Sapper Terence G Hicks GM

Terence George Hicks was the son of Robert Percy and Annie Hicks, of Canton, Cardiff. He enlisted into the Royal Engineers on 6 June 1939, and after serving time with Field Forces, volunteered for Airborne service in 1943. Note on some documents his name is spelt 'Terrence'.

On 7 Feb 1940, he joined the 38th Field Company which was attached to the 2 nd Infantry Division in Northern France. He was one of the many who were evacuated from Dunkirk.
As he was a mining surveyor, he later transferred to 170 Tunnelling Company RE for the excavation of the Rock of Gibraltar. During this Gibraltar posting, Sapper Hicks was awarded a George Medal and the citation reads as follows:

“At Gibraltar on 13 th April 1942 part of a fully charged face fired prematurely, injuring the men lighting it. All but one man got out of the tunnel. L/Cpl Hicks of 170 Tunnelling Company RE, hearing that the man was still lying at the face, rushed in, followed by two Sappers. These three men knew that the whole face had been lit, and did not know when the charge would explode. They pulled the injured man to safety just as the face fired. L/Cpl Hicks displayed leadership and courage of a high order which resulted in the life of the injured man being saved. His conduct is worthy of the highest commendation.”

Sapper Hicks volunteered for Airborne Forces on 27 October 1943, and completed his training on course 94/95 at RAF Ringway from 6-20 December 1943. He was posted to B Troop, 1 st Parachute Squadron, Corps of Royal Engineers and flew out of Barkston Heath to Arnhem on Operation Market Garden. Having heroically defended Arnhem Bridge, he was killed in action by a tank in the Marktstraat area of Arnhem. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Groesbeek Memorial to the missing.