worked with him"

At the end of the campaign in North Africa the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment returned to England where they began training for the invasion of the continent and Peter Burr was appointed to the command of C Squadron.

On the 9th of June 1944, Peter Burr led the main part of the Regiment to the marshalling yards where he oversaw the waterproofing of the tanks. They were then loaded on to tank landing craft for the journey to Normandy and the Regiment landed on Juno Beach on the 16th of June 1944.

The British had intended to capture the city of Caen on D-Day and by early July they had fought a series of major engagements around the city but had made very slow progress against a determined enemy. The Regiment had taken part in Operation Epsom, which had been a failure, and on the 10th of July the regiment received orders for a major new offensive code named Operation Goodwood. On the night of the 17th/18th of July, Bomber Command carried out a very heavy bombing of the enemy defences to clear a path for the advance. This was supplemented by a barrage from the artillery and from the guns of naval ships offshore.

At 5.45am on the morning of the 18th of July 1944, the men of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment boarded their tanks and waited for the order to advance. A and B Squadrons were to lead the attack with C Squadron in support. At 7.45am the advance began with the tanks advancing behind a creeping barrage laid down by the artillery. Due to the nature of the ground and the speed with which the barrage moved forward, a gap between the supporting shellfire and the tanks soon opened up. At 8am the village of Le Mesnil Frementel was reported to be cleared of the enemy. Very soon there was heavy shellfire falling among the advancing tanks as the German artillery responded.

Lieutenant George Morris of C Squadron wrote of the advance: "We were to follow a creeping barrage. We were among an inferno of shells. My Squadron Leader (Major Peter Burr) had his head blown off, blood cascading into the tank. My tank was knocked out by an anti tank gun. In spite of the enormous fire put down, the German resistance was still intact, the fire coming from a number of Mark IV Panther tanks well dug in, practically indestructible."

There were two more days of fighting ahead for the Regiment during which they suffered heavy losses in both men and tanks. At the end of the fighting not all of the objectives set for the operation had been taken.

Peter Burr  is buried at Hermanville War Cemetery Plot 3 Row F Grave 3 and he is commemorated on the war memorial at Surbiton and on the memorial at the King’s College School, Wimbledon.