Sergeant David Grieve MM

Sergeant David Grieve was the son of James and Margaret Grieve, of Bridgeton, Glasgow.

He enlisted into the Seaforth Highlanders and volunteered for airborne forces when it was expanded into 1st Parachute Brigade in 1941. David qualfied as a military parachutist on the first course run for brigade personnel at RAF Ringway in November 1941 and returned there for an advanced parachute training course with arms containers In January 1942.

David served in 'Jock's Company' (C Coy) of  the 2nd Parachute Battalion, which was tasked to carry out Operation BITING, in February 1942, a daring parachute raid to capture and recover secret German radar components in enemy occupied France.

He took part in the raid as a stick commander in Nelson section and was subsequently awarded the Miltary Medal. The citation records:

"During the parachute raid on Bruneval on the night of Friday Feb 27th and Saturday Feb 28th this NCO was in command of a section  which was dropped a long way short of the objective. He gave the officer in command of the platoon great assistance in the difficult task of finding their way to the objective through strange country. Throughout the operation he was conspicuous in his gallantry in the face of enemy fire; and the energy and resolution he displayed contributed largely to the final success of the operation."

Later that year David sailed with the 2nd Battalion to take part in the North African campaign, and some two weeks after arriving in Algiers was deployed from Maison Blanche airfield for a snap operation to destroy German aircraft and positions at Depienne and Oudna.

David Grieve died in the early stages of the Depienne operation, on 29 November 1942, aged 28 years old. He is now buried at Enfidaville War Cemetery, Tunisia.