Captain Thomas R Juckes MC

Captain Thomas Roland Juckes was the son of Ralph and Bethea Forrest Juckes, of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

He was awarded an emergency commission as Second Lieutenant, Royal Corps of Engineers, in Oct 1939. When he joined the Airborne forces, he served with 3rd Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers and took part in the Normandy campaign. He commanded no. 2 troop of the 3rd Parachute Squadron RE during Operation Overlord. 

Captain Juckes died on 28 June 1944, aged 24 years old, and was post-humously awarded the Military Cross in August 1944. He is now buried at Ranville War Cemetery, Normandy.

Major J.S.R. Shave (also of 3rd Parachute Squadron RE) had this to say of Juckes:

"Tim Juckes was undoubtedly our greatest soldier in all senses of the word. He devoted his every waking moment to the training of No.2 Troop, with tremendous effect which could still be seen a year after he was killed in Normandy [...] Of Tim, Brigadier Hill was heard to say in Normandy, "One of the finest leaders in the Division," to which I have only one comment to add - after he had gone it was always so very hard to live up to the standard and example he had set and to which he had trained us. He had as keen a sense of duty as could be found in any man"

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