The Green Howards Friends Website,

The following Obituaries for surnames beginning with "D" have appeared in the Green Howards "Gazette", or have been notified to the Green Howards.

Peter Dawson

Tom Heron writes:

Peter died suddenly on 9th March 2008 and his funeral took place on 20th March 2008.

He was not a Green Howard - he served in the 3rd Hussars and the Royal Signals - but became an Honorary Member of the GHA in March 2001. He was active within the Branch, chiefly supplying transport and friendship to Ted Heslop, an ex-Green Howard Anti-Tank gunner, through failing health (including mental health) and not only saw him safely housed into a care home in Grimsby but paid regular welfare visits.

Captain P R Delf

Major Roger Chapman MBE writes :

Michael Delf, the son of Captain Peter Delf, ex 4th and 6th Battalion, The Green Howards informed RHQ by email that his father had died on 26th April 2005 aged 89 years and had been cremated at Marske-by-Sea, in North Yorkshire.

When war appeared to be imminent in 1938 Peter Delf and a group of friends from and a group of friends from Redcar Rugby Club joined the 4th Battalion and began training as part-time soldiers in Redcar Drill Hall. When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, the Battalion were sent to Moreton-in-the-Marsh in the Cotswolds to continue their training. Here Peter Delf earned his third stripe. Once in France, during the so-called 'Phoney War', Peter was put in charge of rations and cigarettes in his Company and digging a 12-foot deep anti-tank trench along the French-Belgium border.

When the Germans attacked Belgium in May 1940, the whole Battalion was ordered to leave behind the trench and march towards Brussels, but after advancing 93 miles they were ordered back to France. The cobbled streets were as nothing compared to the hassle of being strafed and bombed by German Stuka and Heinkel aircraft and seeing refugees wandering aimlessly along roads carrying all they possessed piled high on trucks, carts and barrows.

While guarding the Escot canal in Belgium, Peter was blown up by a German mortar bomb and then sent back by stretcher and ambulance to Dunkirk where he was eventually evacuated to England, to spend over four months recovering in Shotley Bridge Hospital.

He rejoined the 4th Battalion bound for the Middle East and desert warfare training in Egypt. By the time the Battalion was posted to Cyprus in 1941, Peter Delf had been promoted to Company Sergeant Major, but was selected for four-month officer training in Cairo, Egypt just as his Battalion was posted to Palestine. He was commissioned into the 1st Welch Regiment in the Sudan, but after many requests was soon back to war with the 6th Battalion, The Green Howards in the Quattara Depression near El Alemein.

For the next few months, the Battalion fought backwards and forwards living in 'foxholes' in intense heat and almost continuous sand storms. Water was in short supply, restricted to a mug of tea each morning and one pint of water per day. The flies were horrendous. Just before the second Battle of El Alamein he was promoted to Captain and given command of a Company, but, on his own request, took over the command of the Bren Gun Carriers, when the previous commander had been killed. His task suited him admirably; taking out detachments into 'No Man's Land' to draw fire when or if they had lost contact with the enemy, also carrying Long Range Patrols into the desert to shoot up German working parties or to transport detachments to operate behind enemy lines.

After El Alemein, he was involved with the push against the Africa Corps, fighting a rear guard action out of Egypt, across Libya into Tunis. He was with the 6th Battalion in the Battles of Mareth and Wadi Akarit and then onto witness the surrender of the Africa Corps in Tunis, before limping back to Egypt with exhausted vehicles. It took ten days to cover 1,000 odd miles.

In Egypt, the Battalion retrained for the Invasion of Sicily. In July 1943, they waded ashore from landing craft south of Syracuse to advance through the wreckage of many gliders and the bodies of troops they were carrying. Apparently, the gliders had been cast off too soon and with their heavy equipment, arms, ammunition, the men had not stood a chance when the gliders hit the shore. However, they pressed on in spine of fierce resistance, established a bridgehead before breaking out to advance up the east coast of the island towards Catania. The night before the final assault on the heavily fortified area of Catania, he was sent back to England to train troops in real battle conditions for D-Day.

He was serving in No 5 ITC, Richmond when the war came to an end. He did not adjust easily to civilian life although he was promoted to chief internal auditor in Redcar Council. He returned to Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk to join his family's tobacco and grocery firm. But when his wife, Margaret, died in 1971, Peter sold the family firm and return to the North East, where he looked after horses from the converted coach house at the White House, Saltburn.

He eventually retired to a bungalow in Marske-by-Sea, where he maintained contact with his old regimental friends, wearing his regimental tie or cravat with pride. His last wish to his son, Michael, was that his ashes should be scattered over the Yorkshire Moors which he so loved.

James Richard Dixon

Ian Dixon, youngest son of James Richard Dixon wrote:

James Richard Dixon (serial number 4391446), died on 10th September 2002. He was a close friend of Jack Verity, who died on 15 March 2002.

My father joined up on 27th August 1939 after previously been a pre war territorial. He too was a member of B company, headquartered in Beverley and became part of the 7th Battalion in 1939. He often used to recall the names of the Verity brothers, as well as Billy Fox, Jack Thompson, Jimmy Wright, Danny O'Neill and the Scaife brothers, George and John as people he served with.

He served in France during 1940 and sustained a damaged ear after heavy shelling prior to his evacuation at Dunkirk. This injury was to trouble him for the rest of his life, but he always made light of it. He was next sent to N Africa and rose to the rank of sergeant. He spent the rest of the war serving in this part of the world and was eventually demobilised on 14th November 1945. His demobilisation papers were then stamped as 5th Infantry Holding Battalion, Green Howards.

After the war, he devoted a large part of his life to serving the British Legion and was a committee member for many, many years. He too was a lover of horse racing. He was always proud to recall his days in the Green Howards and was very proud of his Green Howards brooch and territorial medal.

He died peacefully after a short spell in hospital, leaving a devoted wife, four sons, numerous grandchildren and one greatgranchild.

WO2 Geoff Doble

Major Roddy Bailey wrote:

Geoff Doble was born in Normanby of a large family and joined the Green Howards in Tripoli in 1964, shortly afterwards going to Cyprus with ‘C’ Company. After early service in 10 Platoon he became an Anti-Tank specialist and it was in this field that he spent most of his regimental service. As well as North Africa Geoff served in Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, Central and North America and Germany in addition to many tours in Northern Ireland. A man of mischievous good humour, he observed and sought the highest standards in service life and inculcated those standards on a generation of non-commissioned officers whose professionalism was the envy of the infantry at that time.

He became a Company Sergeant Major and concluded his service as an Instructor on the Northern Ireland Training and Advisory Team, preparing units in Germany for operations in Ulster. Returning to civilian life Geoff Doble worked for a hotel chain, which included the famous Golden Fleece in Thirsk. He was married to his beloved Ann since his first leave from Tripoli. Their fortieth wedding anniversary was due to be celebrated later this year. To Ann, their children, Leanne and Martin, and grandchildren, Justin, Julianne, Max and Arlo, the Green Howards extend their sincere sympathies to a much respected member of the Regiment. He was only 59 years old when he lost his brave fight against kidney failure.