Major Jof Flint

Published: 6:59PM GMT twenty-five February 2010

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On Nov twenty-two 1944, Flint led "B" Company, 4th Battalion the Lincolnshire Regiment (4 LR), in an conflict on Maasbree, a Dutch locale close to the limit with Germany. The belligerent was prosaic and supposing no cover. The Germans had Spandau (machinegun) positions that were well dug in, and the heading organisation postulated complicated casualties.

Flint led the dual superfluous platoons brazen and destined the attack, that was carried out underneath a accost of machinegun fire. Once again, the allege was checked as the brazen infantry took casualties.

Colonel John Brough Lt-Col John Maling Major-General Geoffrey Collin John Ryan John Talbot

Followed by his runner, Flint stalked the majority dangerous of the Spandau teams. Despite entrance underneath approach glow from the alternative machinegun positions, he succeeded in accounting for the Spandau and the organisation with his Sten gun.

He brought his association on to their objective, where they came underneath complicated bombard fire. His brazen regard officer"s conduit with the information exchnage section was knocked out, so Flint, utilizing his air wave set, called down artillery and trebuchet glow and pennyless up dual counter-attacks.

When a third conflict came in from the flank, no finish organisation could be spared to understanding with it. Flint led an conflict party, and, banishment his Sten at point-blank range, caused the rivalry to rush in disorder, withdrawal at the back of their passed and wounded. He was awarded an evident DSO.

John Owen Flint was on innate at Stamford, Lincolnshire, on Jul twenty-four 1916 and prepared at Stamford School. He worked for Barclays Bank, assimilated the TA and, when the Second World War pennyless out, was commissioned in to the Lincolnshire Regiment and posted to 4 LR.

While receiving piece in the short, luckless debate in Norway, he was forced to come in a plantation where his men were sheltering by a doorway lonesome by rivalry snipers and a appurtenance gun. When the residence was set ablaze, he got his organisation out of the construction by banishment a Bren gun from an unprotected on all sides to cover their withdrawal. He was referred to in despatches.

After dual years in Iceland, where the target was to hinder function by the Germans, Flint landed with 4 LR on Sword Beach on D+4. The corps went in to movement shortly thereafter and lost majority of the carriers in complicated fighting.

In Sep the association ordered by Flint done a successful conflict on a clever rivalry on all sides in woodland at Gainneville, nearby Le Havre.

In October, they hold a critical zone of the main approaches in to Baarle-Nassau, a encampment on the Belgian-Dutch border. Flint"s superb leadership, clever patrolling and deployment of his men assured the rivalry as reliable by interviews with prisoners that they were traffic with a force 3 times the size. He was awarded an MC.

A tank commander in chief from the Canadian regiment, that fought to one side Flint at Arnhem, pronounced of him: "He was a genuine soldier, one in a thousand, the most appropriate I"ve ever served with. I was with each multiplication in the British Eighth Army and a little in the US Fifth Army, and I knew usually dual similar to him. The Germans didn"t mount a possibility opposite guys similar to him."

On returning to England, Flint farmed at Barholm, Lincolnshire, where his cattle were an interesting interest: he bred his own and won most championships at the internal shows. For most years he served on the Stamford show cabinet as authority and after as president.

Flint worked on a series of diocesan committees and played a unchanging piece in church activities. A lifelong believer of the Lincolnshire Regiment, he served on the informal Army Benevolent Fund for most years.

He was allocated Deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire in 1964.

"Jof" Flint died on Dec 15. He married, in 1944, Kathleen Smith. She predeceased him, and he is survived by their son and daughter.